EXCLUSIVE: WWE Status of Jinder Mahal

This week, WWE experienced a mass layoff of both wrestlers and employees, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of WWE losing an estimated $22 million due to canceling WrestleMania in Tampa, as well as losing additional millions due to the inability to have ticketed events, Vince McMahon made the tough decision to end the WWE careers of names including Drake Maverick, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, No Way Jose, and others. WWE also released Kurt Angle from his position as a producer.

I reached out to former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal to check on both his WWE status, as well as the status of his injury. Mahal stated that he is currently “cleared and waiting.”

Mahal was last seen spending much of his television time chasing the WWE 24/7 Championship, which was a far cry from his ascension to the main event level just a couple of years prior. Mahal shocked the world by defeating Randy Orton at the 2017 Fastlane pay-per-view to win the WWE Championship, and surprisingly retained the title for six months, before losing it to AJ Styles shortly before Survivor Series.

Although he would descend back to midcard status following his title loss, he was able to obtain a WrestleMania moment, winning the United States Championship during a fatal four-way match including Randy Orton, Rusev, and Bobby Roode in 2018. He only held the title for eight days, however, before losing it to Jeff Hardy.

Mahal’s last match before being sidelined with an injury was a live event against Mustafa Ali, in which he lost. This was on June 15, 2019, and he has been sidelined ever since. He initially believed that he would be returning by the Royal Rumble, but this did not happen. However, what we now know is that the “Modern Day Maharaja” is cleared to come back to the ring, and is just waiting for his time to strike again.

Follow Chris Featherstone on Twitter @chrisprolific, and the Pancakes and Powerslams Show @cravewrestling. Subscribe to the Pancakes and Powerslams Show via the Crave Wrestling Facebook page.