A lot has been made of Jinder Mahal’s WWE World Championship run this year, with most people pointing to his surprising ascension being in direct correlation to WWE’s expansion into India, and with good reason: That’s kind of why it happened. But in WWE’s defense, the first “W” stands for “World,” and they’re trying their best to be recognizable in all corners of it. Plus, having a multicultural champion can get you some good media looks, including a new profile of Mahal in The New York Times, of all places.
In it, Mahal discusses his initial run as a jobber that ended with his release in 2014 (“I just had lost focus … I had kind of become complacent, which is the kiss of death in the WWE”), the rumors of his steroid use (the NYT story says Mahal has passed all of his WWE-mandated drug tests), and more.
But the biggest surprise is this quote, in which Mahal (real name Yuvraj Singh Dhesi) pulls a reverse Mufasa on WWE owner Vince McMahon:
“Early on, I would actually tell Vince McMahon, ‘Hey, I’m going to have the keys to the kingdom,’” Mr. Dhesi said hours earlier at the Tower Square Hotel, referring to the chairman of the WWE. “‘One day, this place is going to be mine.’”
Okay. So. Even if Mahal is only referring to becoming WWE Champion, that’s still a huge thing to tell your boss when you’re currently the least-intimidating member of 3MB. But if he’s actually saying that he once told Vince f*cking McMahon that he was going to own WWE someday? Holy sh*t, y’all. That takes true testicular fortitude.
In other, more physically intimidating news, enjoy this new video of Jinder Mahal’s ridiculous workout regimen and then remind yourself that you’re going to literally spend a quarter of a full day watching SummerSlam on your couch tomorrow:
See you in the gym on Monday, y’all.
