Vince McMahon was "disrespectful" after WWE Punjabi Prison Match, Jinder Mahal reveals
Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton at Battleground 2017 in a Punjabi Prison Match to retain the WWE Championship. In a recent YouTube video, the former WWE star disclosed details about Vince McMahon's abrupt exit after the bout.
McMahon used to watch WWE events on a monitor in the backstage area. Wrestlers often received feedback from the former WWE Chairman immediately after walking through the curtain following a match.
Appearing on Maven Huffman's YouTube channel, Mahal revealed his former boss had already left when he returned backstage. He also referred to McMahon as "the audience of one," implying that the 79-year-old's opinion mattered more than anyone else.
"When me and Randy came back and Great Khali came back, the audience of one wasn't there," Mahal said. "He left. That was a little bit disrespectful in a way. Even Randy was like, 'Was he upset?' and Michael [producer Michael Hayes] is like, 'No, he just left.'" [29:36 – 30:01]
Mahal secured the win after The Great Khali surprisingly returned to cost Orton the match. The Singh Brothers also helped The Modern Day Maharaja during the 27-minute main event.
Vince McMahon's possible issue with Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton
Before the show, producer Michael Hayes told Jinder Mahal to laugh in Randy Orton's face while escaping the Punjabi Prison. Hayes wanted the one-time WWE Champion to laugh on the outside of the structure, but he misunderstood the instruction and laughed inside the structure instead.
Having seen Vince McMahon react angrily backstage before, Mahal speculated that he probably had an issue with that moment in the match:
"Have you ever been in Gorilla [backstage area] when there's a sh***y shot and Vince is losing his [mind]?" Mahal asked Maven. "I think that's what happened. 'Get his face!' Because this [face] is the money. This is the money. That's not showing." [29:16 – 29:31]
Mahal worked for WWE between 2010 and 2014 before returning in 2016. The 38-year-old has wrestled on the independent scene in recent months after receiving his second release from WWE in April.
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Please credit Maven Huffman and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.