Jinder Mahal set to face WWE Hall of Famer in a brutal gimmick match
Former WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal is slated to lock horns with a legendary figure outside of the Stamford-based promotion. The Maharaja will collide with Hall of Famer Bully Ray (aka Bubba Ray Dudley) later this month in a gimmick match.
Earlier this year, in April, Mahal was released by the Sports Entertainment juggernaut due to budget cuts. In June, the Canadian announced that he would return to his ring name, Raj Dhesi. Later, he made his debut for the Black Label Pro (BLP) promotion.
Meanwhile, Bubba Ray Dudley has been making sporadic appearances in the Stamford-based promotion. While the veteran hasn't officially retired from in-ring competition, he continues to wrestle on the independent circuit.
On X (Twitter), the Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) confirmed a thrilling match for their upcoming pay-per-view, Forged in Excellence. On the first night of the two-day event on October 19, 2024, Jinder Mahal will go head-to-head with WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray in a high-stakes Tables Match.
"Two former World Champions collide on Night One as @RajTheMaharaja meets @bullyray5150 in a Tables Match! Saturday, October 19, at #MLPForgedInExcellence!" the post read.
Check out the post below:
Jinder Mahal teases massive character change following his WWE exit
For most of his time in Stamford-based promotion, The Modern Day Maharaja played a heel persona on TV. However, the former WWE Champion recently opened up about a shift in his character.
In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter and Dr. Chris Featherstone, Jinder Mahal revealed that he was never approached to turn babyface in the Sports Entertainment juggernaut, adding that he would have been receptive to the idea.
The 38-year-old believed that his growing social media presence had allowed fans to see a different side of him, making a babyface run a possibility in the future.
"Not to my knowledge [in WWE]. But personally, I was looking forward to it. But maybe we will see it someday. If not in WWE, then we will see it somewhere else. So yeah, definitely! I think with social media and doing interviews, people are seeing a different side of me that they never saw before. I got a lot of comments, a lot of people telling me like, 'Wow, your perspective; it's not what we expected!' So just showing myself more to social media and everything, I think babyface run is very possible," Dhesi said.
You can watch the video below:
It will be interesting to see if Jinder Mahal and Bully Ray deliver an exceptional performance in their upcoming Tables Match.