WWE's Black Thursday Releases: Where Are They Now?
2. Jinder Mahal
Where Is He Now: Injured, on the Raw Roster
From the outhouse to the penthouse and back to the outhouse. That about sums up Jinder Mahal’s WWE career.
Mahal debuted on the main roster in 2011 and engaged in a pairing/feud with Great Khali. He continued on as an undercard wrestler into 2012, when he was partnered with Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre (remember that name) as 3MB. The trio became a goofy stable of air guitar-playing, leather pants-wearing superstars who initially started out with a winning streak before settling into their role as enhancement talent.
After his 2014 release, Mahal spent two years on the independent circuit, cutting weight and getting in tremendous shape before returning to WWE in 2016. He quickly sunk back into a jobber role on Raw before being shipped over to SmackDown in 2017 and almost immediately becoming a world title contender, defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship a month after switching to the blue brand.
We all know the story from there: Mahal managed to finagle a six-month reign in which he defeated Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and Baron Corbin through nefarious means to hold onto the title. However, he would finally lose the title to AJ Styles just weeks before a planned Survivor Series clash with WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Mahal once again slid down the ranks, becoming a jobber once again before being injured last summer. He hasn’t competed since June, but he was drafted to Raw last fall, where he remains to this day.