As noted, new WWE Champion Jinder Mahal went on a tear through the media, doing interviews with virtually every news outlet following his title victory over former champion Randy Orton in the main event of the WWE Backlash pay-per-view earlier this month.
Below are some of the highlights from Mahal’s latest interview, which took part on a recent episode of the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast.
On how he was unmotivated during his run with 3MB and how thinking positive starting improving things: “When I was in 3MB, I wasn’t putting effort in and it reflected where I was. I hear people say ‘where you are in life is exactly where you deserve to be’. It’s like, wherever you are is based on how much effort you put in, how much you care, who you surround yourself with, positive people, negative people, the influences in your life, because, honestly, it’s the strangest thing ever. I started being positive, and I started thinking positive, and positive stuff started happening.”
On when he found out he was going to win the Six Pack Challenge and become No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship: “It’s crazy how things can change like that and, like, I would always hear Vince [McMahon] say, ‘fans have a short memory span,’ so let’s see.” Mahal continued, “it’s all about momentum and that one big win. I had heard the day before [the Six-Pack Challenge match]. Coincidentally, they’re like, ‘oh, you’re in a six-pack challenge match.’ I was like, ‘oh, who’s in it?’ I said, ‘like, Corbin?’ And they were like, ‘no, Corbin’s not in it.’ I was like, ‘really?’ They were like, ‘no, you’re working Randy [Orton] next.’ I was like, ‘what? Really?’ So I talked to Randy later and he was like, ‘yeah, yeah.’ But I was like, ‘things can change like they always do,’ so I was like, ‘we’ll see when we get there.'”
On his much-talked-about new physique and how it may have helped get him another run in WWE: Actually, when I came back, I wasn’t in as good shape as I am in now. So just to backtrack a little bit, maybe about two months before I came back, like, I had hit rock bottom. I was drinking all the time and I was eating and not watching what I eat. I was actually like 260 lbs., just fat. I’m sure there are pictures of me just working the indies and not caring. And then, one day, I stopped drinking completely. I was like, ‘that’s it. I’m going to start getting in shape. I stopped drinking and I got the meal prep from Nutrition Solutions, so shout out to Nutrition Solutions! And I just started dieting and training hard, and, literally, I lost 20 lbs., I was about 240 from the 260 I started with. And, literally, with two months of me doing this, the WWE called me. It was the strangest thing ever of two years, no one called me. Nothing. I was just doing my own thing and not really caring. So it was weird.”
On how he recently quit drinking alcohol: “I just stopped cold turkey, just one day, just ‘naw’. No, honestly, I feel great! I didn’t realize this until a month or two after I stopped drinking, it just made me feel terrible!”
On his goals in WWE: “As of the new year, I started a day planner and every day I write down my goals. One my of goals is to have [the] best body in WWE. Do you know what’s funny? Actually, one of my goals, I write it down every day, ‘become champion in WWE’. And it’s weird how like, if you put it out there…”
Check out the complete episode of the ‘Talk Is Jericho’ podcast featuring the Jinder Mahal interview at PodcastOne.com.