Last year, on January 1, Monday Night Raw created one of the most viral moments in WWE history. It was a special ‘Day 1’ edition of WWE Raw. On that night, fans saw the return of the People’s Champion, The Rock. But before his arrival, WWE teased the fans. Former WWE World Champion Raj Dhesi [Jinder Mahal] made his return first. This turned out to be a disappointment for the fans. But then, when the Great One’s music hit, the arena erupted.
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports’ Inside the Ring, Raj Dhesi shared his thoughts on the segment and also shared what transpired behind the scenes. Dhesi revealed that when it was advertised that a former WWE Champion was returning, he was certain that it was not going to be him. He was wondering if it would be someone like Big E or Goldberg making a comeback. He then shared how a WWE writer got in contact with him and told him what the plan was. Dhesi kept the plan a secret; he did not even tell his fiancée.
“When I landed, I called the writer, and he told me, he’s like, ‘Hey, so you probably seen on Twitter a former WWE Champion, yes, it’s gonna be you and… it’s gonna be The Rock. But hey, kayfabe, super kayfabe, don’t tell anybody anything. And I didn’t tell anybody anything. Actually, I didn’t even tell my fiancé.”
But Dhesi did not memorize the script at the time of rehearsal and admitted that he was a bit embarrassed about that. But he assured everyone that when it was ‘go-time’, he will be ready.
“Rock had actually his part…already memorized his script. I was a little bit embarrassed, because let’s rehearse, and I hadn’t really memorized the script. So I’m referring to the page… I have a real big problem doing that, so I just need bullet points. But I told them, like, ‘Guys, I promise in the ring, I’ll have it,’” Raj Dhesi said. [H/T WrestlingNews.co]
