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WWE allegedly took the world championship off Jinder Mahal a few years ago because Brock Lesnar did not want to wrestle the superstar. The interesting backstage detail came to light in this week's Wrestling Observer Radio, where Dave Meltzer briefly discussed Mahal's WWE title run.
The former 3MB member's 170-day reign ended abruptly before the 2017 Survivor Series as AJ Styles beat him for the title on a SmackDown episode.
The Phenomenal One replaced Mahal in the Champion vs. Champion match and went on to have a memorable outing with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series.
"You know why they did that? Because Brock did not want to work with him [Jinder Mahal]," revealed Dave Meltzer.
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Jinder Mahal dropping the WWE title was seen as an ill-timed decision as the company was preparing for an India tour at the end of the year.
The Modern Day Maharaja lost to Triple H in India because WWE believed the 52-year-old legend was more over than Mahal.
"And then they go to India, and they have Triple H beat him. He loses in India to Triple H, and the big explanation is, well, Triple H is really over in India. It's like, Triple H is 50 years old. My god!" Meltzer added.
How has Jinder Mahal fared since losing the WWE Championship?
Jinder Mahal's eight-month stint with the WWE title was followed by his immediate emergence in the US Championship picture. He enjoyed one reign with the title before moving to RAW, where he introduced a new yoga-inspired gimmick.
By the time 2019 came along, Jinder Mahal had been relegated to the 24/7 title scene and was involved in multiple angles with R-Truth. He eventually took some time off from WWE to take care of long-standing injuries and returned to action in 2021 for the Superstar Spectacle event.
Jinder Mahal's heel collective featuring Shanky and Veer didn't last long either, as the latter was sent to RAW. As things stand, Mahal and Shanky are still together and continue to get featured on SmackDown while fans await the reintroduction of Veer Mahan.
If any quotes are used from this article, please add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit Wrestling Observer Radio.
