Despite being pushed down the card, I was told by several at Smackdown Live this week that former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has been gritting through some tough times.
After losing the WWE Championship in November, many expected Jinder Mahal to be moved down the Smackdown Live card, which ended up happening. However, in addition to that, Mahal has been working through a shoulder and labrum injury that has earned him the respect of peers. That's not to say that he didn't already have said respect, but we were told he switched up his training program in an effort to keep him in the ring. He's said to be doing much better these days physically.
Even though Mahal has been on television mainly to partake in promos recently, he's still wrestled in dark matches and house shows. The injury is far from a secret, as he revealed that he sustained it back in September, but did everything he could to stay in the ring as he knew it was a special time in his career.
Those I spoke to also put over Mahal's optimism even though he's in a lesser role now. He's been willing to do whatever necessary to remain a featured character on Smackdown Live.
