Jinder Mahal: WWE built character for India or a short-lived fairytale of Canadian Sikh wrestler?

After being portrayed as an extra for years, a comedy act whose defeats were inevitable and victories fluky, Mahal won his first championship in May.

After being portrayed as an extra for years, a comedy act whose defeats were inevitable and victories fluky, Mahal won his first championship in May.

Don’t hinder Jinder’ was the best the clever minds on the internet could come up with. A snarky, faux-rallying call to poke fun at Jinder Mahal’s status as a jobber (wrestling speak for a guy whose job is to lose, and make his star opponent look mightier and more invincible than he is). And then, in classic careful-what-you-wish-for fashion, he became the WWE champion.

Win-loss records are largely of academic interest — even more so in the scripted world of professional wrestling. But Mahal’s WWE run of 99 wins and 406 losses tells its own story. After being portrayed as an extra for years, a comedy act whose defeats were inevitable and victories fluky, Mahal won his first championship in May, and it was the big one. With one win, he joined the likes of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Steve Austin, a narrative equivalent of Podrick Payne taking the Iron Throne or Soorma Bhopali offing Gabbar Singh.

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Credit: indianexpress.com