WWE Champion Jinder Mahal Almost Opened A Subway Shop Before Being Rehired
Current WWE Champion Jinder Mahal was released from WWE back in 2014 before being rehired last year and he talks here about very nearly opening a Subway sandwich shop and how the Indies helped him improve.
Before his release from WWE in 2014, Jinder Mahal was your typical jobber and perhaps even the most forgettable member of the pointless 3MB faction. The fact the company wished him the best with his future endeavours shocked no one then, though it was a little surprising to see him return to RAW last year shortly after the Draft.
Upon his return, Mahal wasn't used much better than two years previously but that all changed when he received a mega push a few months back which has seen him become WWE Champion as WWE looks to expand their reach in India. Mahal has been doing a great job in the top spot too, but his life could have been very different.
"I think it got misconstrued a little bit, I wasn't going to quit wrestling, I would never quit wrestling as long as I can wrestle, but I wasn't going to pursue it as my main career. I was exploring other options, other businesses, I was in fact going to open up a Subway franchise, but I decided I'm too young, I'm not even in my prime yet, and if I give this my all, give it my best one more time, I could make it top the top. Which I did, I gave it my all, and now I'm WWE Champion."
So, yeah, we've got Jinder Mahal: WWE Champion rather than Jinder Mahal: Subway store owner. It's interesting to think of what might have been, anyway, and it seems we have the Indies to thank for Mahal making the decision to stick with wrestling and ultimately reach a point where he could be taken seriously by those in WWE.
"Yeah I just kept myself busy. I just kept wrestling and kept improving myself. Like when I was in 3MB before I left, I was kind of stuck in the rut. I had lost my confidence. Like I wasn't having long matches, I wasn't the main focal point of the show. So when I went away to the independents, a lot of times I was in the main events, you know I was wrestling for 20 minutes and literally built my confidence back. I was able to grow as a person both inside and outside of the ring and you know to get more mature. All these things helped me to get more focused and you know to regain the drive that I used to have, which I kind of lost and became complacent, which you can never do in the WWE. I had to go through that to live that. Now it's about giving 100% every day and I'll continue to do so as long as I'm in the WWE."
How long Mahal will remain on top of WWE remains to be seen, but things are certainly looking good for him right now. Being WWE Champion is better than selling Subs, eh?