Jinder Mahal Reveals Who He Would Like To Compete Against At ‘WrestleMania 34’
When Jinder Mahal made his first debut on the WWE main roster, he played the role of a master for The Great Khali. Mahal would give orders to Khali, oftentimes against his will, to show his dominance over the Punjabi giant. Although Mahal has some potential, the angle did not last long and Mahal was relegated to a midcard talent.
Throughout his main roster career, Mahal did not experience much success, with the most noticeable part of his tenure being a member of the 3MB faction. While the group featured Mahal, along with Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater, they would be limited to a trio who would lose their matches and put other talent over.
Following 3MB, both McIntyre and Mahal were released, and Slater was a relative non-factor regarding relevant names on the main roster. Mahal returned as mostly a filler talent to add depth to the main roster and joined the Raw brand. However, he was used mostly as an enhancement talent, losing most of his matches. He would even form a team with Rusev, although that was short-lived.
However, as 2017 arrived, fortune turned a positive corner for all three members. In addition to Mahal returning, McIntyre also made his return at the NXT TakeOver: Orlando event. All three former 3MB members would also experience championship success: Slater won the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships with Rhyno, McIntyre won the NXT Championship just months after his debut, and – perhaps the most surprising of them all – Mahal defeated Randy Orton at Backlash to become WWE Champion. Mahal proved to be a successful champion, as he retained the title for nearly six months.
Currently, Mahal has been involved in the United States Championship picture, vying to dethrone champion Bobby Roode. Regarding his path to WrestleMania, it is not quite clear as he has yet to confirm an opponent. However, according to a recent interview on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, Mahal revealed that he would like to face New England Patriots’ tight end, Rob Gronkowski.
“100 percent, I would love a match with Gronk,” said Mahal. “He’s one of the most recognizable athletes in the entire world. [The more eyes] on WWE, the better. I want WWE to be even bigger, more people watching WWE, WWE having a bigger presence in pop culture, period… Gronk doesn’t need to come to WWE. If he’s in WWE, it’s because he wants to. He’s passionate about it, he loves it. He [doesn’t] need it, he could do whatever he wants because he’s Gronk. So, that would be awesome, I would love a match with Gronk.”
Last year at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida, Gronk and Mahal had an altercation which led to Mojo Rawley winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Following the Patriots’ loss at Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mahal made sure to extend the rivalry by making some trolling remarks at Gronk. With rumors swirling that Gronkowski, 28, maybe WWE bound, a match at WrestleMania 34 would be a good marquee moment for both him and Mahal.
