Released WWE Superstar opens up about Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been a household name in WWE for the past couple of decades. He's not only a decorated 14-time World Champion but also a mentor and locker-room leader to many wrestlers. Recently, Raj Dhesi (fka Jinder Mahal) opened up about his experience working with The Apex Predator.
In his second stint with the company, under Vince McMahon's regime, The Modern Day Maharaja shocked the world by defeating Orton to capture the WWE Title at the 2017 Backlash Premium Live Event. The two rivals subsequently faced off multiple times for the championship, with The Viper consistently putting over the 38-year-old former star by enduring repeated defeats.
Speaking on the Casual Conversation with The Classic episode, Mahal opened up about his relationship with the SmackDown superstar. The recently released star stated that he and Randy Orton share a good bond, and many wrestlers look up to him as a role model.
"Even now, me and Randy [Orton] text pretty regularly. He's a very good friend of mine and when I started he's almost like a role model, like a mentor to me and a lot of other guys too. Many other wrestlers, we all look up to Randy, just his style, everything about him, in and outside of the ring, like, 'Randy is the man,'" said Jinder Mahal. [From 15:41 to 15:59]
Check out the video below:
Jinder Mahal further shares how Randy Orton motivated him during his WWE run
During the same interview, The Modern Day Maharaja recalled being on a two-week European Tour while competing in Triple Threat matches alongside AJ Styles and Orton.
Jinder Mahal noted that he learned a lot from working with The Apex Predator. In fact, Randy Orton even praised the former WWE Champion for his hard work to the then-boss, Mr. McMahon.
"I really learned a lot in those two weeks, like I was picking up quickly, and Randy told me that he actually texted Vince [McMahon], told him like, 'I was working very very hard.' I was super motivated," he added. [From 16:17 to 16:33]
The former United States Champion was let go from WWE in April 2024. He now performs under the ring name Raj Dhesi and also captured the BLP Heavyweight Championship after defeating Dominic Garrini at Black Label Pro's Old Habits Die Screaming event on July 26.
Meanwhile, Randy Orton has been involved in a rivalry with The Bloodline and was attacked by the group on the July 12 installment of Friday Night SmackDown. It remains to be seen if the two men ever share the ring again in the future.
Please credit the Casual Conversations with The Classic episode and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.