Jinder Mahal Pushes For Former Intercontinental Champion To Be In The WWE Hall Of Fame
So far, WWE has announced that Goldberg will headline the 2018 Hall of Fame, and he will be joined by The Dudley Boyz, Jeff Jarrett, and Ivory. In addition to these names, it has also been rumored that Mark Henry and Bam Bam Bigelow will join this list, along with Kid Rock in the Celebrity Wing.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal was recently interviewed by The Independent to share his thoughts on who should be in the Hall of Fame. Without hesitation, Mahal's pick was the "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.
"[British Bulldog] had a great, storied career. From tagging with The Dynamite Kid to breaking out on his own, his career had a great evolution," said Mahal. "He started in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary for Stu Hart and before that had been training in England before being brought in with Dynamite, and of course that classic, classic match against Bret Hart at Summerslam ? that's one of my all-time favorite matches. He's just a great, great superstar in the history of WWE, so I don't think it is a matter of if he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but when he'll become a member."
Mahal had a rather somber moment in Smith's home country of the United Kingdom. He was the first-ever WWE Champion to lose the title there, losing to AJ Styles shortly before the 2017 Survivor Series. In contrast, British Bulldog experienced perhaps the biggest moment of his career, as he was able to defeat Bret Hart at Wembley Stadium in London at SummerSlam '92 to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Despite losing the title in Manchester, Mahal gave much respect to Styles for dethroning him.
"It was the very first time in the history of WWE that the title had changed hands overseas. History was made that night and the match was probably one of the best I've ever had," said Mahal. "I've said this before, but I feel that although I lost, I really won that night. The energy in the arena that night was amazing and AJ Styles really is phenomenal ? the fans just love him. I think he might be the number one, top star in WWE in terms of fan reaction because everybody loves him.
"Everyone that night was genuinely so happy for him, so it was a little bit bittersweet for me. I was lay on my back on the mat with my eyes closed, listening to the reaction of the crowd and a couple of tears fell in the ring, of happiness as everyone was so pleased for him. It was a very cool moment and it was a moment I'll never forget."
Currently, Mahal is without a spot on the upcoming WWE Fastlane event, although he has set his sights on taking the United States Championship from Bobby Roode. Mahal also shared how grateful he is to be in the position he is now compared to when he was released.
"We are so blessed to be WWE superstars and sometimes I think that's taken for granted; what we do, many, many people around the world wish they could do," said Mahal. "I was even released by WWE but, fortunately, I was given a second opportunity and, after that, I was never going to take anything for granted. Every day is a blessing and an opportunity and it is up to you to take advantage of that."
Source: The Independent