Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has expressed his opinions about the lack of Indian presence in the WWE, citing both the lack of a robust wrestling infrastructure in India and the potential for future success. Mahal was questioned by Denise Salcedo over the very small number of Indian wrestlers who are currently represented in the WWE. The former champion acknowledged that he was taken aback by the circumstances, but he emphasised that Indian wrestlers must also develop to the point where they can contend with the biggest stars on the WWE roster.
Jinder Mahal On Lack Of Representation
“Very surprised. But at the same time, we can’t just expect representation. We ourselves have to be at that level to compete with Roman Reigns, with Seth Rollins, with the rest of the WWE roster, with the rest of the locker room. So there’s just no infrastructure in place properly yet. But I think in the future there definitely will be. And there’s some great young talent there,” Jinder Mahal told Denise Salcedo
Mahal also mentioned non-WWE talent that, in his opinion, merits more recognition. He notably praised Kevin Malik, a wrestler from WXM, and likened Malik’s appearance and style to those of former WWE star Jeff Hardy.
Mahal praised Malik’s agility and body while describing him as a mysterious performer with a quiet appeal. He urged followers of professional wrestling to watch Malik’s bout with Zack Saber Jr. on YouTube.
“The promotion that I wrestle for, WXM, if you guys want to look up a guy, his name is Kevin Malik. He’s incredible. He reminds me like a kind of a Jeff Hardy type, where he’s a little bit of an enigma. Kind of quiet. Has a quiet charisma, but super jacked, super agile. He actually had a match with Zack Sabre Jr. It’s on YouTube. I encourage everybody to check it out. Like, India has some lit wrestlers. They just don’t have the proper platform yet,” he added.
Jinder Mahal Praises Indian Talent
Mahal’s remarks demonstrate his conviction that India’s wrestling talent pool requires a more robust route to the international arena. He contended that performers themselves require the training and expertise necessary to compete among well-known WWE stars, rather than merely urging WWE to recruit more Indian wrestlers.
However, Mahal points to the existence of fresh talent in India and feels that things could change in the future. The former WWE Champion’s belief that there are wrestlers in the nation that might get international notice if given the proper opportunities and platform is further supported by his mention of Kevin Malik.