What's next for Jinder Mahal in WWE?
Jinder Mahal, the self-proclaimed "Modern Day Maharaja", has had a dream run since Wrestlemania 33. The former 3 Man Band member has been riding on an all-time high off late. Jindar Mahal claimed a surprising victory over Randy Orton in May at Backlash to win the WWE championship, Mahal has beaten Orton on two different occasions.
The Maharaja has also survived a Money In The Bank cash in by Baron Corbin. Jinder Mahal later defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE championship. Everything was going Mahal's way until he was beaten by AJ Styles on an episode of SmackDown Live, thus ending the Maharaja's title reign which lasted for 170 days.
These showers of blessings on Jinder Mahal came as quite a surprise to every WWE fan around the globe. It raised the question-- how did a man who was nowhere even close to a main event status get a chance to capture the most prestigious prize in the WWE today. Jinder Mahal was one of the final two in the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal at Wrestlemania 33, where he was eliminated by Mojo Rawley.
Rawley was soon forgotten about in less than a month, whereas Mahal, who had not even captured a single title in the WWE, was given a massive push in the form of becoming the No. 1 contender for the WWE championship and winning the same later on.
Soon everything made sense when the WWE announced that they will be touring India later in the year. The WWE used Jinder Mahal as a perfect marketing strategy to expand its fan base in India. The WWE has even advertised Jindar Mahal merchandise. As we all know, the WWE will be touring India for their Supershow on 10th of December. What better way to grab the attention of Indians than to portray one of their own with the highest prize in the industry?
Mahal announced on an episode of SmackDown Live that he wanted to face Brock Lesnar in a match at Survivor Series. The week after this announcement, he dropped the title to AJ Styles which led to Styles squaring against Lesnar at the following PPV. Mahal was not even a part of Survivor Series this year.
Now that the Indian tour is just around the corner, it doesn't look like the Maharaja will be heading into his country with the title. Mahal has gotten his rematch which will be held much after the tour and it is very evident that he will not be winning the gold then. The WWE has milked the most it could out of Jinder Mahal, promoting its tour of India. It won't be surprising if Jinder Mahal is completely forgotten after the Clash Of Champions PPV.