Jinder Mahal, who made headlines with his departure from WWE on April 19, shared insights into the genesis of his moniker “The Modern Day Maharaja” during a candid interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
Explaining its origins, Mahal revealed that the name stemmed from his cousin Raj Singh, also known as Champagne Singh in TNA Wrestling.
“Like the Grand King, a raja is the king and the maha means like even bigger like the Grand King. King of Kings in a way. (Did you come up with The Modern Day Maharaja?) I kind of stole it. So my cousin is also a wrestler, Gama Singh is my uncle. His son, Raj Singh, he wrestles in TNA. He said it like back in the day when we were tag teaming on the indies like before I even came to WWE… He said it first but I made it popular,” Mahal said.
Mahal’s impending free agency after the mandatory 90-day no-compete clause has sparked speculation about his next destination.
Following his viral feud with Seth Rollins earlier this year, which caught the attention of AEW’s Tony Khan, wrestling pundits are abuzz with the possibility of Mahal joining AEW.
Former WWE RAW GM Eric Bischoff endorsed the idea, suggesting that Khan capitalize on the momentum generated by the social media banter between Mahal and Rollins. Bischoff emphasized the potential for an engaging storyline and urged Khan to seize the opportunity to bring Mahal aboard.
Following his release from WWE in 2014, Mahal ventured into the independent circuit, showcasing his talents in promotions such as Reality of Wrestling, World Wrestling Council, Qatar Pro Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, and Inoki Genome Federation.
As Mahal prepares to go on the next chapter of his wrestling journey, fans eagerly anticipate the trajectory of “The Modern Day Maharaja” in the ever-evolving terrain of professional wrestling.
