Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal appeared in front of a live crowd for Inside The Ropes where he spoke about his career. When discussing his rivalry with Shinsuke Nakumara, he mentioned how he suffered an injury and refused to disclose it.
“We were wrestling in Hawaii, I do this move where I hold the ropes and do two or three knee drops… My shoulder actually came out of the socket and got pushed back in.” Mahal added “I tore my labrum and my glenoid fossa…which at that time I didn’t tell anybody, I kept it a secret. I got an MRI done on my own and I just PT’d it. I didn’t have surgery.”
The match in question was a house show at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mahal mentioned the story because it happened on the house show prior to him wrestling Nakamura in Japan. It was clear from the interview that Mahal was proud of that match in Nakamura’s hometown of Osaka.
Mahal won the WWE championship in shocking fashion at Backlash 2017 against Randy Orton. He would feud with Nakamura during August and October, defeating him at both SummerSlam and Hell in a Cell. Fans generally disliked the Modern Day Maharaja’s run with the Championship, with a large portion of them believing it lasted longer than it should have.
Why Mahal Kept Injury Secret
It is both valiant and inspirational from Mahal that he was able to handle an injury whilst continuing to wrestle full time as the WWE Champion. However, losing the championship played a part in his decision to not disclose it.
Mahal said “If you report the torn labrum, you’re in surgery the next day and stripped of the title… but I felt like I could still go.”
The injury suffered was the same injury that Finn Balor endured at SummerSlam 2016. Balor subsequently relinquished the WWE Universal Championship the following night. Whilst the injury was less severe for Mahal, he chose not to risk his championship run by disclosing the injury.
Disclosing an injury in professional wrestling can cost a performer their spot on the card, whilst potentially hindering their future. Balor has been unable to regain his momentum and is yet to win another World Championship. In 2007, Mr Kennedy was misdiagnosed and subsequently booked to lose his Money in the Bank briefcase. His career in WWE never recovered and he was released in 2009.
Although a performer may fear their for their position, it should not come at the expense of their health and safety. WWE has placed precautions regarding injury in recent years, shifting from the old nature of the business where wrestling hurt was normalised. Triple H famously tore his quad in 2001 and finished a match. That same Triple H wouldn’t allow any of his wrestlers to do that today.
Mahal’s only WWE championship reign ended in Manchester, England against AJ Styles on WWE SmackDown. Since his release in 2024, Mahal has wrestled on the independent circuit under his real name Raj Dhesi. He last wrestled former WWE superstar Matt Riddle in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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