Jinder Mahal His WWE Championship Reign

Former WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal joins Chris to tell the story of how he became the first Indian WWE Champion in history and when he found out it was happening
Watch the full interview with Jinder Mahal on my main @ChrisVanVliet channel here: • Jinder Mahal: "Don't H...
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[@CVVCLIPS]

The Modern Day Maharaja! 🙌 Watch the full interview with Jinder Mahal on my main channel here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haCugHSci9GApq8

[@slimsh4dy115]

Title is Missing an "on" or is that on purpose?

[@UniversalMobbMusic]

Chris,when the Maharaja is free to sign elsewhere TNA is where he should be, AEW is great but they have so many big names it’s gonna be WWE all over again. I feel like I’m TNA he could put in some of the best work in his career and become the face of TNA plus I think Jinder Mahal vs Moose for the TNA World champion would be great for him and for TNA’s rebuilding process!

[@thepriestofvaranasi]

Bro is so humble it doesn't even feel real.

[@livingroomsuperstar]

he's so humble that he agreed to a serious interview inside CVV's single room at the La Quinta 🤣

[@k-master973]

I’ve always loved Jinder as a person, but WWE just absolutely fucked up his career. He was booked as an absolute jobber his entire career, but without any reason or major improvement in the ring he got shot up

[@digitalmarketinghumans]

Both these guys seem very humble. Really cool to see this side of Jinder. Wishing him nothing but the best!

[@kidneystonermusic]

He should humbly explain how the steroids effected his titty meat

[@GOATTTTTT]

@@k-master973yep, wwe was stupid for that

[@VXGaming]

Remember when Jinder was Champ he was doing fan signings and he was so happy and genuine I feel he would've made a good face.

[@alexisdominguez3133]

If only they wrote a better character for him.

[@Atalas5]

@@alexisdominguez3133 if they'd covered him changing from his 3MB physique to the one he has now, I feel that could have been a good and inspirational story.

[@silvertiger4441]

The error was "generic you people racism" they had a perfect story "I'm the underdog , yeah I've lost a lot but I get the important wins when it matters . All it takes is hard work and persistence" while making your Indian superstar a baby face to the Indian market (who are mostly working case) appeal to the mass rather than generic anti american bullshit

[@perrycarters3113]

@@silvertiger4441 Like, I'm not gonna tell you Jinder Mahal is a fantastic in-ring worker or that he'd be putting on incredible matches on a regular basis, but I truly believe he had a lot of potential that was sadly squandered by poor writing that doomed him to the undercard. Even as a Heel, you could have booked him saying "No, screw you, you all laughed at me when I was in 3MB, you don't get to cheer me now that I've accomplished my dream in spite of your jeering" which keeps him anti-crowd but also keeps his story completely free of racial discussion or anti-America sentiment. It really felt like there was a moment where the crowd was willing to get behind Jinder as world-champion material, and they squandered it with racial dynamics.

[@silvertiger4441]

@@perrycarters3113 he wasn't a five star wrestler . He always had decent presentation, wasn't the worst in ring , wasn't sloppy or dangerous and always had characters built around decent mic skills . Granted I do agree with most statements about being lazy finish to every match with brothers interference. So many wrestlers are guilty of repeating the same match finish (bloodline run in for Roman as most recent champ)

[@TrialzGTAS]

I like Jinder, I was rooting for Him when he was up against Seth 😅

[@JithSmohn]

Same

[@jacksonlongboarding1]

Jinder beating Seth would’ve be shocking lol

[@studentNEET319]

I heard seth was like fragile or close to injury so i assumed he'd win

[@Gabe4President88]

Yeah I think most people thought jinder was going over again vs Seth, I was all for it tbh.

[@georgealvarez1195]

They shouldve called an audible after Seth tore his MCL during the match imho. Then just give it back to Seth a week or two before Wrestlemania. But nooooo, Seth got hurt, and didnt wrestle again for 7 weeks until Mania

[@JW-dp4we]

He seems like such a down to earth dude

[@codster9]

"More veins, more reigns."

[@waterbottle3081]

Goldust wluld say : more veigns on the co co cccco co cooooooohck of roman reigns

[@waterbottle3081]

Would say *

[@poovanna4284]

It is real fitness

[@violentbryan21]

Dude was def on the gas

[@obsessivefanboy7]

Even though Jinder didn't have the best title reign, I love the fact that despite being a heel he would bow his head to the WWE title before every defense as a sign of respect to the championship and its legacy.

[@Zozerozos]

Jinder Mahal's title reign will always hold a special place in my heart. Believe it or not, when Jinder finally got merch when he returned, his t-shirt was the first piece of pro wrestling merchandise that I purchased with my own money. I remember wearing it to a live event and getting trolled by some rowdy fans because I was a fan of his. I still wear the shirt sometimes to this day!

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

U have good taste 💯

[@strikeromega]

Easily one of the best entrances when he had the title

[@d.52555]

Don’t hinder jinder!

[@dibyoghosh]

Knowing how he is in real life, Jinder would make a great babyface when he returns.

[@claudelorrain-bouchard6941]

Jinder and Omos as a tag team: smiling happy bros.

[@kadharefinley224]

I know most of the fans didn’t like Jinder as WWE champion but it was something new and surprising.

[@CanaleImprobabile]

So it's the first time you poop yourself

[@mattalan6618]

@@CanaleImprobabile every time i poop i'm surprised

[@jasonx1174]

That was just typical Vince at that point. Leaning into swerves and surprises just for the sake of it without considering if it was a good idea long-term.

[@JameyMcQueen]

​@jasonx1174 They put the title on him because they wanted to expand their partnership with India. That never panned out. So no, it wasn't for "no reason."

[@CarlMarxPunk]

Nothing but respect for Jinder but a panic title run for a big guy was neither new or suprising, let's be real. We were numb by a 20th Orton run.

[@markd9580]

Jinder’s entrance as champion was 🔥

[@mouhamedaminelaksiri7318]

HOT TAKE: If Jinder Mahal had a decent build up before winning WWE Championship,his reign would have been great,because his gimmick and Mic Skills are good,and his ring skills are decent too

[@prrocker9637]

That and if his matches didn't have the exact same ending everytime kinda like how Roman's did the last year of its reign

[@mouhamedaminelaksiri7318]

@@prrocker9637 yeah that too

[@Venemofthe888]

i actually think a run with the United States Title run first might have helped him build himself up and create a moveset so when he did get the wwe title it was more believable

[@raveoreynolds6049]

I think he was showing promise in his promos on Talking Smack. But then they just stripped him of any personality and made him a generic foreign heel.

[@mattieonutube273]

I don't think so. I don't think he's bad or anything but he was never really able to connect with the audience. He's the champion no one asked for.

[@gerardrobinson5707]

Love these interviews cuz your really get to see the person & the insights of the business

[@Jonathan-om1wq]

love seeing the respect they have for This. BUSINESS!!

[@Akshay-qx9jj]

Bow down to Modern day Maharaja 🙌

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

What is mahal doing in the impact zone?

[@briantep458]

always liked Jinder and his gimmick, really old school heel type of character

[@mattm7798]

True...the main problem was he came back jacked to the gills and what given the title with no thought in building him up, so fans rejected him even as a heel champion.

[@joeboggio4002]

Hmm...never actually watched an interview with Jinder before, but after this, I sure as hell like the guy

[@rahulsoni86]

Go back and check out the video of his entrance as the Champ...it was pure bliss and made me believe he is THE CHAMP

[@kamwo183]

His entrances were bad ass with the floor video moving forward like lava

[@KevinMerced-mg5bt]

What a professional

[@ts_of_defunct]

Despite getting a rocket strapped to his back out of nowhere and losing it not that much later. Jinder has the skills to be a great champion. He's a good heel and I feel like he could be legitimately intimidating to a regular person. Being surrounded by beasts and behemoths kinda made Jinder seem smaller than he actually is.

[@thrwwyaccnt123]

Jinder should be back in a couple years better than ever

[@worldoftrollsdom]

In a corner shop yeh....go Jinder 😊

[@YahbiiCot]

Jinder seems like such a good dude. I hope he does well in whatever he does next.

[@Tony-uh1vg]

One thing i always liked about Jinder is that he dressed like the champion. Always had great suits

[@brunosilva828]

Fuck what most people say. I enjoyed Jinder as Champion, he was a good champion

[@ZOROmetv]

his gonna be back even better

[@studentNEET319]

With a better moveset if he joins the top indies

[@TifaLuva]

I don’t think Jinder will see this but just wanted him to know I bought all his shirts and was total behind him as champion. To me he has the look and complete package to be at the top. So sad he’s gone.

[@CactuarKnight]

It sucks so hard that they let him go. I honestly wanted him to get another title run, but this time as a face. And he is so likable in real life because he's so down to Earth. Hope he gets success somewhere they appreciate him

[@wakaflockaproject]

His last promos were really good. Surprised they let him go

[@ElArlequin]

When he EVENTUALLY comes back (because he will, this is his house at the end of the day) he needs to stop with the heavy accent and just be himself. The guy is just a sweetheart and you can see he is one of the good guys.

[@cmjproductions1986]

It’s the WWE creative that can’t think beyond the stereotypical foreign heel character when it comes to wrestlers of foreign origin. Hopefully creative will give him something more to work with if and when he is back.

[@user-wr3gp1uv1q]

My opinion has completely changed on Jinder, I absolutely hated him during his title reigns (in an X-pac type heat way) but man I feel so bad because the guy seems to be one of the nicest Pro Wrestlers ever.

[@yogeshnegi1090]

He's humble too.

[@jordanbyford2693]

I know people hated jinder as champion but he actually was a good heel champion

[@KZ-mo2rz]

I like the era when he works as a heel WWE Champion.im entertain..1st time Im watch his interview man is so humble and respectful in real life,WWE should turn him face

[@MrInfinitrix]

As a former wwe champion, im proud of how far Jinder went

[@marvingamez9057]

How long was your reign?

[@MrInfinitrix]

@@marvingamez9057 22 days

[@marvingamez9057]

@@MrInfinitrix should’ve aimed for 69

[@user-xg4vh5ps7u]

​@@MrInfinitrix u kidding right 😂??

[@marvingamez9057]

@@user-xg4vh5ps7u why would he lie?

[@jasonx1174]

Listening to this story is a good way to gain perspective about the lack of foresight and coordination when it came to behind the scene stuff with Vince.

[@fupalover]

Vince wanted to use Jinder to make money in the Indian marketplace. Plus it was near the time they started the Saudi shows. Jinder was used for his likeness

[@Eric90TheBest]

This is really bittersweet not that he got released

[@dagobert1234321]

If I’m Tony Khan I’m signing up ASAP.. I can see a storyline where Khan goes full heel (Vince late 90s)

[@thedoctor8]

I loved his reign. He was the classic foreign heel. His matches with Styles were very good

[@worldoftrollsdom]

Daaaamn dude...I Wana know what you're smoking. Must be some good shiz for u to say that nonsense lol

[@moises9090]

I hope he tears up the indies and is back in WWE sooner rather than later.

[@Dravyn21x]

Jinder was a great WWE Champion always liked him. Would have loved to see him fued with the Bloodline.

[@fupalover]

What

[@azukuperez8004]

He seem like a chill guy that I wanna hang out with as a friend am mad that he got released from wwe I hope he makes it to aew he might have some hope for real

[@malcommasvikwa7769]

I loved everything about his reign. He was such a menacing heel, incredible physique and great worker

[@asoncalledvoonch2210]

Translation: Vince was trying to get wwe to be big in India and I happened to be on growth hormone at the time. Vince killed 2 birds with 1 stone. The fans rejected it and india didn't really care, so Vince took the title off of me. 💯

[@Wandering_Nowhere]

Jinder's title reign was the only time I didn't mind the surprise reign. Super cool dude.

[@thefuturist8864]

The only thing that went wrong with his win was that there was no convincing story to it. They just had him win the qualifying match, and then win the title, both of which seemed equally unbelievable. They should have doubled down on the 'jobber got lucky' angle.

[@tombardsley3081]

Exactly. Would have been an organic story of him suddenly lucked his way into winning vs trying to fit him into a gimmick and role that he had never been in before as he wasn’t credible as a top heel at that point. Had he been built up when he came back to wwe like they did with Drew, then that direction would have been more believable.

[@fupalover]

Why would Vince care about a story when he just wanted to use Jinder to sell merchandise and win over the Indian fanbase

[@tombardsley3081]

@@fupalover and did the way he presented Jinder win over Indian fans? No. Had he been presented differently and perhaps was a face, then maybe that might have improved sales

[@fupalover]

@tombardsley3081 Probably. He was champ for a few months so he had to do something right.

[@tombardsley3081]

@@fupalover well he didn't. It's not Jinder's fault that he was put in this position and presented this way. However, this run damaged the belt and it didn't do what it was intended to do.

[@Unexpectedthings007]

A good guy and good backstage role model. It's just sometimes things don't click in front of live audience and all. Best of luck Maharaja

[@McCheeseincakes]

I didn't have an issue with Jinder Mahal as champion in general, but I as many others had an issue with taking a certified jobber and making them champion within 2 weeks, for a very obvious marketing reason. I really wish they would have just taken the time to properly build him up. It may have worked out better for him in the long run had they done that.

[@raymondmcgee4491]

He did a great job working with what they gave him, whether people liked him or not. He showed up and put out the same energy and heart as the Bloodline every week. I think they just used him to get the Indian market.

[@stefas17]

I remember when he went over I was so pissed because it was out of the blue and felt there were more deserving wrestlers to become WWE champions, but man...Looking back now at the presentation and the way he was carrying himself with the belt he was so good at being the champion. Even though his promos weren't main event caliber, he was the only guy apart from the Miz at that time, that you could feel the passion and dedication he had for the position he was in and he loved every second of it.

[@ABombIsCool]

was never a big fan of his work in WWE but he comes off really well here

[@anasshahid224]

Jinder Mahal winning the WWE championship against Randy Orton back at Backslash in 2017 was an absolutely shocking moment. I didn’t see it coming, a real fresh change to the main event picture, good memories. 😊

[@OGimperial97]

I loved when he won, and JBL on commentary made it that much better. What a great Backlash that was.

[@Warrioruk]

Jinder comes across as a really chilled guy.

[@harshramchandani2511]

It's so good to finally have Jinder on CVV...!

[@chrisss1535]

Hot take: Jinder should have won the world title in January even for like a day. Dude was on fire after the promo with The Rock

[@shuaizhou589]

His body was absolutely outta this earth

[@MM-xe3es]

Really underrated heel run, that will be remembered fondly in a few years. Just like JBL's run with the title in the ruthless aggression era.

[@leigh7507]

As a fan, if they just built him up for 3 months before hand, we would have been more receptive. It was just that he went from jobber to champion in 3 weeks

[@vibesoffaheem]

Mark my words He will win Championship once he signs with other Promotions

[@yogeshnegi1090]

You're right ✅

[@Artee023]

AND from there the LEGEND was BORN

[@ashtonyoshi6811]

He said 6 pack challenge match 😂😂. Knowing now that he drank and showed up hungover, makes that mishap even more funny 😂😂

[@Fahim_Ahmed.]

Man! This guy is super Humble. Do not quit wrestling bro. You better go to AEW.

[@ThisIsMeAD]

Might want to add “on” to the title Chris 😂

[@MyNameIsUnavailable]

I Mahal my reigns, too

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

You forget how canadian he is till he drops the accent

[@robertmaggiobellotti7046]

I hope wherever he goes next they treat him right

[@VIAJERO737]

Very decent and professional worker. I wish him the best endeavours. He will be back.

[@rayyar3380]

dude got physique...deserves..equality should b for everyone.🔥🔥

[@NebraskaPoliceDepartment]

Take me back to 2017 😩

[@SuperMillwall]

He could easily be a top heel for a company like TNA. He makes a great main event heel.

[@stephensandridge3784]

That's honestly the most reasonable take I've heard from a performer about Vince being a 'body guy'. Makes sense.

[@theoneandonly7895]

I liked Jinder as champion, it took me by surprise and i was all for it. One of the more legitimate looking wrestlers I was a fan of.

[@herculesmwp7983]

Jinder is definitely one of the wrestlers that I could see being mega appreciative of fans

[@joshuaayres2593]

U may not like him as champion but he did defend it everytime we saw him. He was a good champion ofc not the best but definitely not the worst

[@jpnoy]

Jinder knew what Vince is attractive too a bulk body and he did it

[@pandominik4232]

Man, what a great humble guy is our Maharaja

[@ramizsohail2687]

No hate but the reason he became champion is because WWE had a tour in india and at the time it made sense to make him champ, then just before the tour they scrapped the plan

[@Njbear7453]

I enjoyed his championship reign with the Singh brothers ! The Bollywood boyz!!!

[@mixedblood09]

I was there when he won the title at backlash. It was so lit! The crowd went crazy me included lol

[@sihlemkhize]

He was a great heel he deserved to be given a chance

[@AshBashSneakers]

He looked badass as champion.. he was jacked… looked intimidating.. the entrance was epic too.. they just didn’t let him beat enough people clean

[@jacksonlongboarding1]

I liked him as champion because it was different and fans had a heel we could hate but I guess people don’t like change

[@pkj2148]

He wasn't credible, that was the issue. It's not because it was new, it was executed badly.

[@JoseMartinez-pt2ww]

@@pkj2148but it’s was something different, you don’t like change ????

[@JoseMartinez-pt2ww]

Exactly brother, I don’t understand the hate for Jinder mahal as wwe champion, honestly at that time it was a new era especially getting the brand split again, I think Jinder was the most underrated wwe champion of all time and I think he was the best wwe champion at that time until aj styles took the championship away from him, also it was something new, something fresh and something different, don’t understand why people didn’t like the change, I guess and I know the wwe champion was on smackdown and the universal champion was on raw, but I guess people were either used to having a part timer like Brock lesnar or having Roman getting shove down on peoples throats as wwe champion!!!!

[@thestonedgeek8928]

The dude sucks in the ring. That's the problem. He's a pokemon, he can only do 4 moves lmao.

[@Venemofthe888]

@@JoseMartinez-pt2ww i think the problem was he was a jobber on RAW like 2 months before and now he's WWE Champion. It was too sudden and i think he needed more time to be taken seriously as a threat. Perhaps a run with the United States Title first would have been better before going onto the WWE Title

[@chrisvillamizar9698]

cant wait to see jinder grow and accomplish even more in the independence, and I hope tna champion. hog, mlw , or gcw. anything can happen n jinder will forever be the maharaja

[@stonedViking304]

I mean I love that Jinder got this shot with the title…but DAMN if Rusev wouldn’t been hurt him vs Orton would been good especially if Rusev won a world title! Not to even mention Harper being involved in the #1 contender match and even Jinder sayin he figured it would be Harper

[@Romchikthelemon]

I always appreciated him. His promo against The Rock from January 2024 was awesome.

[@leerobbo92]

Honestly, while it was shocking at the time, once they gave him that new entrance and he looked fucking incredible with that belt, I was like "Ok, I get it!". Personally felt he ran with what he was given, and IMHO nobody has "looked" better with that style of belt.

[@teddyschlong9063]

Hottest free agent on the market. Dude has a nation of a billion fans and greatest wwe champion ever.

[@jose3427]

I remember wwe making a huge tv deal in India around that time. I always linked the 2 together as it made sense business wise.

[@RealSethLong]

#WEWANTJINDER

[@sjdhgydhfyrn1023]

Don't Hinder Jinder. A damn good old-skewl heel. And not a mark for himself, brotha. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[@cmjproductions1986]

WWE creative really needs to think beyond the stereotypical foreign heel character when it comes to wrestlers of foreign origin. Hopefully creative will give him something more to work with if and when he is back. I feel WWE creative never really built his character and then they release him.

[@dionius4549]

Im my wwe 2k24 he's my WWE Champion. He's got a cool title entrance ngl

[@franklinemerson6962]

i think i saw jinder mahal at a live event one time in alabama i can’t remember lol! 😂

[@sguper6912]

I think it was an unpopular opinion but I really enjoyed his title run it reminded me of the classic heel something we don’t have / get anymore.

[@rangelgaming1374]

I actually liked jinders reign and was happy when he won it.

[@craig3240]

I remember the match that put him on the map. I remember it was a great match but someone else (may he rest in peace) was a favorite to win and everyone was hoping for him to win. I wonder why they never capitalized on that and went to Jinder. It was surprising for so many reasons.

[@gallavanting2041]

If they'd pushed him into the US/IC scene instead of straight to WWE I think he'd have worked out better. They screwed him by overpushing him without the build which tends to turn crowds toxic.

[@spjulyer3124]

I was like the only one who genuinely enjoyed the first title win Jinder had, just because it was outta nowhere and someone thing fresh, even years prior when I was a kid I got a battle pack of Jinder Mahal and Ryback figures so with my action figures at one point Jinder was my WWE Champion I have notes I took, booking my own show growing up😅

[@badtimes4710]

It was great when Jinder won the champion, especially during 2017. Its not only about building talents and bringing surprises, but him winning was more special. Ever since AJ came WWE, then the Jericho list thing. Its hard for the audience to identify heel and the face. Its almost like people are cheering, because its AJ style, while the face gets boo-ed. But AJ wasn't necessarily a heel, he was just being himself. It wasnt just AJ, it was many other superstars that time. People loved it though. As soon as Jinder won the title, I've finally heard a genuine boo. And I thought to myself, yeah people definitely hates him. And that is a true heel.

[@5150crazyfun]

At the time I wasn’t a fan of Jinder but after that I started liking his character because he was constantly getting better. Sucks he just got released. WWE dropped the ball on him big time. Went from holding his own in a promo with The Rock to being let go a few months later.

[@abeltable2608]

I liked his title reign

[@ducklife420]

Jinder was awesome as the champ

[@kelbosskii9769]

Likeable dude.

[@roderickjonathan7495]

All along,I didn't have any problem with Jinder being the champion. For me,he's a great wrestler and really deserved that spot

[@evalangley3985]

It is unfortunate how underrated Jinder really is...

[@nunka34ify]

I kinda wanted him to face Brock at Survivor Series