10 Times WWE Asked You To Blindly Hate Foreigners
1. Jinder Mahal
The Jinder Mahal experiment continues to be one of the hottest topics of discussion in professional wrestling, with debate over his sudden ascension intensifying after his WWE Title victory over Randy Orton.
The two primary reasons for his rapid growth seem to be his ethnicity and his...rapid growth. Mahal has become an incredibly muscular figure almost overnight, sculpting a body McMahon traditionally adores. Furthermore, the company seem keen to tap into a lucrative Indian market that has already been flirted with by Impact Wrestling and hugely-attended localised shows.
Elevated to the summit from the very bottom of the card in a little over six weeks, WWE tried to channel early resentment towards his push into sustained hatred by having Jinder angrily castigate crowds for what he perceived as their small-mindedness. Attempting to make the boos about the fans' prejudices towards his Indian descent, Mahal played sock puppet for Vince McMahon's tried and true blueprint of an anti-american heel.
Thankfully, it appears to be failing. Not only has Mahal gained support (ironically and otherwise) for breaking the monotony of Randy Orton at the top of SmackDown Live!, but sections of the audience simply don't care enough to boo somebody just because they're from another country. Continued emphasis on this as a lone trait will only serve to embarrass WWE, and hopefully stimulate a more creatively satisfying method of character development.