Updated May 8th, 2024 at 15:22 IST

Jinder Mahal reveals issues Indians face in WWE: 'Indian wrestlers always portrayed stereotypically'

Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has spoken over the stereotypical issues that an Indian wrestler could face while in the US-based wrestling promotion.

Reported by: Pavitra Shome
Jinder Mahal with Veer Mahaan in WWE | Image:WWE.com
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WWE recently made some roster trims and cuts that affected some of their wrestlers being released from the company. Some of the recent cuts featured former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, Veer and Sanga, who formed the Indus Sher tag team. The three Indian-origin wrestlers were released, and it is yet to be seen where they head next after their 90-day no-compere clause ends. Mahal has been active on social media lately, and he has been responding to the fans. The former WWE Champion recently highlighted the stereotypes that a South Asian or an Indian wrestler has to deal with. 

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Jinder Mahal reveals the troubles an Indian-origin wrestler faces in wrestling 

Jinder Mahal made a video while responding to a user on TikTok and commented on how the Indian wrestlers have to portray a conventional side of their origin, which does not allow them to convey their stories properly. Mahal has been a heel throughout his WWE run as the Modern-Day Maharaja. But he is now calling for a change and is also open to portraying a 'Babyface Maharaja'.

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“Historically, South Asian wrestlers, Indian wrestlers, wrestlers of Indian heritage have always been portrayed in a stereotypical way. I think that needs to change. We each have our own identities, we have our stories. We want to share those stories. I think now is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a new character, not even so much a character, just be myself. I’m Canadian, I’m proud of my Indian heritage, Punjabi heritage. I definitely wanna have elements of that to represent my culture and who I’m proud of. But, one thing that I missed out on was having a baby face run. I think that would have been really good. You guys are getting a chance to see my personality through TikTok.

"I just recently did a Chris Van Vliet podcast episode. I got a chance to myself and the response has been overwhelming. You know, I guess nobody ever saw this side of me. Yeah, I’m excited to show more of it in the future. There’s a time and a place for a big Maharaja babyface run, so let’s make it happen,” the former WWE Champion said.

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Mahal's comments portray how the WWE has been holding them back from the creative ideas that the wrestler can pitch. Notably, Indus Sher's Sanga also exposed the double standards of the WWE on how they want to attract the Indian audience but are unwilling to present Indian wrestlers like a top superstar. 

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Published May 8th, 2024 at 14:53 IST