10 Wrestlers Struggling To Prove Their Worth To WWE

2. Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal Bobby Roode
WWE.com

Jinder Mahal's removal from the radar was inevitable, in retrospect.

Part of wrestling's appeal is scouting the midcard to determine who has the stuff for the elusive main event bracket. It's often a deflating exercise in futility, but nevertheless, getting in on the ground floor can be rewarding, in that it reinforces our own acumen. Moreover, through sheer force of will, we can effect genuine change. Rusev is virtually a face - his Rusev Day schtick is an hilarious running joke - and the prospect of WWE grasping the punchline and formally turning him face yields an interesting resistant reading of the product.

There is no such value in the Jinder Mahal character; we know for near enough a definitive fact that he does not and will not ever justify a main event push. His experimental WWE Title reign was a critical disaster, one which failed to even impact free YouTube viewership in the intended India demographic. Mahal breeds pure anxiety and boredom, was comprehensively defeated by Bobby Roode in the United States Title Tournament final, and symbolises nought but failure in the minds of the audience and management alike.

You could make the argument that he is worthless; he bores in the present, and his future is unsustainable, informed as it is by a shockingly bad past.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!