Former WWE Champion Raj Dhesi, previously known as Jinder Mahal, recently addressed the state of Indian representation in WWE, admitting he is “very surprised” by the current landscape given that India remains one of the company’s largest global markets.
While acknowledging the massive fan base in India, Dhesi emphasized that mere representation is insufficient; Indian wrestlers must also perform at the highest level to compete with top stars like Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
Dhesi Highlights Infrastructure Gaps and Emerging Talent
Speaking with Denise Salcedo, Dhesi did not hesitate when asked if the limited Indian presence on the roster caught him off guard. Very surprised. But at the same time, we can’t just expect representation. We ourselves have to be at that level to compete with Roman Reigns, with Seth Rollins, with the rest of the WWE roster, with the rest of the locker room,
he stated.
Dhesi pointed to a lack of proper wrestling infrastructure in India as a primary hurdle. So there’s just no infrastructure in place properly yet. But I think in the future there definitely will be. And there’s some great young talent there,
he explained.
The veteran performer singled out Kevin Malik of WXM Wrestling as a standout prospect, drawing a stylistic comparison to Jeff Hardy. The promotion that I wrestle for, WXM, if you guys want to look up a guy, his name is Kevin Malik,
Dhesi said. He’s incredible. He reminds me, like, like a kind of a Jeff Hardy type, where he’s a little bit of an enigma. Kind of quiet. Has a quiet charisma, but super jacked, super agile. He actually had a match with Zack Sabre Jr. It’s on YouTube. I encourage everybody to check it out.
Dhesi insisted that talent exists in India but lacks the necessary platform to shine. Like, India has some lit wrestlers. They just don’t have the proper platform yet,
he remarked.
Since departing WWE in 2024, Dhesi has been active on the independent circuit. Historically, The Great Khali remains the only other Indian wrestler to have captured a WWE World Heavyweight Championship.