Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal Explains What It Meant To Win The Title

The WWE Championship reign of Raj Dhesi, known to WWE fans as Jinder Mahal, has been a divisive topic since it happened back in 2017. One person who was not disappointed about picking up one of the most prestigious world championships in wrestling was Dhesi himself, who recently appeared on "Busted Open Radio" to discuss his sudden catapult to the main event.

"At that time, I thought Luke Harper was going to be #1 contender," said Dhesi. "Randy came by... and he told me 'You're going over, we're going to be working.'"

The surprise of this was not lost on Dhesi, who recognized that he had not been booked to be a top guy before that point.

"I was just a lower, mid-card guy for several years," Dhesi said. Dhesi recalls being told by Orton at the time that their match would simply be "a one-off," with Orton retaining the title and beginning a feud with Rusev. However, that is not the way history played out.

"Something changed in the last week or the last few days," said Dhesi. "Vince decided to put the championship on me."

Dhesi credits the dramatic change in physique he underwent after his brief release from WWE, which saw him on the independent scene from 2014-2016.

"Six months, maybe a year prior to that I had just completely dedicated my life toward getting in shape, working on my mindset, giving myself the confidence I needed to reach the next level," said Dhesi. "It was just timing. Everything worked out perfectly... I was ready for it at that time."

Dhesi was released from WWE once again in April of this year, returning to the independent circuit in the process. He is currently scheduled for AAA's TripleMania XXXII in Mexico City on August 17, where he will challenge for the AAA Tag Team Championship alongside AEW star Satnam Singh.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.