SK Exclusive: John Cena pencilled in to face Jinder Mahal at Summerslam
What's the story?
John Cena is currently pencilled in to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at this year's Summerslam in Brooklyn.
Also read: 5 times John Cena proved he can put on stellar matches
In case you didn't know...
John Cena hasn't been seen since WrestleMania 33 where he and Nikki Bella beat the Miz and Maryse in a mixed tag team match.
The heart of the matter
John Cena is set to return from his hiatus on July 04, 2017, and he is likely to be inserted into an angle with Jinder Mahal. However, this altercation will be in the midst of a WWE Championship program between The Maharaja and another Superstar that will culminate at WWE Background.
The WWE are yet to decide if they will extend Mahal's feud with Randy Orton or begin a fresh mini-feud with AJ Styles. Creative has already taken steps to temporarily shelve the Kevin Owens and AJ Styles program by having Shinsuke Nakamura pin the former Universal Champion on SmackDown on three different occasions, making a US title match between the pair a viable option. If they opt to go with Owens vs. Nakamura, Styles will be free to take on either Jinder Mahal or Baron Corbin at Battleground.
What's next?
Jinder Mahal will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at SmackDown's Money in the Bank PPV in the Vipers hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri.
Author's take
It appears that the WWE are dedicated to giving Jinder Mahal a long WWE Championship run. The company originally planned for Randy Orton to hold the title throughout the summer, but a late decision to was made to put the title on the Maharaja just days before SmackDown's Backlash PPV. With ratings in the US on the decline, it makes sense for the WWE to increase their business internationally- with India seemingly being their primary focus, given the country's enormous population.
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