Jinder Mahal On Being Cut By WWE, If He Expected To Be WWE Champion, Fans Booing Indian Anthem

During an interview with Al Arabiya English, Jinder Mahal talked about being released by WWE in 2014, what his expectations were when he returned to WWE last year, fans booing the Indian National Anthem on SmackDown LIVE on July 4, and more.

Being released by WWE in 2014:

“I had mixed feelings about my release. Obviously, I was very sad and disappointed because it was my goal to be a WWE Superstar my whole life, and not only that, a WWE Champion. I felt like I had let myself down. I was a disappointment to myself. I felt like I didn’t give it 100 percent. But also at the same time, I was kind of unhappy at the moment in 3MB. I wasn’t progressing the way I felt I should be, which was ultimately my fault because I wasn’t putting in the work.

Crowd reaction to the Indian National Anthem being sung on SmackDown LIVE:

“It was a very small negative reaction but overall everyone was very happy. I think that’s the first time that the Indian National Anthem has ever been sung on such a huge platform. I think everyone was very proud that our culture has been shown. I want to make sure that everything we do is authentic, is the real thing. Very few people are offended by it.”

Succeeding in WWE:

“In order to succeed in WWE, you’re responsible. If you put in 100 percent, you get back 100 percent. A lot of it is mental. Just my mental attitude has changed. I have a very positive outlook, I set goals for myself, and I write down my goals. I read a lot of self-help books, I listen to a lot of podcasts, and just thinking positive, positive things are starting to happen in my life. I’m a firm believer that you get back what you put in.”

Initially setting goals lower in his second run with WWE:

“My goal was to become WWE Champion, but not this soon. Actually, to tell you the truth, I kind of aimed low. I started writing down my goals as of the new year, and every day I would write down, ‘become a champion in WWE.’ I was aiming at Intercontinental Champion or U.S. Heavyweight Champion, but I should have been writing WWE Champion. Now I write ’10-time WWE Champion.'”

You can also read highlights from the interview here.