– During a recent interview with Straight Talk Wrestling, former WWE Champion Raj Dhesi (aka Jinder Mahal) spoke about wanting to see improvements in the representation of South Asians in professional wrestling. Below are some highlights (via Fightful):
Raj Dhesi on wanting to mentor South Asian wrestlers: “I just want to in a way mentor South Asian wrestlers, the next generation, help them out as much as possible because we didn’t have that before. I didn’t have that before. We didn’t have resources where there was veterans that were really willing to help us out or get us booked places or wrestle with us, so I think that’s very important is giving back to the next generation of South Asians, whether they’re from India or Canada or USA.”
On South Asians being underrepresented in wrestling: “We’re all the same, and we’re very underrepresented in wrestling right now, and I want to see that change. We face so many hardships, like discrimination, everything, and I want to change the perception. So that’s what I really want to do, that’s what this run is about. It’s about giving back, and just creating camaraderie, creating a brotherhood amongst us where we’re not in competition with each other. There’s enough space, there’s enough spots for all of us, for all of us to have successful careers because for a while, we always felt like there’s only room for one of us, and that’s gotta change, and it’s gonna change.”
