Raj Dhesi (Fka WWE's Jinder Mahal) Comments On Swerve Strickland's New AEW Contract

Last weekend, during the Zero Hour pre-show for AEW All In, Swerve Strickland solidified his future by signing a new contract with the promotion live on the air. Some details emerged today regarding Strickland's new AEW deal, with a report from Dave Meltzer stating that WWE sources felt Strickland's contract and others like it are inflating the pay structure for professional wrestlers.

There has understandably been a reaction to that report online, with wrestlers such as Tony Deppen, EJ Nduka, and Veda Scott weighing in. Additionally, former WWE star Raj Dhesi (AKA Jinder Mahal) offered his opinion on the matter today on X.

"Normalize paying wrestlers what they deserve," Dhesi wrote.

Additionally, in another post, Dhesi replied to a fan who stated that the market should dictate what wrestlers get paid. "The market just dictated [Strickland] getting the bag," Dhesi stated.

Strickland's current AEW contract will reportedly keep him with the company through September 2029. Additionally, it's said to make Strickland among the highest-paid performers in the industry, on par with Kazuchika Okada and Mercedes Mone in AEW or Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton in WWE.

The report stated that WWE made attempts to sign Strickland, along with his onscreen associate Prince Nana. However, the former AEW World Champion made the decision to stick with AEW for a considerable length of time.

As for Dhesi, he has been a free agent since April and made his return to the independent wrestling scene earlier this summer. Though he has not appeared in AEW, Dhesi did recently win a championship in AAA alongside AEW star Satnam Singh.