"That's heat" - Jinder Mahal will thrive in his new WWE role, says legend (Exclusive)

WWE has always considered India an important market. Jinder Mahal, who is of Indian Punjabi descent, has held the company's world championship in the past. The Modern Day Maharaja doesn't wrestle much these days as he's transitioned to being a manager, a role that Teddy Long thinks suits the superstar perfectly.

Fans were stunned when WWE booked Jinder Mahal to go over Randy Orton in a world title match in 2017. The experiment wasn't long-lasting, as the creative abruptly ended his reign at 170 days and inserted him into the mid-card scene.

Teddy Long felt that Jinder Mahal was always a compelling heel whose in-ring work was decent. The Hall of Famer added that Mahal possibly lacked something to be considered a proper world champion.

Long, however, was glad that WWE had decided to use Mahal as a manager, as he mentioned below on The Wrestling Time Machine:

"Well, maybe what he had wasn't working, you know what I mean? I thought he was a great heel, and I think what he's doing now, you know, with those two guys [Indus Sher] he's managing now, I think he's doing a hell of a job. I really like them." [8:20 - 8:55]

Teddy Long firmly believed that WWE could get the best out of Jinder Mahal as the manager of Veer Mahan and Sanga, collectively known as Indus Sher.

The faction has already wreaked havoc in NXT and recently was brought to RAW, where they bizarrely haven't been involved in a prominent angle. Nonetheless, Teddy Long stated that Mahal was finally on the right path in WWE:

"I really believe that is Jinder's better role is to be a manager. Like I said, he wasn't a bad worker in the ring, but he just, sometimes, things just don't work. But with him coming out with that language and the turban and all, that's going to work. That's heat. I think he is in a better spot right now." [8:56 - 9:30]

---

Teddy Long on Jinder Mahal's world title victory

As noted above, Jinder Mahal capturing the WWE Championship was one of the most shocking booking decisions of the modern era, as very few expected it to happen.

Teddy Long explained that putting the world title around Jinder Mahal's waist was an intelligent call as WWE wanted to attract the Indian audience. The company's last live event in India happened shortly after Mahal lost the WWE Title as he headlined the show in a singles match with Triple H.

Long could see why WWE didn't hesitate to present Mahal as a main-event talent, considering their plans for India.

"They know that when they went over there and put the world title on Jinder Mahal, well, they knew it was the second time they were going to India. So, in order to get that Indian crowd, you have to do something with the hometown boys. Jinder is from there. He is a hometown hero, so they are going to come." [9:31 - 9:50]

Teddy Long also commented on another former World Heavyweight Champion's potential return, and you can check out the story here.

---

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video if you use quotes from this article.