Former WWE star reveals Vince McMahon nearly fired him before title run
Jinder Mahal has opened up about a backstage moment that could have ended his WWE career before it truly took off.
During a recent appearance on TMZ's Inside the Ring, the former WWE Champion revealed that Vince McMahon threatened to fire him after an in-ring mistake left Finn Bálor with a concussion. Considering what happened just weeks later, Mahal now looks back on that incident as a turning point in his career.
The incident happened during a singles match against Finn Bálor on an episode of RAW in 2017. Mahal explained that the spot was something they had performed many times during live events, but this time the timing was slightly off.
A forearm connected harder than intended, resulting in Bálor suffering a concussion. Reflecting on the accident, Mahal said professional wrestling is a business where even being off by a fraction can lead to serious injuries.
After the match, Mahal said he walked through Gorilla Position feeling terrible about what had happened. That's when Vince McMahon confronted him and reportedly told him, "I should fire you."
Mahal admitted that hearing those words made him believe his WWE future was in real danger, especially since he wasn't involved in any major storyline at the time.
Instead of losing his job, however, his fortunes changed almost immediately. A week later, he was drafted to SmackDown during the Superstar Shake-up.
Soon after, he earned a WWE Championship opportunity and stunned fans by defeating Randy Orton at Backlash 2017 to win the title. It remains one of the most unexpected world championship victories of the modern era.
Mahal also recalled speaking with Road Dogg after arriving on SmackDown. Expecting to still be in trouble, he told the WWE veteran that he was prepared to accept whatever consequences came his way.
Rather than dwelling on the setback, he focused on proving himself and making the most of the opportunity he had been give
