Jinder Mahal is a very motivated man, in every sense. As he gears up for the biggest match of his career this weekend, he is absolutely filled with positive energy.
He joined Chris Jericho for an interview that lasted well over an hour, and covered a whole bunch of topics, from his beginnings in the business, his initial run with the company, his 3MB run, his unfortunate subsequent release, and the changes that Jinder Mahal has made to his life.
A talkative man, Mahal's energy is infectious and his story is inspiring.
Let's revisit his interview and pick out 5 points that captured our attention from the same. Read on.
#5 Jinder Mahal has professional wrestling in his blood
Those who are familiar with old school WWF must have heard the name of the legendary Gama Singh. A mainstay of Stampede Wrestling, owned and managed by Stu Hart (father of Bret and Owen Hart), Gama Singh was hired by Vince McMahon who was looking to expand into the Middle Eastern market, and had a WWE run as well.
Singh managed to get nuclear heat from the fact that he hailed from a foreign country. Much to Jericho’s surprise, Jinder Mahal revealed that Gama Singh is his uncle.
Jericho and Mahal both trained in the Calgary system and came up the same way. However, Mahal confessed that he missed the Stampede Wrestling boom as he was too young during its actual boom period.
He has always enjoyed wrestling and grew up on a steady diet of WWF, WCW, and even ECW. Because of his lineage, Mahal was wrestling from the time he was just 15 years of age.
#4 Vince McMahon wrote Mahal’s Anti-American promo
Jinder Mahal became the most controversial character in professional wrestling, almost overnight. Not only was his win in the 6-pack challenge something that nobody ever expected, he garnered massive heel heat in the promo following the shocking match.
According to Jinder, the anti-American vitriol that he spewed at the conclusion of the match was penned by Vince McMahon himself. The initial promo did not have a racist bent.
Initially, Mahal wanted to talk about how he was a peaceful soul and nobody paid him any heed. Now, he had everyone's attention with the win. McMahon changed his promo right before the match, much to the dismay of Mahal, who wanted to avoid going down the traditional foreign heel route that WWE is known for.
However, the reaction that Mahal got immediately after he cut his promo made him realise how much of a genius Vince McMahon truly is. Jinder Mahal embraced the character and ran with it.
#3 Jinder Mahal struggled with alcohol issues
Jinder Mahal was in a bad place after his release from WWE, following his 3MB run. Through the course of his interview, Mahal mentioned how he struggled with alcohol and depression, for a really long time. He wasn't watching what he was eating, was overweight, and very shockingly, out of shape.
One day he decided to make a change and started eating right, dieting, and exercising and he hasn’t looked back since. Mahal maintains a timetable with his goals, and has adopted a very positive outlook to life, something Jericho claimed he resonated with, as well.
#2 Jinder Mahal has utmost respect for Big Show
Jinder Mahal called The Big Show the greatest big man in the business and a wrestler he’s grown up watching since he was a young man. Big Show saw something in Mahal even before the rest of the WWE higher-ups did. At a Live Event in Champaign, Illinois, The Big Show allowed Mahal to body slam him.
This is a big deal, especially if you are not a top level talent, something Jinder was not at that stage in his WWE career. Mahal is very appreciative of the knowledge that The Big Show has passed on to him and thinks there won't be another giant like him.
#1 Jinder Mahal almost went to Impact Wrestling
Good things happen to those who work hard. When Jinder Mahal started getting in shape, he got a call not only from WWE but Impact Wrestling, too! They wanted him to be part of a pay-per-view that the company was putting together.
The day before Jinder Mahal was about to depart, he received a call from Mark Carrano, who handles Talent Relations for the WWE. Jinder kept his word and met Impact Wrestling for a meeting, even though he signed with WWE eventually.
Chris Jericho suggested that WWE may have called him because they’d gotten wind of his meeting at Impact. Well, who really knows?
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