Jinder Mahal, the mere mention of this six foot five inch World Wrestling Entertainment champion creates trepidation among his opponents. Sporting a black turban, as soon as the Indo-Canadian wrestler, whose real name is Yuvraj Singh Dhesi, walks into the ring with his long stride, his adversaries turn pale. But off the arena, Jinder comes across as a genial person, never mind that he is resting his massive title belt on his lap. In love with his roots, he easily switches from English to chaste Punjabi. And utters his favourite actor Dharmendra’s name in an unmistakable native accent.
Also called The Maharaja, Jinder is warm, chatty and knowledgeable about sports as well as entertainment world, making him an interesting conversationalist – a rare skill among WWE fighters.
Excerpts:
On his roots
I am very close to my roots. My parents came to Canada as immigrants from India. They started from scratch and worked for long hours to give me a decent life. The first lesson they taught me was how to work hard and give 100 % in whatever job I take up. Those early lessons led me to become a WWE champ. My closeness to my roots can be seen from the fact that I mastered Punjabi before learning English. In school, English was my second language. Interestingly, my parents and I learnt English simultaneously.
On the kind of preparation he is doing before his upcoming big fight with Kevin Owens in Delhi
I am the first ever Indian WWE champion and now look forward to defending this title on December 8 and 9 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium . In Kevin Owens, I have a tough challenger. These two will be the biggest matches in my career. All my workouts are aimed at defeating Owens. I don’t want to disappoint my fans.
On wrestlers he has been striving to emulate
Dara Singh has been my favourite. He was a legend. He set the bar very high. Even if I can have a fraction of his legacy, I would consider myself blessed. Similarly, the Great Khali is like a big brother to me. He has mentored me throughout my career and even today we share a fantastic relationship. Khali has represented India so well; I also want to do something similar. Not only is he a great fighter in the ring but is also a great family man. He began as a construction worker; his story is truly inspirational. Despite all the hard fights, he is a calm man.
On how professional wrestling has changed
It has changed a great deal. WWE has gone through an evolution even as wrestling in India, particularly in Punjab, is still done in mud pit akhadas. WWE is a different ballgame; it is sports as well as entertainment. Jeet Rama, another Indian fighter at WWE, comes from kushti background. He told me that the skills he mastered in akhada would be used here. His strength and reflexes come from akhada.
Unlike him, I trained in amateur wrestling on mat. However, I have had the fortune of getting trained by Gama Singh, my uncle, who taught me push ups, squats and conditioning before moving on to technique.
To offer the best of both forms of wrestling, my goal is to have a WWE centre in India. We need a world-class training centre where akhada wrestlers can avail international level training.
On the kind of food he eats to maintain his robust physique
In a day, I eat seven to eight small meals. Each meal comprises two chicken breasts and rice. I also have a daily intake of protein shakes, oat meals, bananas and apples. I eat ten egg whites. I don’t overeat as extra calories result in fat. I want to have a trim physique as I have back to back matches lined-up. My strength is very good. I don’t want to carry excess weight. Having said that, in India, I have broken all rules as I recently ate ate makke ki roti and saag (laughs).
On former WWE giants, who have gravitated towards Hollywood and television
I like The Rock and John Cena. I wish to achieve the same success in Bollywood that John has had in films and TV serials. I can become a Bollywood hero or villain.
On Bollywood actors that he wants to see in the ring
I want Akshay Kumar to be my partner. He is a black belt champ and I would like to see him sparring at WWE. I also want to see Hrithik Roshan, an extremely fit guy, in the ring. And I must add Sunny (Deol) paji, who inspired me to work hard on my physique. He can be in WWE. I have also looked up to Salman Khan, who with his bulging biceps, was a role model in gym. Films help me unwind and know what my countrymen are watching.
On watching films like Dangal
I watched this Aamir Khan film and found it truly inspirational. I think we have our version in Kavita Devi, first Indian woman wrestler to compete in WWE. Future is bright for her. She comes from a weightlifters’ family. I would love to have a film made on her life.
On displaying patriotism in the ring
Participating in a WWE bout is a proud moment as it is beamed in over 180 countries. It gives me a platform to showcase my culture. I do pat de thappi (pats his thigh). We do bhangra inside the ring....
On speaking in native tongue in the ring
That is okay. I am speaking to my people because the largest viewership comes from India. I am also encouraging Americans to learn Punjabi and Hindi and experience our diverse cultural heritage in India.
On speaking constantly to rivals like boxing legend Muhammad Ali
I acquire everything from everyone right from walk to talk. Like Ali, my height too is an advantage. I make power moves which destroy my adversaries. During the fight, I talk to get into opponent’s head. I want to push them mentally so that they make a mistake. Like I did with Randy Orton, 13 times world champion, who became so angry with me that he eventually lost the match. The Singh Brother and my manager said something about his father on Father’s Day. Randy also made a personal remark against my family. However, I don’t let such things go into my head.
On the charge that the fights in WWE are scripted
In WWE, we portray characters and have to provide entertainment to the live audience. WWE is a cross between IPL and Bollywood. Some stuff is scripted but you cannot script everything for three hours.
On how he keeps his focus
I watch the opponent’s fights on video and study their game plan. My focus is not on audience. But in India, the crowd would affect me because history would be made on those two nights.
