Jinder Mahal: If There Was No Modern Day Maharaja In WWE, There Would Be No Drew McIntyre

Jinder Mahal believes he has paved the way for Drew McIntyre's success in WWE, saying the Scotsman wouldn't have been WWE Champion if he hadn't of done it first.

Mahal and McIntyre were both released by WWE in 2014 but each made their way back to the company, before winning the WWE Title.

Speaking to Fightful, Mahal said: "I came to WWE before Drew. Came back. Became WWE Champion before Drew. Main evented all over the world before Drew. Did all this media before Drew. Now Drew touts himself as this great media machine and everything. Doesn’t stop talking about how much media he does. Guess what? We all do it. I was there. We all do it. We all have our turn. I’m still doing it. I just don’t advertise it.

"You see Drew McIntyre wearing this suit. Where do you think he got his style from? The Maharaja, right? All the swagger, all this confidence. If there was no Modern Day Maharaja as WWE Champion there would be no Drew McIntyre. I showed him the way. I showed him it was possible. I gave him the belief in himself.

"As much as bad things are said about Drew - which are all true, by the way - I gotta give respect to Drew. He, like myself, reinvented himself. Became a great representative of the company. I respect Drew on a personal level. But on a professional level, I have to humble him."