Ex-WWE Star Debunks Long-Standing Brock Lesnar Claim
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has these days addressed a long-status fan concept surrounding his WWE Championship reign and Brock Lesnar. Speculation had swirled for years that Lesnar influenced innovative selections to keep away from dealing with Mahal, leading to a remaining-minute identity alternate in the choice of AJ Styles. However, Mahal has now clarified in an interview with Chris Van Vliet that the truth was pretty one-of-a-kind.
Mahal acknowledged that even as Lesnar did have influence in WWE, the decision to alternate the match turned into mostly because of stylistic considerations in preference to personal reluctance to paintings with him. Both Mahal and Lesnar have been portraying heel characters at the time, which Mahal believed could have made their health less compelling. He stated that Lesnar possibly pitched for a in shape in opposition to AJ Styles as a substitute, believing it might deliver a higher performance.
“This is just my opinion, and obviously there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet,” Mahal stated. “The headline came out, ‘Brock Lesnar refused to work with Jinder.’ I don’t think he refused. I just think stylistically, a match with AJ was a much better fit.”
Mahal further found out in the back of-the-scenes dynamics of his name loss, explaining that he changed into knowledgeable of his championship drop at the day of the event in Manchester. He stated receiving the information from WWE officers and adjusting to the sudden change in storyline path.
“I had it for six months and I didn’t know that I was losing the championship until the day of,” Mahal recalled. “Vince tells us ‘you’re dropping the championship, now you’re going to chase it. AJ, you’re winning it tonight, you’ll work with Brock at Survivor Series.'”
These revelations from Mahal corroborate earlier statements by means of Road Dogg, who worked behind the curtain at WWE all through that duration. Road Dogg had similarly clarified that Lesnar’s choice for Styles over Mahal stemmed from a desire to craft a more compelling in shape, in place of any private animosity toward Mahal.
Since then, Brock Lesnar has maintained a conspicuous absence from WWE programming, along with his ultimate suit occurring nearly 12 months ago at SummerSlam 2023 against Cody Rhodes. Despite preliminary plans for his go back at the Royal Rumble, all innovative for Lesnar changed into reportedly shelved amidst legal challenges faced by WWE.
In January, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. Though not directly named in the lawsuit, Lesnar was implicated under the description of a “former UFC Champion and WWE Superstar.” This legal development further complicates Lesnar’s future in the wrestling world.
Mahal’s clarification sheds light on the nuanced decisions behind WWE’s creative process, emphasizing the importance of in-ring chemistry and storytelling dynamics. The backstage insights offer a glimpse into the complexities of professional wrestling’s narrative construction and the balancing act between fan expectations and performer preferences.
H/t to ITRWrestling
