Jinder Mahal Says Being Released was a Great Thing

Sometimes it’s the best thing that can happen. While you might not be a fan of him, there’s no denying that Jinder Mahal has vastly exceeded expectations since he returned to WWE. The reigning Smackdown World Champion wasn’t exactly a major success his first time around but he doesn’t seem to mind having been let go the first time around.

Mahal recently spoke to thewhig.com about a variety of topics with a focus on his 2014 release from the company. He also spoke about being born in Canada and being a huge Bret Hart fan growing up. The whole interview is quite lengthy but here are a few highlights on multiple topics:

On His 2014 Release:

“Looking back at it, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me because I got to go away and reinvent myself and rediscover myself, get my confidence back, get my focus back most importantly. You need those lows to enjoy the highs and the wrestling business is like that. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, but you’ve just got to stay persistent and better days always come.”

On 3MB Memories:

“One of the funnest matches I was ever involved in was the WeeLC match with Hornswoggle and El Torino. I think going into that match, people didn’t expect much, but we were getting ‘This is awesome’ chants and right when we came back from Gorilla (Position), we got a standing ovation by Vince (McMahon) and all the producers. That was definitely a cool moment. I think we could have done more if we were actually positioned as babyfaces. We were still doing this kind of as heels. I think if we were positioned as babyfaces, we could have had another run.”

And on what it Felt Like to Win the World Title:

“In the ring, the adrenaline was so high, I didn’t have time to think,” he said. “When I finally got to my hotel room that night is when everything kind of settled in. It was a great feeling. I can’t even … words can’t describe the feeling. It was the greatest day of my life. I’ve just worked so hard to get here and from being released to coming back to being signed when I was 23 to debuting on the main rosters, those 24-hour car rides when I was young… It was a great moment and a great moment to reflect on my journey and everything.”

You can read the full interview here.

Opinion: I’m actually starting to like Mahal more than I ever thought I would. He’s still not a top choice to be the World Champion but he’s certainly better than he was before winning the title. Mahal is doing all the right things as champion but there’s only so much you can do to get around all of his previous career. I can always go for someone who is trying their hardest and it certainly seems that Mahal is doing just that.

What do you think of Mahal’s title reign? Who do you think will take the title from him? Let us know in the comments below.