Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal
Photo of Jinder taken 2/17/2011 at Florida Championship Wrestling arena.
Ring name(s)	Jinder Mahal Raj Singh Tiger Raj Singh Raj "The Future" Desi
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Billed weight	222 lb (101 kg)[1]
Born	July 19, 1986 (1986-07-19) (age 25) Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Billed from	Punjab, India[1][2]
Trained by	Rick Titan Bad News Allen[3] Gama Singh Florida Championship Wrestling
Debut	2003

Yuvraj "Raj" Dhesi (born July 19, 1986), better known by his ring name Tiger Raj Singh, is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, competing on their SmackDown brand under the ring name Jinder Mahal.^[1]

Professional wrestling career

While most Calgary wrestlers train at the infamous Dungeon, Dhesi began his wrestling career at the Martial Arts Fitness Center in Calgary, Alberta training with former WWE superstar "Razor" Rick Titan and Premier Martial Arts Wrestling (PMW) working as Raj "The Future" Dhesi. He then went on to train with "Champagne" Jerry Morrow and Bad News Allen at the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo.^[3] In Canada's Stampede Wrestling, After working for a time with Hybrid Wrestling Coalition (HWC), Dhesi teamed with his cousin Gama Singh, Jr., as The Karachi Vice, and Sikh n' Destroy.^[3][4] In March 2005, the team won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship, holding it for eight months. They won the title for a second time in December of that year, holding it until November of the following year. He also worked for the Prairie Wrestling Alliance, where he was the PWA Champion from 2008 until January 2010,^[3] and also a three time tag team champion. Dhesi also competed for Great North Wrestling (GNW), where he feuded with such wrestlers as Samoa Joe and Hannibal.^[5] In December 2009, he traveled to Tampa, Florida, to try out for WWE's developmental promotion Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).^[3] At the try out Steve Keirn, Pat Patterson and Mike Rotunda saw him wrestle but Dhesi thinks that what sold him to the WWE was his ability to speak Punjabi and his authentic costume like his turban.^[3] He remembers that, "I think they needed an Indian guy, they were looking for one."^[3]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Florida Championship Wrestling (2010–2011)

In early 2010, he was signed to a developmental contract with FCW.^[3] Dhesi wrestled his final match for GNW, a victory over McCully, on February 27.^[6]

Storyline with the Great Khali (2011)

Jinder Mahal made his televised WWE debut on the April 29, 2011 airing of Smackdown, greeting fellow Indian superstar The Great Khali and his brother, Ranjin Singh backstage. During the segment, Mahal spoke in Punjabi that he was really happy and excited that Khali and Ranjin were there. On their part, both of them were happy too. The next week, Mahal, unimpressed by how Khali and Singh have been partaking in childish activities instead of winning matches, confronted Singh about his mismanagement of Khali. Mahal interrupted a Khali Kiss Cam segment the following week, slapping Khali twice to no response from the giant. On May 20, Mahal interrupted The Great Khali's match against Jey Uso. Khali left the ring to confront Mahal. Mahal slapped Khali again and gave him another lecture. Khali reentered the ring at the count of seven and finished off Jey Uso, taking out Jimmy Uso after the match much to Mahal's pleasure. On the May 27 edition of SmackDown, Ranjin accompanied Khali to the ring, only to be defeated by Kane. After the match, Khali turned on his brother Ranjin before leaving with Jinder, thus forming an alliance between the two and turning Khali heel in the process. On the September 5th edition of Raw, he suffered his first loss, when he and The Great Khali lost to WWE Tag Team Champions Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston in a non-title match. In a rematch on Smackdown, they lost again to Kingston and Bourne, when Khali pushed Mahal, after he was slapped by Mahal. Kofi Kingston hit a Trouble in Paradise on Mahal thus turning Khali into a face once again.^[7] On the September 23, 2011 edition of SmackDown, Khali defeated Mahal in a singles match, thus suffering his first loss in a singles match.

Later on, Mahal did a promo on the October 3 edition of Raw only to be confronted by a returning Santino Marella, which Marella later defeated him in a match.

NXT, SmackDown & singles competition (2011)

On the September 27, 2011 episode of NXT, Mahal defeated Yoshi Tatsu, now with a new look, once again after Tatsu missed a diving spin heel kick and Mahal nails a full nelson slam on Tatsu. He then said in an interview that he doesn't need The Great Khali or anyone, and that he is all that matters as of now.

On the October 14 tapings of SmackDown, Mahal came third place in a 41-man battle royal - the biggest in WWE history - only to be eliminated by the eventual winner Randy Orton.

Personal life

Dhesi is of Punjabi Sikh Indian descent and speaks Punjabi, English and Hindi.^[3] He is the nephew of wrestler Gama Singh,^[3] and has a degree in communications and culture from the University of Calgary.^[3]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Sands of Time (Full nelson slam)^[8][9] - WWE
  • Karachi Valley Driver ^[10] (Death Valley driver) – FCW
  • Sands of Time ^[2] (Fireman's carry double knee gutbuster)^[11] – FCW

• Signature moves
  • Butterfly suplex^[9]
  • High knee^[9][12]
  • Knee drop^[12]
  • Knee lift^[9]

• Wrestlers managed
  • The Great Khali

• Nicknames
  • "The (Self-proclaimed) Maharaja of the WWE"

• Entrance themes
  • "Main Yash Hun" by Jim Johnson (WWE; 2011 – Present)

Championships and accomplishments

• Prairie Wrestling Alliance
  • PWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[3][13]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #336 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011^[14]

• Stampede Wrestling
  • Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Gama Singh, Jr.^[3]

External links

• WWE profile

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Jinder Mahal". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/jindermahal. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Jinder Mahal". Florida Championship Wrestling. http://www.fcwwrestling.info/jindermahal1.html. Retrieved 2010-12-31. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Oliver, Greg (February 23, 2010). "Tiger Raj Singh ready for WWE experience". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/02/21/12969671.html. Retrieved 2010-02-28. 
4. ^ McCoy, Heath (2005). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. CanWest Books. p. 283. ISBN 097367198X. 
5. ^ "Superstars". Great North Wrestling. http://greatnorthwrestling.com/superstars.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-16. 
6. ^ "News". Great North Wrestling. http://greatnorthwrestling.com/news.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-16. 
7. ^ Burdick, Michael. "SmackDown results: From dreamer to something meaner". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2011-05-27/25018171. 
8. ^ "PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 6/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Orton vs. Sheamus for the World Championship". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwesmackdownreport/article_50535.shtml. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
9. ^ ^{a b c d} Trionfo, Richard. "WWE.COM SUPERSTARS REPORT: TAG CHAMPS IN ACTION; HEATH SLATER, TED DIBIASE, DREW MCINTYRE, MICHAEL MCGILLICUTTY, SANTINO MARELLA, AND JINDER MAHAL". PWInsider. http://pwinsider.com/article/62671/wwecom-superstars-report-tag-champs-in-action-heath-slater-ted-dibiase-drew-mcintyre-michael-mcgillicutty-santino-marella-and-jinder-mahal.html?p=1. Retrieved 22 October 2011. 
10. ^ "Jinder Mahal". Cagematch. http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=6171. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
11. ^ "FLORIDA CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TELEVISION REPORT: ROLLINS AND STEAMBOAT DEFEND THE FCW TAG TITLES; SEE FUTURE (AT THE TIME IT WAS TAPED) SMACKDOWN SUPERSTAR JINDER MAHAL IN ACTION". Pro Wrestling Insider. http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=57920. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
12. ^ ^{a b} Parks, Greg. "PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/11: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwesmackdownreport/article_55083.shtml. Retrieved 12 November 2011. 
13. ^ "PWA Heavyweight Championship". Prairie Wrestling Alliance. http://pwawrestling.ca/site2/?page_id=253. Retrieved 2010-02-28. 
14. ^ ""PWI 500": 301–400". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 2011-08-04. http://prowrestlingillustrated.blogspot.com/2011/08/pwi-500-301-400.html. Retrieved 2011-08-04. 

Persondata
Name	Singh, Tiger Raj
Alternative names	Dhesi, Yuvraj; Singh, Raj; Mahal, Jinder; Desi, Raj
Short description	professional wrestler
Date of birth	July 19, 1986
Place of birth	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date of death
Place of death