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Jinder Mahal reveals the biggest challenge of his second run in WWE

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matty Breisch | Last updated 5/7/24

While Jinder Mahal filled a number of roles during his WWE career, from manager to band member and even WWE Champion, one he never got to explore on the grandest stage of professional wrestling was himself, a second-generation professional wrestler from Canada who is incredibly proud of his Punjabi heritage.

But why? Why did Mahal so often use his voice and his spot to trash American wrestlers and their fans when he’s not too different from the men he shares the ring with then or now? Well, in a special video for social media, Mahal explained why WWE used him the way they did and why, historically, South Asian wrestlers have largely been cast as foreign heels instead of whatever character they would like to portray.

“Historically, South Asian wrestlers, Indian wrestlers, wrestlers of Indian heritage have always been portrayed in a stereotypical way. I think that needs to change. We each have our own identities, we have our stories. We want to share those stories. I think now is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a new character, not even so much a character, just be myself,” Jinder Mahal said on social media. “I’m Canadian, I’m proud of my Indian heritage, Punjabi heritage. I definitely wanna have elements of that to represent my culture and who I’m proud of. But, one thing that I missed out on was having a baby face run. I think that would have been really good. You guys are getting a chance to see my personality through TikTok. I just recently did a Chris Van Vliet podcast episode. I got a chance to myself and the response has been overwhelming. You know, I guess nobody ever saw this side of me. Yeah, I’m excited to show more of it in the future. There’s a time and a place for a big Maharaja baby face run, so let’s make it happen.”

Would it be cool to see the “Maharaja” actually go through on his idea in some major promotion with weekly television, be that in AEW or TNA, where his cousin, Champagne Singh, wrestled as recently as 2023? Totally, any time a performer is passionate about a character they want to portray, that oftentimes comes through on the screen, especially when their success or failure largely comes down to their own choices. With a pre-existing angle already in place with Tony Khan, who knows, maybe there’s a bright, bright future for Mahal in professional wrestling after all.

Is the world ready for a babyface Maharaja?? pic.twitter.com/CusHa2GoiK

— The Maharaja (@JinderMahal) May 7, 2024

Jinder Mahal opens up about his WWE release in 2014.

As Jinder Mahal plans his next move in professional wrestling after exiting the promotion earlier this year, fans may recall that this isn’t the first time WWE has opted to “Hinder Jinder,” sending him his walking papers in 2014 at the end of his time in the 3MB.

Discussing his exit from WWE the first time around in an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Mahal explained that he just wasn’t passionate about his run with the 3MB, with his return to the indies helping to make him appreciate his second run with the promotion even more, especially after watching Drew McIntyre become a certified star during his own return to WWE.

“Looking back, being released was probably the best thing that happened to me. In all fairness, I wouldn’t have got as motivated or changed my mindset as much, ’cause getting released, like, you reflect, getting that second opportunity, having that appreciation for that second run … I had become complacent when I was in 3MB, just phoning it in. Not putting in the best effort which is absolutely wrong, especially in WWE because you can’t take this career or time in WWE for granted,” Jinder Mahal explained via 411 Mania.

“I would say Drew is one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world, bar none. He can do everything, so athletic, his promos, especially now, the Drew that we’re seeing now, incredible… When I was in FCW and Drew was on Smackdown as ‘The Chosen One’ like I would look at Drew and be like ‘Man if only I could get to Drew’s level.’ Drew’s always been the man. Even in 3MB, like sometimes he would have the odd singles match and just tear the place down like he was just frustrated, and he would just put in a crazy performance.”

When McIntyre saw his run in WWE come to an end, he put in the work on the indies, built himself up, and ultimately returned as a bigger, better, and more incredible performer worthy of three different World Championship runs. Will Mahal experience a similar resurgence this time around, either with a third-string in WWE or with a new home in another promotion? Only time will tell, but it’s safe to say Mahal is open to trying something new this time around, which is the key to renewed success in the indies in a post-All In world.