Jinder Mahal Reveals He Was Shy Talking In Front of People

WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently had an interview with NBC News, where he talked about his personal life, how he was shy talking in front of people and how he was made fun of for wearing a turban when he was young. Mahal told NBC how he prepared himself by training, gave attention to his diet, to get ready for the opportunity.

“I’m very down to earth, quiet. I’m kind of a homebody. I have a little dog. She keeps me company,” Mahal told NBC. “I just like to train and diet and get my rest so my body can recover so I can wrestle.”

“It’s an entertainment industry, and I know you have to turn up the volume, which I’m now comfortable doing,” he added. ”At first I was very shy to talk into the mic and to talk in front of people.”

Mahal became the 50th WWE Champion by defeating Randy Orton two months ago at Backlash. Soon after becoming the champion, Mahal has gone on to ask the WWE Universe to denounce racism.

“People would always make fun of me,” he said. “But it’s important to always stay true to yourself and not let that get to you.”

“Our fans there are very passionate,” he added. “WWE Universe India is one of our most special places. … I’m very proud of my heritage and hope to make everybody proud.”

Mahal said that he wants to make an impact on the youth. Mahal is a part of WWE’s Be A STAR anti-bullying campaign and Make-A-Wish Foundation. He plans to set up a wrestling school, and help the community.

“I was fortunate enough to have great trainers growing up,” Dhesi said. “I just want to give the youth the same opportunities that I had. I want to pass it forward. Often the kids are neglected and they find themselves getting into trouble.”

You can check out the full article here.

Favorites to Win at Sunday’s WWE Battleground Event

Here are the current bedding odds for Sunday’s WWE Battleground event, courtesy of Bet Wrestling. These betting outcomes will most-likely changed several times between now and Sunday.

(Note: The lower the number, the more favorable they are in winning the bout)

WWE Championship – Punjabi Prison Match
Jinder Mahal (c) -333 vs. Randy Orton +220

WWE United States Championship
AJ Styles (c) -300 vs. Kevin Owens +188

Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos (c) +163 vs. The New Day -227

Flag Match
John Cena -1000 vs. Rusev +500

Fatal 5 Way for the Smackdown Women’s Championship #1 Contendership
Charlotte +120 vs. Lana +200 vs. Becky Lynch +230 vs. Tamina +350 vs. Natalya +1000

Shinsuke Nakamura -250 vs. Baron Corbin +175

Aiden English +150 vs. Tye Dillenger -200

Vince McMahon Not the Primary Reason for Talking Smack’s Cancellation

It was reported last week via Sports Illustrated that one of the reason’s Talking Smack was canceled was because Vince McMahon was not a fan of the format, however those claims appear to be false.

Dave Meltzer received word from a source within WWE that the cancellation of the weekly show had nothing to do with Vince McMahon not liking the format but to do with the viewership numbers the show was receiving.

“Despite all rumors, Vince doesn’t hate Talking Smack. Also, he does not watch it but gets a weekly report about it every Wednesday. The one thing he didn’t like was when the New Day appeared right after Kofi (Kingston) got cleared (the 5/23 episode). That was technically their Tuesday night debut and Vince felt the first Tuesday appearance should have happened on Smackdown.”

As previously noted, the Talking Smack episodes will still air after SmackDown-brand pay-per-view events, as those numbers seem to perform well.

Brock Lesnar Not Re-Signing with WWE Next Year?

It was reported earlier today that Brock Lesnar has re-entered the USADA testing pool for MMA and he could possibly be fighting for the UFC before the year ends.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Lesnar’s current deal with WWE expires shortly after WrestleMania 34 and he has made it clear to the company that he doesn’t intend to re-sign. Bryan Alvarez indicated on Wrestling Observer Live today that this is probably why Roman Reigns’ match against Lesnar is being moved up to SummerSlam instead of it taking place at WrestleMania.

The reason Lesnar has re-entered the testing pool is so that he can make the right career decision about his career move when his WWE deal runs up. Lesnar has to re-enter the testing pool and fulfill the rest of his suspension before he is allowed to fight in the UFC again.

New Match Added to WWE Battleground

WWE has announced Sami Zayn vs. Mike Kanellis for this Sunday’s WWE Battleground event. Here is the updated card for the show:

Punjabi Prison for the WWE Title
Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal

WWE United States Title Match
Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles

SmackDown Tag Team Title Match
The New Day vs. The Usos

Flag Match
Rusev vs. John Cena

Fatal 5 Way Elimination Match to Crown a New #1 Contender
Charlotte Flair vs. Lana vs. Becky Lynch vs. Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin

Sami Zayn vs. Mike Kanellis

Kickoff
Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger

Paige Might Be Charged With Battery Over Airport Incident

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Paige could possibly be charged with battery in the incident that involved Alberto El Patron at the airport a few weeks back. It will be up to the State Attorney’s office to make the final decision.

El Patron was originally being investigated for the charge and his investigation is still not complete. A representative from the Orlando PD told the site the following statement:

“OPD detectives have found that probable cause exists to charge Saraya Bevis with Battery (Domestic Violence). Detectives have sent the information to the State Attorney’s Office for review and the SAO will determine whether to file charges in the case.”

The Revival Want a Shot at The Gold

After their victory over The Hardy Boyz Monday night, The Revival want a shot at the Tag Team Championship titles from Cesaro & Sheamus. Dash Wilder posted the following today on Twitter, telling Jason Jordan to ask his “daddy” Kurt Angle when they will get their shot:

Speaking of the Revival, WWE.com caught up with them after their victory Monday night and they talked about being the top guys. You can check out their remarks in the video embedded below:

Spoilers for Tonight’s RAW Episode

The following are spoilers for tonight’s episode of RAW, courtesy of PWInsider:

The Hardy Boyz are scheduled to face The Revival tonight.
They are planning to setup something between Bayley and Sasha Banks for next week’s RAW where the winner will face Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship.

Check back here at 8PM ET for our live play-by-play coverage of the event. Also, we will have our live fan discussion on Ringsidetalk.net!

Kevin Owens Applauds WWE for Decision to Cancel Talking Smack

It was noted over the weekend that WWE decided to drop their Talking Smack show that airs Tuesday nights after 205 Live on the WWE Network.

Kevin Owens indicated on Twitter that there is no love lost in the decision to get rid of this show and and applauded WWE.

It should be noted that the show was not COMPLETELY dropped, as it will still air after SmackDown brand pay-per-view events.