10 Things We Learned From WWE Champion Jinder Mahal On Talk Is Jericho

2. WWE Only Told Him The Day Before That He'd Be #1 Contender

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WWE.com

Plans change a lot in WWE. From one day to the next, a push can be cancelled or a match result changed. This is something Jinder was aware of before becoming #1 contender for the WWE Title. In fact, he didn't even known it was happening until 24 hours before.

Mahal was shocked to learn that Baron Corbin wouldn't be in the Six-Pack Challenge Match to crown a new contender for Randy Orton too, and was even more stunned to hear that he'd be winning the thing. At the same time, he didn't want to believe a thing until bell time.

Seeking out Orton for a quick chat behind the scenes, the champion elect was told the plan. Randy knew all along, but Jinder was late to the party and wasn't clued in on what WWE had in mind for him until the day before that 18 April edition of SmackDown. It seems WWE enjoy springing these surprises on talent.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.