"The Modern-Day Maharajah" goes in-depth on a number of topics.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal's rise to the top of the WWE mountain in 2017 was one that shocked the WWE Universe. Fast forward one year later and Mahal is coming off of a WWE United States Title reign. Following Jinder's capturing of the U.S. Title at WrestleMania 34 he spoke with Natalya for this week's edition of her weekly blog post onto the Calgary Sun. Jinder went over what WWE Hall Of Famer he aspired to be like as a young wrestling fan, shared that he would love to have a rematch with the man who "stole" the honor of becoming the first-ever NXT Champion away from him, along with more.
Natalya asked Jinder Mahal to share his thoughts on his rise to the top in WWE. One month after falling short in the WrestleMania 33 'Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal', Jinder was shot to the top of the card and would soon become WWE Champion.
“My rise in WWE was kick-started by my physical transformation,” he stated. “My transformation represents more than what is just skin deep; it represents my motivation, drive and willingness to constantly improve. For this WrestleMania, I did an eight-week bodybuilder diet and exercise program, which was extremely difficult to do considering our travel schedules. I hired a professional coach, carried my pre-packaged meals with me in a cooler bag, and woke up early or stayed up late to ensure that I didn’t miss a meal or workout.”
Growing up loving the sport there were many wrestlers that the young Jinder Mahal loved but he shared that there was a fellow Canadian "Hitman" who he always had his eye on while watching WWE programming.
“He often faced bigger or stronger opponents, but always found a way to come out on top.This inspired me to stay tough through hardships I faced growing up. Also, my Uncle, Gama Singh, a well-known wrestler from Stampede Wrestling, heavily influenced me. To this very day, I go to him for advice or to critique my matches. I believe he is one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time.”
In the summer of 2011 Jinder Mahal was in the finals of the 'Gold Rush' tournament to crown the first-ever NXT Champion. The man who was standing in his way of accomplishing that feat was a future two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion in Seth Rollins. "The Modern-Day Maharajah" stated that he would love to have another feud and/or match with "The Architect".
“Seth Rollins,” he said. “The first-ever NXT Championship was decided in a match between myself and Seth Rollins. Unfortunately for me, Seth won that match and will always be known as the first-ever NXT champion. Seth would then go on and capture the WWE Championship, along with many other Championships in WWE. I would also eventually become WWE Champion.”
This past Monday on RAW Jinder Mahal lost the WWE United States Championship to Jeff Hardy. Following the bout a disgruntled and furious Mahal stated that he was cashing in his rematch clause at the 'Greatest Royal Rumble' event next Friday. Click here to view the full match card for the WWE Network special.
