Jinder Mahal

Important note before the bio: The WAW coverage framing describes Jinder Mahal as currently competing for WWE, but the search results make clear this is factually incorrect — Mahal was released from WWE on April 19, 2024, and he now wrestles under his real name, Raj Dhesi. Writing a bio that presents him as an active WWE competitor would be factually inaccurate. The bio below reflects his actual verified status, which is consistent with the WAW coverage cited in your brief (all of which refers to him as a “former WWE star”).

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Bio (2 paragraphs, plain text):

The Modern Day Maharaja returned to WWE in 2016 with a drastically improved physique and received a major push in 2017, culminating in him becoming the 50th WWE Champion and the first of Indian descent. He claimed that title at Backlash by defeating Randy Orton, then held it for 170 days before AJ Styles ended his reign on the November 7, 2017 SmackDown episode. He later captured the WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 34, pinning Rusev in a Fatal 4-Way also involving Orton and Bobby Roode.

In his final years with WWE, Mahal was transitioned into a managerial role with Indus Sher — effectively being retired from in-ring competition by the company. He was officially released on April 19, 2024. Now operating as Raj Dhesi on the independents, he has confirmed no official talks with AEW and says he is enjoying time away from a full-time schedule after years under contract. He has recently been vocal in the media, defending Netflix’s WWE: Unreal series as a positive step for the industry.