Earlier this year, a remark from AEW co-owner Tony Khan about WWE’s Jinder Mahal sparked an online conversation that briefly made Mahal the most discussed figure in wrestling.
Last week, Mahal was released by WWE, and on a recent episode of “83 Weeks,” Eric Bischoff proposed an idea for the future of the “Modern Day Maharaja.”
“If I was Tony Khan, … I’d hire [Jinder Mahal] so fast,” Bischoff expressed.
“Going back to the comments that Tony made about Jinder, that started a whole thing. It turned into internet fire for about three days or four days. It was nuts.”
Khan’s comments in January revolved around fans’ perceptions of Hook being booked in a world title match against Samoa Joe, contrasting with the limited criticism Jinder Mahal faced for challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on “WWE Raw” after an extended absence from TV.
Bischoff suggested that AEW now has a ready-made storyline for Mahal should he join the promotion.
While Bischoff’s podcast episode was recorded before Khan’s appearance on “AEW Dynamite,” he proposed the idea that Khan should be attacked on screen to initiate the angle.
The twist in Bischoff’s scenario was that Mahal would deliver the beating, whereas, in reality, it was the Young Bucks.
Despite the outcome of “Dynamite” being unknown to Bischoff at the time, he believed his concept would result in Mahal becoming a hero to the AEW audience.
Bischoff argued that Khan, perhaps unwittingly, had become somewhat of a villain, suggesting that fans would support Mahal in attacking the AEW CEO.
“If this storyline unfolds, it’ll boost Jinder,” Bischoff asserted. “He’ll become one of the company’s top fan favorites.”
Bischoff proposed that Khan’s involvement in the storyline should be brief, and Khan should refrain from speaking on the microphone, aspects of the idea that aligned with what transpired on “Dynamite.”
