Taz says he does not have a problem with Jinder Mahal's push and he praises his microphone skills.
Jinder Mahal is slotted to face WWE World Champion Randy Orton at WWE Payback in a championship match. This comes after Mahal returned to the WWE (after being cut) and proceeding to have a losing streak on Raw. After the Superstar Shakeup, Mahal was part of a 6-way number one contenders match which he won. In an interview with CBS Local Sports, Taz was asked about Mahal becoming the number one contender.
"A lot of fans will say the guy wasn’t pushed, they weren’t doing much with him and he was losing a bunch of matches. To me it’s all about, and if Vince McMahon were here he’d agree, if a guy’s in-ring work is strong enough, if he can sell tickets on the microphone and get the proper reaction, has some size, looks believable, it’s “Hey, let’s give this guy a shot.” I don’t have a problem with it at all. … To me, if a guy checks all of those boxes, I have no problem with it. Actually, Jinder Mahal, I’m a fan of his work and his promo style. He’s one of the few that have legitimate heat on the microphone in that company," said Tazz.
Tazz went on to say Mahal's skills also make him a better wrestler to have as WWE focuses on the Indian market, instead of The Great Khali.
"He’s better. He’s a better worker. He’s better on the microphone. He can get a connectivity, whether negative or positive, with the audience. No disrespect to Khali, but I don’t think he’s anywhere physically or verbally that Jinder is. It’s two different animals. I get your drift and the Indian market and all that. But as a performer and athlete, it’s apples and oranges. I’d take Jinder 10 times over to lead as a performer from that country," said Taz.
WWE has moved to a global pursuit of talent and audience, including tryouts in middle eastern countries. WWE Backlash is May 21st and will be broadcast on the WWE Network.
In the rest of the interview, Taz discussed Shinsuke Nakamura, Lana wrestling, and Braun Strowman's injury. The interview can be found at Sports.CBSLocal.com.
