Road Dogg admits that pushing top SmackDown star wasn't a "great creative decision" (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg recently opened up on Jinder Mahal's world title-winning push in 2017.
Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship on May 21, 2017, after defeating Randy Orton at the Backlash pay-per-view. Mahal allied with The Singh Brothers (Samir and Sunil Singh) and held the title for 170 days. He lost it to AJ Styles on an episode of SmackDown a few days ahead of Survivor Series.
Speaking to Dr. Chris Featherstone and Vince Russo on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws podcast, Road Dogg agreed with the sentiment that it wasn't a "great creative decision," and he fought hard against it.
"Just like fans viewed it - it wasn't a great creative decision. I fought it as hard as I could, but that was the decision. To Vince's [McMahon] point, we dressed him up, and put those Bollywood Boys with him, we did everything we could. It looked beautiful on TV, but it didn't have any substance." [2:06 - 2:40]
When Chris Featherstone asked Road Dogg whether Jinder Mahal's push was a Vince McMahon decision, he confirmed that it was:
"A 100%. Look, that's what I assumed. That's what happens when you assume. But that's what I assumed and I don't think it was a bad idea. What if it took off in the biggest market on the globe? It's not a bad roll of the dice. The ratings were still pretty decent during it all because we had a lot of great stuff underneath." [2:45 - 3:07]
You can watch the full video below:
At the time, Road Dogg was working in a backstage capacity in WWE as a writer and producer.
Road Dogg disclosed that Brock Lesnar did not want to work with Jinder Mahal
Lesnar, who was the Universal Champion at the time, was slated to face Mahal in a Champion vs. Champion match at the 2017 Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Speaking on the same episode of the podcast, Road Dogg revealed that Brock Lesnar did not want to work with Jinder Mahal.
"So yeah, Brock [Lesnar] said, 'I'm not working with him [Jinder Mahal].' He said that about several people by the way." [1:16 - 1:24]
The @SinghBrosWWE force the distraction AGAIN as @JinderMahal hits @ShinsukeN with the #Khallas to RETAIN his #WWEChampionship! #SummerSlam https://t.co/1RmCTp7Tj8
The Beast Incarnate's reluctance to work with the former champion seemingly led to AJ Styles defeating Mahal on the November 7, 2017, episode of SmackDown.
Jinder Mahal is currently involved in a storyline against The Viking Raiders alongside his ally Shanky.
What did you make of Jinder Mahal's WWE Championship reign in 2017? Let us know in the comments section below.
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