Jinder Mahal reveals biggest regret in wrestling career and Vince McMahon’s advice
Jinder Mahal (real name Raj Dhesi) reflected on what held him back in WWE as a performer and what areas Vince McMahon urged him to refine.
In a blind Q&A on Instagram, Mahal’s wife, Priya Patel asked him about the one biggest regret he’s had in his wrestling career. He revealed holding back on his wrestling style and attempting something new to evolve. He also mentioned McMahon instructing him to better his work holds but his current work on independent promotions helped him hone and experiment on new skills.
“I boxed myself in too much. My wrestling style, in my character, I didn’t like once in a while pull out something new. My goal was always build a comeback for the babyface, more excitement for the babyface. And in doing so I kinda hurt myself in a way. That was actually what Vince (McMahon) wanted me to wrestle like just work holds. I should’ve evolved that into something else. But now that I’m actually like on the independents, I’m away from WWE. I show a different side of myself. I can finally be a babyface and try different things. And just really have fun.”
Mahal’s second return to WWE in 2016 ultimately pushed him to win the WWE Championship in 2017. Seven years later he was released again.
Since then Mahal has been competing on varied promotions including Game Changer Wrestling, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling and made his Wrestling Xtreme Mania (WXM) debut in India in 2025.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.