When news broke that Jinder Mahal was going to be on Insight with Chris Van Vliet just a few days after his release from WWE – unfortunately, it was recorded before his exit – it got fans very excited to have one question answered above all others: what did it feel like to have Tony Khan accidentally promote his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match with Seth Rollins on RAW?
Discussing the match as a whole and everything that came along with it, Mahal noted how excited he was to land a championship match with the “Visionary” right after his interaction with The Rock, noting that he appreciated the buzz making the match feel like either performer could win the effort.
“It would have been amazing, it would have been like a great moment right before WrestleMania, creating some buzz like that even if he wins it back a week later or something. Yeah, WWE, I would like to see more surprises, like when I became WWE Champion, it was a big surprise. We get surprises, but I think we need a little more,” Jinder Mahal told Chris Van Vliet.
“Yeah all of the champions have been champions for a while yeah, I would love to see one of the titles like switch really quick, just to keep things interesting, but I get it, the champion, the Championships like when whatever Superstars hold it for a long time, it does really elevate them to a next level, so I understand, I see it, and it’s kind of more old school where, you know, the champion is a champion for a long time, I do like that too.”
Asked where he first heard about Tony Khan trashing his match with Rollins, Mahal revealed it actually happened at home, even though he’s incredibly appreciative that it came together.
“I was at home, I think it was early in the day,” Mahal explained. “I’d just done cardio, and I think Drew had texted me, and I got a bunch of texts in a row, and I was like, ‘What? I have to see this.’ I opened Twitter and saw it, and I was like, thank you, Tony! You made the match with Seth more interesting, more people watched it. People thought I was gonna win it just to spite Tony. I was surprised, everyone stuck up for me, it never happened before.”
Did TK mean to push Mahal to an even bigger height than working a promo segment with The Rock, if that’s even possible? No, his message was to hype up Hook’s championship match with Samoa Joe, which some fans felt wasn’t justified. Still, it did make things interesting for the “Modern Day Maharaja” heading into his match with Rollins, and while he didn’t ultimately pull off the win in his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, he got something better: a meme that will propel him to dozens of bookings on the indies and maybe even a new long-term spot in a promotion like AEW, TNA, or beyond.
Jinder Mahal explains where “Don’t Hinder Jinder” came from.
Elsewhere in his appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Jinder Mahal revealed the origin of his signature catchphrase, “Don’t Hinder Jinder.” While Mahal didn’t come up with the idea and most likely didn’t even use the phrase on WWE television, in the end, he’s happy fans have caught on with it all the same.
“There was a guy in Chicago, there was a guy with a sign in Chicago one time that said, ‘Don’t Hinder Jinder,’ and they zoomed in on it, and it just sort of stuck, and it just has a life of its own. I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘Don’t Hinder Jinder’ ever, I don’t think I’ve ever said it on TV or anything, it’ just kind of a background thing. Like if I’m walking down the street, like here at WrestleMania, we run up and ‘Don’t Hinder Jinder!’ Like I said, they don’t say ‘Hey Jinder’ they said ‘Don’t Hinder Jinder!'”
Will Jinder Mahal use his catchphrase when he jumps to another promotion – please book him in the Cope Open, Tony Khan – I mean, probably not, as he was given the name by WWE and thus probably can’t use it on the indies. Still, considering his uncle and cousin both used the name Singh, Jinder Singh has a pretty nice ring to it, especially since it can keep the catchphrase alive and well. One way or another, the message is clear: “Don’t Hunder Jinder.”
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