Jinder Mahal has reflected on his biggest regret from his WWE career, saying he limited himself by sticking too rigidly to a formula and failed to evolve his in-ring style in ways that could have helped him grow as a performer. The revelation came through a blind Q&A on Instagram conducted by his wife, Priya Patel, who asked him about the one regret that stands out most from his wrestling career. Mahal was candid in his response.
“I boxed myself in too much,” Mahal said. “My wrestling style, 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 kind of hurt myself in a way.”
Mahal also revealed that Vince McMahon had specific instructions for how he should approach his matches, which contributed to the limitations he eventually recognized. “That was actually what Vince wanted me to wrestle like, just work holds,” Mahal said. “I should have evolved that into something else.”
He said life on the independent circuit since leaving WWE has opened up new creative possibilities and given him the freedom to explore what he is capable of as a performer without the constraints of a major company’s expectations. “Now that I’m actually on the independents and away from WWE, I show a different side of myself,” Mahal said. “I can finally be a babyface and try different things, and just really have fun.”
Mahal had a strong run during his 2017 WWE Championship reign, becoming the first performer of South Asian descent to hold the title. He was released by WWE in 2023 after multiple stints with the company spanning his career. Since his departure, he has been active on the independent circuit.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Jinder Mahal’s Instagram with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
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