John Cena's Dad Rips Jinder Mahal And Says He's "Not A Worthy Champion"
Ever since his sudden push to becoming WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal has received a ton of criticism from fans and media alike. Now, you can count John Cena's dad among those who would prefer to see a different wrestler hold that belt.
Speaking to Boston Wrestling Sports, John Cena Sr. candidly spoke about his dislike of Mahal. He didn't hold back at all as he ripped Mahal's personality and wrestling ability.
"I don't think he's a good champion, I don't think he's a worthy champion," Cena Sr. said. "I think they need to get somebody in there that can get people involved in the championship matches... I don't think he's the man for the job."
With the SmackDown Live roster full of talented superstars like AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Shinsukue Nakamura and many more, many have wondered why one of them isn't WWE Champion.
"I'm not impressed," Cena Sr. continued. "There are other people I can see holding that belt."
Mahal was a longtime jobber before his sudden push to the top of the card, despite being criticized for his in-ring ability and mic skills. Mahal is currently in a rivalry with Nakamura and will defend his title at Hell In A Cell, but it doesn't look like the WWE is ready to take the title off of him. Cena Sr. believes the longer Mahal's run as champion, the worse it would be for the WWE.
"The fans are gonna get pretty tired, pretty fast," he said. "They don't like Mahal to start with, and not because he's a good heel, it's because he can't wrestle."
Mahal's run as champion has often been compared to John Bradshaw Layfield's run as champion in 2004. JBL was a staple of the tag team division before getting a singles push on SmackDown. He suddenly won the WWE Championship and held the belt for 281 days. It's possible Mahal is on his way to a long reign as well, but Cena Sr. doesn't believe he's worthy of a comparison to JBL.
"He's not even close to being a JBL. Mahal is in there for one reason: they want the Indian market," Cena Sr. said. "What better way to get it than to have the champion into the country you're going? And he's gonna hold that when he comes out of India, he's gonna hold that for a while for whatever reason. To upset the fans, maybe? Perhaps. But he certainly is not the same caliber of JBL. He doesn't have the arrogance, the ability, nor the characterization, nor the wrestling ability!"