Jinder Mahal Talks Regrets During WWE Championship Run, When He Plans To Return To Action

Injured WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal has been talking about his return to WWE with a spot at WrestleMania firmly in his sights.

Speaking to the Metro newspaper in the UK, Mahal said he is looking to return at the Royal Rumble after being out injured since June following a patellar tendon rupture.

"I look forward to capturing more championships when I get back from this knee surgery in a couple of months," The Modern Day Maharaja said. "'The recovery's going well ? I just started squatting a couple of weeks ago. It's an improvement, it is a bit of a slow recovery ? a tendon heals really slow just because there's not much blood flow going to it. Overall, rehab is going well and I look forward to coming back to WWE."

Next year's WWE WrestleMania 35 event is set to be held in Mahal's hometown of Tampa Bay, Florida. A fact which makes the sports entertainment spectacle even more special for the former WWE Champion.

"I'm always excited to see which city will host it," Mahal, who originally hails from Alberta, Canada, commented. "So this year I couldn't be more excited because I actually live in Tampa, I've lived here for the past 10 years.

"So, it's almost become my second home ? so I get to witness a spectacle like WrestleMania in my home. I'm excited to take part this year!"

The 33-year-old WWE Superstar said he has struggled with watching other talent get opportunities to bask in the spotlight, but that he has his sights set on recapturing the WWE Championship which he won for the first time back in 2018.

"That's the cool thing with WWE," Mahal said. "You never know, anything can happen on any given day. I could win the WWE Championship one day, and Tyson Fury could be in a WWE ring the next."

Mahal then started pondering about the moment he won the WWE Championship – a period of his life that while it was a huge moment for him, he has regrets about.

"It was big for me," Mahal added. "I wasn't expecting to become WWE Champion so soon. All I knew was I was working hard, just giving it 100% because as you know I got released in 2014 and I was away from WWE for two years.

"So, I had a lot of regrets in that time that during my first run I didn't apply myself fully, and I always said that if I got a second chance in WWE I was going to leave nothing in my tank.

"When you give 100% to anything that you do in life, you're gonna reach the highest level. It goes to show that WWE is a place that rewards hard work, and it's possible for anybody to go from the undercard to the main event."

With an eye on WrestleMania, Mahal already has a moment he'll treasure from this special event, but now he's looking to go one step further and have the spotlight in the main event.

"I got to win the United States Championship at WrestleMania," Mahal said. "My goal is still to main event.

"I've been in the Andre the Giant Battle Royale, and the United States Championship match, but I still feel like I haven't had my WrestleMania moment yet, the one I'm looking for. I'm going to keep working had, and one of these years my goal is to have a main event title match and capture the WWE or Universal Championship."

Mahal signed a new contract with WWE this past summer, reportedly for 5 years.