Yuvraj “Raj” Singh Dhesi,
who performs under the ring
name Jinder Mahal, recently became
the 50th WWE heavyweight champion
when he defeated Randy Orton in a pay-per-view
event called Backlash at Chicago’s Allstate Arena.
Mahal, 30, a native of Calgary, Canada, is the
second WWE heavyweight champion of Indian
descent, following the Great Khali, who held the
title for 61 days in 2007.
Mahal beat Orton with help from The Singh
Brothers (Samir and Sunil Singh), whose real
names are Gurvinder and Harvinder Sihra.
The brothers, who hail from Burnaby, British
Columbia, have also wrestled professionally
under the names The Bollywood Boyz and The
Bollywood Lions.
Mahal first joined the WWE in 2011, but was
released from his contract in 2014. He had to
wrestle on the independent circuit for two years
before re-signing with WWE.
“To become the WWE champion, you need
confidence in yourself, in your ability,” Mahal told
ESPN. “You have to have confidence when you
speak. When you start to look backward, that’s
when the confidence begins to weaken. That’s not
me. Not anymore.”