When Jinder Mahal talked his way into a match with Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the second RAW of 2024, it didn't rub too many fans the right way.
Sure, Mahal had a big moment the week prior with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, landing his name on Google Trends for the first time in years, but he was beaten up at the end of that segment by “The Great One” after a cheap shot, and his segment with “The Visionary” ended in a remarkably similar way on RAW too, leaving few to believe he could be a viable challenger for the top prize on the Red Brand just a few weeks before the Royal Rumble.
But then, something interesting happened that changed the very nature of online discourse: Tony Khan decided to talk trash on the “Modern Day Maharaja,” and suddenly, the entire WWE fanbase got behind the former champion.
Stopping by The Bump ahead of his major match on RAW, Mahal ran through his pretty incredible start to 2024 and why he felt this was the perfect time to put himself back into the national spotlight.
“I feel great, but at the same time, I'm a little bit offended. More or less, I've been overlooked; a lot of people say I'm… more or less, I feel overlooked,” Jinder Mahal declared. “I'm really frustrated in that fact that I was doing my part in helping the next generation, focusing on Indus Sheer, but then I see Superstars like CM Punk, and Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes really be the highlight of RAW, and it seems to me like fans have forgotten about the ‘Modern Day Maharaja,' the man who was once the WWE Champion. And I think it's time to step back into that spotlight and become a champion once again.”
Asked about how he was received by the fans in San Diego, which was less than kindly, Mahal noted that he's never been a true fan favorite but has found ways to get himself over one the less and is now the “talk of the town” on social media because of it.
“It was nothing new to me, this is how the WWE Universe has always reacted to me in such fashion. You know, there's a famous shot when I became WWE Champion, the pan into the crowd, and everybody's jaw hit the floor, so I don't understand why the WWE Universe is surprised when the ‘Modern Day Maharaja' returns, or becomes champion. Let's face it, I'm the prototype of what every Superstar should be, I'm the prototype of what every champion should be, I look the part, I speak the part, I speak with intelligence, I speak the truth, I bring it in the ring. I have been in there with possibly the greatest competitors in the history of our business, the likes of Randy Orton, John Cena, the Shinsuke Nakamuras, AJ Styles, so again, I'm insulted. I'm insulted by the reactions but it was a great start to the new year until I was interrupted by The Rock and nonetheless, this part week, I was in the ring with Seth Rollins, I told him exactly how I feel, and now I'm the number one contender to the world heavyweight champion. I was trending on Twitter all day yesterday [laughs], and somehow, again, the Modern Day Maharaja is the talk of the town.”
And just like that, TK has lost the great Hooker-Jinder social media battle of 2024 despite inserting himself into the conversation due to a perceived slight sent his way by the USA Network. While these things aren't usually this binary, it's hard to argue this situation did anything but make Mahal seem like a more viable contender than he did a few days prior, which is exactly the opposite of what Khan originally wanted.
Jinder Mahal reveals his reaction to The Rock interrupting his promo.
Later on The Bump, Jinder Mahal was asked about why he came out on RAW Day 1 to address the crowd and why The Rock, in turn, decided to interrupt Seth Rollins the following week.
Considering how embarrassing his segment with The Rock turned out to be, Mahal wanted to use the attention from the match to get back in the ring once more and parlayed that opportunity into a World Heavyweight Championship match.
“Last week was the right time just because I had so much momentum with The Rock, that was the most-viewed piece of social media content in WWE history,” Jinder Mahal noted. “Again, you guys don't know how it feels to be embarrassed in a situation like that. Hundreds of millions of people saw that, right? And the only way to redeem myself is to become World Heavyweight Champion, and that way, I'm the man with the platform, I will speak the truth.”
So why, Matt Camp and Megan Morant asked, did The Rock want to “Hinder Jinder?” Mahal wasn't sure but he left “The Great One” with one piece of advice: Don't.
“He wanted to take away my spotlight, that's the only thing I can think of,” Mahal said. “He wanted to take away the spotlight; he saw that I was speaking the truth, was speaking facts. I believe I didn't say anything wrong, but I have a feeling this won't be the last time The Rock and I will be in the ring together.”
Will Mahal be able to ride this momentum all the way to a WWE World Heavyweight Championship win? I mean, probably not, but then again, who expected Tony Khan to slander a wrestler on Twitter to help promote a match? This is borderline unprecedented.