WWE SmackDown Live Superstar and former WWE Champion "The Modern-Day Maharaja" Jinder Mahal was recently a guest on The Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and was asked about his current position on the SmackDown roster since losing the WWE Championship to A.J. Styles, and if he was worried about being demoted after he lost the title:

“I wasn’t worried at all,” said Mahal. “A lot of people say, ‘It’s disappointing you got the push.’ No, I didn’t get the push, I made the push. I believe that every WWE superstar is in charge 100 percent of his own destiny. It’s up to me. You know, you drop the title, you win the title, but that’s part of the storyline. That match I had with A.J., even though I lost the title, it’s like I lost the match, I really did win. I had an awesome outing, awesome match, came back and got a big hug from Vince.”

Being in the recent United States Championship Tournament and if he felt that it was a demotion:

“No, it’s not. It’s the United States Championship,” said Mahal. “I’m still on SmackDown, on the live events I’m still in a main, main spot, and that’s up to me to maintain that level. You know, maintain that level of performance, and that’s 100 percent up to me. If you see me fall down the card, it’s my own fault. If I’m staying at this level, it’s because of the hard work that I’m doing and I ultimately will become WWE Champion again. I 100 percent believe that.”