Jinder Mahal has been WWE Champion but he already has been busy with media opportunities targeting, unsurprisingly, the market of India.
Just after defeating Randy Orton at Backlash to become champion for the first time, Mahal discussed his win with The India Times.
"This is honestly the best day of my life," Mahal said. "I feel proud, very proud to be representing India in the WWE universe. Obviously, India is a huge part of WWE and I am happy to bring the title back home and will continue to defend the title and make everybody proud."
These are just the latest comments that allow Mahal to be portrayed as a babyface for fans in his native country, but lead to him receiving heel heat elsewhere.
Mahal added that winning the title still did not seem reel.
"The moment has not yet set in fully," he said. "It is amazing, and this is right after the match; adrenaline is still pumping. Tonight, if I have some alone time I can reflect on my full journey, how I started in wrestling, all the steps and road bumps that it took me to get to this part. It is a very emotional moment for me; 15 years of my hard work and dedication, my childhood dream has come true."
Mahal returned to WWE in 2016 after an absence of approximately two years, part of an attempt by the promotion to add workers to its two main rosters following the revival of the brand split. Mahal moved over to Smackdown during last month's:"Superstar Shake-Up" from Raw, where he spent the vast majority of his time in a lower-card heel role. That changed when Mahal moved to Smackdown. A week after switching to the blue brand, he won the No. 1 contendership to the WWE Title.
Mahal went on to explain his future goals.
"I want to represent India in a good way and put on good matches. I just defeated Randy Orton, who is a legend in the business; I want to beat guys like John Cena and establish my name as one of the top names of all time in wrestling," he said.
Mahal becomes the second WWE champion to hail from India. The other is Great Khali.
