5 Reasons why Jinder Mahal could work as a WWE Championship challenger
On the latest episode of SmackDown Live, Jinder Mahal shocked the world by winning a Six-Pack Challenge match to become the new No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship. Considering he was fresh off a loss to Mojo Rawley the week prior, it's safe to say no one thought he would be in this prominent of a position so soon, if ever.
Alas, Mahal will indeed challenge Randy Orton for his coveted title in the main event of May's Backlash pay-per-view, and the, well, backlash from fans online has been universal. I, too, wasn't initially thrilled with the decision to give him a shot at the strap, but after giving it more thought, it might actually turn out to be a decent idea.
As silly as that sounds, fans should maintain an open mind about Mahal receiving such a strong push at this point in his career. He could very well work as a WWE Championship challenger, and here are five reasons why.
#5 There's enough time to make him a serious threat
Let's make something quite clear: Jinder Mahal will not be challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Championship next week, or even the week after that. The match won't be taking place until Backlash, which is well over a month away.
That said, there is plenty of time between now and then to build him as a credible contender. Currently, fans do not see him as a threat to the title after suffering so many losses to the likes of Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn and even Mojo Rawley, but a few key wins in the coming weeks would do him a world of good.
For example, WWE must at least attempt to give fans the impression that Orton views him as an equal. Brushing off Mahal and focusing entirely on Bray Wyatt instead will make Mahal look like an afterthought. Technically, he is, but that needs to change as soon as possible.