Okay, hands up if you guessed Jinder Mahal would be the first member of 3MB to win a world title. Hands down, Jinder Mahal’s parents. Those of you (hopefully all of your reading this) who remember the 3 Man Band era know that there was once a glorious, pre-Social Outcasts, pre-Miz-tourage glorious conflux of WWE dudes who came together when the writers had nothing else for them, and not only made the best of a crummy situation, but became the most engaging and entertaining part of WWE television.
Yes, Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre and the bandleader himself, Heath Slater, ruled school as 3MB for the better part of two years before McIntyre and Mahal got their releases, leaving Slater as the last (one) man (band) standing. Then he got kids, man. He needed that job. And he stuck around long enough to not only win another tag title and keep himself and Rhyno in crackers and above-ground pools, but stuck around long enough to see McIntyre and Mahal get re-hired by WWE.
Now, as we hurtle headlong toward SummerSlam, Mahal is the WWE Champion over on Smackdown Live, and McIntyre is set to challenge for the NXT Championship in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. It’s a regular damn 3MB renaissance, even if all three members are currently on different brands.
But all three appear to have greatly enjoyed their time as members of 3MB, and the WWE Champion himself believes they’ll all hook up again one day. Personally, this has me more excited than any eventual Shield reunion, and it’s time to start bringing 3MB signs to arenas, probably. Mahal explained to For The Win:
“I know that Drew is very motivated; he’s driven and focused,” Mahal said. “He took it quite personally when he was released by WWE. He set out on a mission to prove he is the best in the world and I truly believe he is one of the best performers in the world. He is just an animal. He for sure will be NXT champion and I know for sure he is a future champion, whether it’s the Universal championship or my championship. …
“Somewhere down the line – it might not be for a while – but there will be a 3MB reunion. I had a lot of fun with 3MB. I learned a lot of things. That’s one of the things with WWE – to stay relevant, you have to constantly evolve. All three of us have evolved and now I’m WWE champion.”
Yes. Yes, make this happen. Make this happen with all speed. The world needs 3MB. And if McIntyre can win the NXT Championship and Slater can … uh … win the Universal Championship, then 3MB will RULE THE WORLD, BABY!
Hey, if Mahal can win the WWE Championship, Slater could get that red title belt to match his hair. Stranger things have already happened.
