Ex-WWE star dreaded one thing about working with Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been one of WWE's most featured stars since making his main roster debut in 2002. Jinder Mahal recently reflected on a series of matches he and The Viper had during their 2017 feud.
In May 2017, Mahal unexpectedly defeated Orton to win the WWE Championship at Backlash. The Modern Day Maharaja retained the title against the experienced superstar at Money in the Bank and Battleground. They also went one-on-one in several Last Man Standing matches at non-televised live events.
On Maven Huffman's YouTube channel, Mahal spoke about his Battleground match against Orton inside the Punjabi Prison. While former WWE star Maven said steel chair shots to the back never hurt, Mahal disagreed:
"For some reason, it kills me. It's like someone slapped me in my back so hard." [24:50 – 24:55]
Mahal added that he used to dread facing Orton in Last Man Standing matches because he knew his opponent would hit him with a chair:
"Me and Randy were on every live event doing Last Man Standing matches and he would give me one big chair shot every match right in the back, and I hated it. I would wake up and be like, 'Oh, I gotta take a chair shot today.'" [25:09 – 25:23]
Mahal held the WWE Championship for 170 days after capturing the title from Orton. In April, he received his second release from WWE after a combined 12 years with the company.
Jinder Mahal on Randy Orton's words of advice
The Great Khali returned at Battleground 2017 to help Jinder Mahal beat Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison Match. At one stage, Orton was joined by his opponent on the side of the Punjabi Prison as both men attempted to climb over the structure.
Mahal revealed the 14-time world champion told him to slow down during the match:
"When I come up, Randy's gonna say, 'Way too soon.' He was listening to the crowd and at that point the crowd was getting louder. They were getting louder. Maybe a chant was starting or something. As soon as he said it, I was like, 'You're right. Sorry, brother.'" [22:21 – 23:00]
In the same video, Mahal disclosed details about former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon acting in a "disrespectful" manner at Battleground 2017.
What are your memories of Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Maven Huffman and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.