Former WWE Champion Involved In Controversial Moment At Indie Show
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A mid-match walkout by former WWE Champion Raj Dhesi, formerly known as Jinder Mahal, at an independent event has been the subject of conflicting reports, with the latest suggesting the entire incident was a planned storyline.
Dhesi has been active on the independent scene since his WWE release, including a run in AAA. This recent appearance at a Battleground Championship Wrestling (BCW) event in May, however, caused significant confusion.
A Controversial Finish
In a match against deathmatch veteran MASADA, Dhesi walked out mid-bout, resulting in a count-out loss and reportedly leaving the venue altogether. The promoter initially claimed the walkout was due to issues with hotel bookings.
The story gained more attention after MASADA claimed on social media that Dhesi had arrived with a list of rules for what could and could not be done in their match. This painted a picture of a legitimate backstage dispute between the two performers.
More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
Was It All A Work?
According to a report from Fightful Select, the entire situation may have been a planned angle from the start. Sources close to Dhesi insist that the walkout was a complete "work" orchestrated by the BCW promoter to generate buzz for the promotion.
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - NOVEMBER 16: A general view of the AAA Mexican Lucha Libre friday night show at the Movistar Arena during an AAA World Wide Wrestling match on November 16, 2018 in Bogota, Colombia.
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - NOVEMBER 16: A general view of the AAA Mexican Lucha Libre friday night show at the Movistar Arena during an AAA World Wide Wrestling match on November 16, 2018 in Bogota, Colombia.This news re-frames the incident from a backstage issue into a deliberate attempt to blur the lines between reality and storyline. Regardless of the reason, Dhesi is not currently booked for any future dates with the promotion.
Dhesi's Post-WWE Career
Mahal's career in WWE is marked by two distinct runs, with his major accomplishments coming during his second tenure with the company after a significant physical transformation. Mahal is also a former United States Champion. He won the title at WrestleMania 34 in a Fatal 4-Way match, defeating champion Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Rusev.
The controversial walkout comes after another notable event in Dhesi's post-WWE career. He and AEW's Satnam Singh won the AAA World Tag Team Championship in August 2024.
However, after 241 days of inactivity and never defending the belts, the pair were stripped of the titles by the promotion in March 2025. It will be interesting to see where Mahal goes from here in his pro wrestling career.
More WWE News:
For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Owners Bring Home Saint Bernard, Poodle Mix—Shock at What She Grows Into
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When bringing home a young, mixed-breed puppy, owners can only imagine what their canine will look like as an adult, which left one family with a bigger fur mess than they expected. A family didn't know what to imagine when welcoming home a Saint Bernard and poodle mix, also known as a Saint Berdoodle. This hybrid is known to be a friendly and affectionate yet protective dog, according to an article from Dogster. These gentle giants make a great family dog, especially as they are hypoallergenic. Given the dog's lineage, the owners planned for a large dog breed, but a March 16 Instagram video posted to the account @yourfriendmarley showed how they underestimated her size. The text on the video reads "when two worlds collide," accompanied by images of the two dog breeds. The product was Marley, a giant fluff baby. About 93 pounds later, their dog was fully grown, and their home was filled with endless fur. Marley stood up with her front paws propping her on the kitchen counter. She stood as tall as the man in the background. Her entire body was covered with luscious, curly hair that looked like a cloud. Newsweek reached out to @yourfriendmarley via Instagram for additional information and comment. Screenshots of two popular dog breeds, a Saint Bernard, left, and a white poodle. Screenshots of two popular dog breeds, a Saint Bernard, left, and a white poodle. Belova Veronika and RS-photography/Getty Images Like any dog, there's plenty of upkeep when it comes to a Saint Berdoodle. The owner wrote in the comment section that Marley receives six cups of food daily and a biscuit, "plus anything she sneaks." Their coats vary. Some might be medium and thick with curly hair, or long and wavy like a Saint Bernard's coat. But either way, daily grooming is essential to avoid any knots. Viewer Reactions The Instagram video amassed over 12.7 million views, 555,000 likes and 4,356 comments as of Friday. "He needs to start paying rent," joked a viewer, while a second wrote: "I thought it was AI." Another added: "That ain't no dog that's a horse." Someone else commented: "I'm a dog groomer and I think I'd die on the spot if that walked in." While many were stunned by the dog's mane, others expressed concern about breeding these two dogs together, claiming many hybrid mixes come from unethical breeders and are prone to health or behavioral issues. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘WWE LFG': How to Watch Season 2 of the Reality Series Online Without Cable
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. The WWE's reality competition series WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats) premieres its second season on Sunday (June 22). More from Billboard Italy's Adriatic Sound Festival Aims to Be the New European Destination for Techno NBA Finals 2025 Livestream: Here's How to Watch Pacers vs. Thunder Game Online for Free Phoenix Mercury vs. Chicago Sky: How to Watch WNBA Stars Kahleah Copper & Angel Reese Face Off With Hulu + Live TV It features 16 contenders battling for a chance to make it to the big leagues of pro wrestling in the WWE. Season two also features five legendary coaches: Undertaker, Booker T, Michelle McCool, Bubba Ray Dudley and Shawn Michaels. Season two of WWE LFG has a start time of 10 p.m. ET/PT. WWE LFG airs on A&E. The series is available to stream on Philo, DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. Keep reading for more details on how cord-cutters can watch the WWE reality series online. A subscription to Philo — which comes with A&E — gets you access to live TV from cable channels for just $28 per month. In fact, you can watch more than 70 cable networks, such as AMC, BBC America, BET, Cartoon Network, CMT, Discovery Channel, Food Network, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, Lifetime, Logo, MotorTrends, Nickelodeon, OWN, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, Sundance TV, TLC, VH1, Vice and many others. In addition, AMC+ is available on Philo. The premium streaming service comes with Philo Core for free, so you can get even more movies and TV shows to watch with signup. watch 'WWE LFG' with Philo A subscription to DirecTV — which comes with A&E for WWE LFG — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $59.99 for the first month of service ($89.99 per month afterwards) for the streamer's signature packages. You can watch local networks such as NBC, ABC, Fox, and PBS, while you can watch many cable networks, including ESPN, FS1, Lifetime, FX, AMC, Bravo, BET, MTV, Paramount Network, Cartoon Network, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, CNBC and others. watch 'WWE LFG' with DirecTV WWE LFG on A&E is available to watch with Hulu + Live TV. Prices for the cable alternative start at $82.99 per month, while each plan comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost. Hulu + Live TV might be best for those who want all of these streaming services together in one bundle. It features many other networks, including ESPN, ABC, Hallmark Channel, BET, CMT, Disney Channel, NBC, Fox Sports and more. watch 'WWE LFG' with Hulu + Live TV To watch season two of WWE LFG on A&E, Fubo starts at $64.99 for the first month, $84.99 per month afterwards (the streamer's current deal) with more than 225 channels — including local and cable — that are streamable on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and on web browsers. The service even gets you live access to local broadcast networks including NBC, Fox and ABC, while it has dozens of cable networks, such as ESPN, Bravo, CMT, ID, TV Land, VH1, TLC, E!, FS1, MTV, FX, Ion, OWN, Paramount Network and much more. Watch 'WWE LFG' with Fubo Starting at 10 p.m. ET/PT, WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats) airs on A&E on Sunday (June 22). The series features the opening theme song 'Take A Lesson' by def rebel (music producer Doug Davis), while it's available to stream on Philo. watch 'WWE LFG' with Philo Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tommy Dreamer Compares Recent WWE Signing To Joining The New York Yankees
Recently, WWE signed one of the hottest free agents in town. It was none other than former AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May. The Glamor now goes by the name Blake Monroe in NXT. Following her appearance on the Tuesday Night show, former WWE Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer compared her arrival on NXT to a baseball player getting signed by the New York Yankees. While speaking on the latest episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast, Tommy Dreamer shared why professional wrestlers want to sign with WWE. He also compared the signing to athletes wanting to join legendary sports teams such as the New York Yankees. Advertisement 'I think there are those … established franchises that, like in any sport — 'Oh, I want to be a Yankee.' Why? Because they're the oldest, they've been around, it's the 'Pride of the Yankees. They've always been glamorized as the 'it' team.' [H/T WrestlingINC.] Dreamer also mentioned that while both All Elite Wrestling and WWE are airing Live on National Television, professional wrestlers want to compete in a WWE ring. 'They're both on national television, but to become a global WWE superstar is what a lot of men and women aspire to be. It's the allure of what WWE can do for you for the rest of your life,' Tommy Dreamer said. [H/T WrestlingINC.] Advertisement Blake Monroe officially signed her NXT contract last night on NXT. Catch up on everything that went down on WWE NXT here. Read More: Blake Monroe's NXT Debut Vignette Is Heavily Influenced By Sabrina Carpenter Do you agree with Tommy Dreamer? The post Tommy Dreamer Compares Recent WWE Signing To Joining The New York Yankees appeared first on Wrestlezone.
