Jinder Mahal may be the only sports entity who had a wilder ride in 2017 than the Philadelphia Eagles. The former joke non-band also-ran moved to the top of the card in WWE for half of the year, but not before having a couple of infamous run-ins with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
It all began at WrestleMania 33, when Gronkowski interfered on behalf of one of his real-life best friends, Mojo Rawley. Gronkowski jaw-jacked with Mahal and got a beer thrown in his face, then he got on the ring and tackled the man who would soon become the Modern Day Maharaja, allowing Rawley to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Just over a week later, Gronkowski was at it again, appearing on Smackdown and once more getting into it with Mahal. This time, Gronk was the beer-flinger, and Rawley got another win over Mahal.
Of course, just over one month after Gronk cost Jinder that second loss, Mahal was stunning the world by becoming the 50th WWE Champion. He would hold the title for over five months, while Rawley would be relegated to being a participant in the United States Championship tournament.
Rawley had a chance to at least be near some winners on Sunday, as he accompanied Gronkowski to Minneapolis for Super Bowl week and Super Bowl Sunday. Rawley was all over Minnesota participating in events throughout the week, and on Sunday, he was right there rooting on his best bud.
https://twitter.com/MojoRawleyWWE/status/960313841870606336
https://twitter.com/MojoRawleyWWE/status/960345374874456064
https://twitter.com/MojoRawleyWWE/status/960347639056224257
Of course, things didn’t QUITE turn out like Mojo had hoped. After the game, Mahal got the ultimate last laugh when he revealed … hey, maybe there’s a curse upon those who dare to hinder Jinder?
Shouldn't of Hindered… pic.twitter.com/VIWZpMiNyB
— The Maharaja (@JinderMahal) February 5, 2018
Absolutely perfect. Even though there’s no telling what 2018 holds for Mahal, he’s already having a better year than Rob Gronkowski.
