Remember when the WWF slogan was Anything can happen in the WWF. I enjoyed this surprise. I like shakeups like this, they need to take more chances on storylines, personas, wrestlers and let them succeed or fail. Too often the programs becomes stale. This look like it will be a take on the Muhammad Hassan persona questioning envy, prejudice, diversity being held down etc. If they write it intelligently enough it could be interesting. As long as they balance out minorities like stereotypical Asian heels with minority faces it is cool. Like what they are trying to do with guys like Mustafa Ali. Far from the days of one dimensional caricatures like Tiger Ali Singh, Kaientai, Kenzo Suzuki etc..
Jinder Mahal Is #1 Contender For The WWE Championship....Yes, *THAT* Jinder Mahal
- Thread starter Jack-Hammer
- Start date
MWRedskins
Mid-Card Championship Winner
i'm not a fan of this move, but mainly for one big reason. it's all about booking and Jinder Mahal has been booked badly for months, years really and then out of the blue, he is put in a 6 pack challenge that he doesnt deserve (while AJ Styles is not even in it) then wins it and the reason i say he doesnt deserve it is booking.
the past months, he's lost countless times to many guys from Enzo and/or Cass to Sami Zayn (nothing wrong with that) to Mojo Rawley. his gimmick, while good, just seems like a repeat of Muhammad Hassan, but Hassan was more entertaining for my liking. Add to that, the fans dont like it because they like other heels better. my hope is that this match ends with Orton winning, then with Jinder moving onto the US title scene. i like Jinder as a midcard guy, but i feel that Kevin Owens is much better in the ring and on the mic and others likely prefer Baron Corbin than Jinder.
my hope is that Orton keeps the title, then turns heel on AJ Styles and costs him the US title to then set up their match where AJ wins and he feuds with either Jinder, Baron and eventually Kevin Owens (who i hope wins the WWE title sometime after Styles has his run with it).
the past months, he's lost countless times to many guys from Enzo and/or Cass to Sami Zayn (nothing wrong with that) to Mojo Rawley. his gimmick, while good, just seems like a repeat of Muhammad Hassan, but Hassan was more entertaining for my liking. Add to that, the fans dont like it because they like other heels better. my hope is that this match ends with Orton winning, then with Jinder moving onto the US title scene. i like Jinder as a midcard guy, but i feel that Kevin Owens is much better in the ring and on the mic and others likely prefer Baron Corbin than Jinder.
my hope is that Orton keeps the title, then turns heel on AJ Styles and costs him the US title to then set up their match where AJ wins and he feuds with either Jinder, Baron and eventually Kevin Owens (who i hope wins the WWE title sometime after Styles has his run with it).
MillionDollarMan
Occasional Pre-Show
This reminds me so much of Bradshaw when he became JBL and then was instantly given the title. It led to a decent reign and got Cena to his ultimate spot.
I hope they go with it.
I hope they go with it.
Fire Marshall Bill
Let me show ya somethin!!!
As if the suggestion to turn anyone heel isn't cliche enough, you're really suggesting they do it to Orton? The guy literally just had a face turn in order to take down the Wyatts. Seriously. And yes, Jinder and the boys are allowed to be made to look weak, because they don't belong in the position they were just put in. The only reason Jinder got this backup is so people have some semblance of belief that he actually has a chance at winning this match. Which he doesn't.
Ugh.
That's what I thought when I got to know about our new No. 1 contender for WWE Championship. Mind you, it ain't a newish title like Universal Championship, it's WWE Championship. And our challenger is Jinder Mahal. I just hope that he doesn't win it any cost. Also that Jinder Mahal is just a filler challenger for someone like Randy Orton. Fingers crossed.
3MB is having a good time with Drew McIntyre back, Heath Slater with Rhyno and now this..
That's what I thought when I got to know about our new No. 1 contender for WWE Championship. Mind you, it ain't a newish title like Universal Championship, it's WWE Championship. And our challenger is Jinder Mahal. I just hope that he doesn't win it any cost. Also that Jinder Mahal is just a filler challenger for someone like Randy Orton. Fingers crossed.
3MB is having a good time with Drew McIntyre back, Heath Slater with Rhyno and now this..
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
If the WWE is serious about pushing Baron Corbin and are as high on him as Dave Meltzer claims, then there's no chance of Jinder actually beating Orton. My guess is that Corbin wins the MITB ladder match, cashes in sometime around SummerSlam or possibly during summerSlam, wins the title and spends much of the remainder of the year feuding with Randy Orton.
I don't expect Jinder to win but if he's able to increase his stock over the course of the next several weeks and show us that he's got some actual talent, then I'll be all for him having a shot at the title.
I don't expect Jinder to win but if he's able to increase his stock over the course of the next several weeks and show us that he's got some actual talent, then I'll be all for him having a shot at the title.
ISkye
Pre-Show Stalwart
I figured he'd get a push after his split with Rusev, and it's not surprising that it just happened to be when they take a slightly bigger dip into India and Fox Philippines had stopped airing WWE content a few days back. He is in good shape, paid his dues, works the WWE style tremendously well, and won in a way more logical than people trying to stretch their creative abilities are typing up and away on the internet. Also anyone who wanted Zayn over him in this situation should either start emailing their team or trying to make their opinion visible. With the amount of effort people complain and the apparent overwhelming bad decision they made here it should be easy if you think out a way to organize your thoughts in a vocal loud enough for their attention. WWE doesn't "Insult" people's intelligence, but they do easily work people even in a time where things should be more transparent and resources are available a question and google search away. There isn't much intelligence to insult within the casual WWE and basic Indy fan who occasionally watches NJPW to begin with. Go on the huge pro-wrestling subreddit if you really need evidence for that.
Jinder was getting more time against guys as a singles competitor and was actually getting more offense in against Reigns,etc. That built until he was the last in the Andre the Giant mania match and only ended up getting defeated via major assistance / distraction. Didn't look too awful the following Smackdown either. Then there is a 6 pack challenge where WWE are in their transitional period to looking towards Summerslam and the foreseeable future and he wins via assistance in a match where literally everyone looked good. He got the pin fall over Zayn. Okay the reason Zayn should of won was because people like him. Neat. Either follow what I had said in the first paragraph or do something for the pro-wrestler in question to show support. They shouldn't go sideways on a project in the making and something actually fresh / new of a guy actually younger than Zayn who could use establishment and paid more dues for that company.
"This isn't rocket science". Guys with my simple post on a forum I swear I could reorder a main event program even with me only seeing a small sample size and looking at it from a biased perspective. This 1.5 Billion $ + company that has fans so brainwashed from them not searching for things outside their tiny bubble that they criticize something logical they do just because it goes against the logic cycling WWE ingrained in them initially. This huge company that really isn't as powerful as people believe outside their original and pre-established platforms that has the potential to expand even further and be worth multi billions. Really simple stuff guys. The 13 time world champ with heavy criticisms already lurking over him that are ready to be surfaced time and time again coming out of a lackluster heavily criticized feud can be fixed with creativity! Such. Great. Insight.
Dolph Ziggler? Nah. Rowan? Srs. Corbin? Busy. Styles? U.S. Title needs relevant challenger. Owens? U.S. Title. Miz? Gone. Cena? Hollywood. Ellsworth? Pls. Nakamura? Doing perfect with him at the moment. Ambrose? Gone. New Day? They are needed in the tag division, and probably won't be back in full capacity without Kofi. The ENTIRE rest of the tag division? Lol pls. Womens? ...
Really not a big deal. If you don't like it get on WWE Network and watch some old stuff or explore outside their platform. It's a good decision and I can't see them F'ing this up as bad as people fear after a single promo. They've given people what they want most of the time and have consistently pulled themselves out of ruts. If they mess it up, oh well. You'll still watch, and anything that good happens I'll watch to. If you stop watching over it or even have ridiculous booking to counteract it a few days after it happened you might as well stop watching pro-wrestling. If you expect some form of logical (At least by your delusional standards) booking or old school WWF or whatever from modern day WWE just realize what you're watching. This isn't NJPW, ROH, or even WCPW / CZW. This is WWE.
Jinder was getting more time against guys as a singles competitor and was actually getting more offense in against Reigns,etc. That built until he was the last in the Andre the Giant mania match and only ended up getting defeated via major assistance / distraction. Didn't look too awful the following Smackdown either. Then there is a 6 pack challenge where WWE are in their transitional period to looking towards Summerslam and the foreseeable future and he wins via assistance in a match where literally everyone looked good. He got the pin fall over Zayn. Okay the reason Zayn should of won was because people like him. Neat. Either follow what I had said in the first paragraph or do something for the pro-wrestler in question to show support. They shouldn't go sideways on a project in the making and something actually fresh / new of a guy actually younger than Zayn who could use establishment and paid more dues for that company.
"This isn't rocket science". Guys with my simple post on a forum I swear I could reorder a main event program even with me only seeing a small sample size and looking at it from a biased perspective. This 1.5 Billion $ + company that has fans so brainwashed from them not searching for things outside their tiny bubble that they criticize something logical they do just because it goes against the logic cycling WWE ingrained in them initially. This huge company that really isn't as powerful as people believe outside their original and pre-established platforms that has the potential to expand even further and be worth multi billions. Really simple stuff guys. The 13 time world champ with heavy criticisms already lurking over him that are ready to be surfaced time and time again coming out of a lackluster heavily criticized feud can be fixed with creativity! Such. Great. Insight.
Dolph Ziggler? Nah. Rowan? Srs. Corbin? Busy. Styles? U.S. Title needs relevant challenger. Owens? U.S. Title. Miz? Gone. Cena? Hollywood. Ellsworth? Pls. Nakamura? Doing perfect with him at the moment. Ambrose? Gone. New Day? They are needed in the tag division, and probably won't be back in full capacity without Kofi. The ENTIRE rest of the tag division? Lol pls. Womens? ...
Really not a big deal. If you don't like it get on WWE Network and watch some old stuff or explore outside their platform. It's a good decision and I can't see them F'ing this up as bad as people fear after a single promo. They've given people what they want most of the time and have consistently pulled themselves out of ruts. If they mess it up, oh well. You'll still watch, and anything that good happens I'll watch to. If you stop watching over it or even have ridiculous booking to counteract it a few days after it happened you might as well stop watching pro-wrestling. If you expect some form of logical (At least by your delusional standards) booking or old school WWF or whatever from modern day WWE just realize what you're watching. This isn't NJPW, ROH, or even WCPW / CZW. This is WWE.
Not really. Orton barely turned heel when he joined the Wyatts, so it was barely a face turn back. It lasted, what, three/four months? People knew what it was building to. He's ostensibly been face since he left The Authority. He works better as a heel, seems more engaged. And Smackdown could use a top heel. Although Zayn being booked as an underdog who can benefit long-term by losing is great, there's a narrow line that gets narrower as time goes on to the point that people lose interest. His character at this point desperately needs a real feud that doesn't have him defined as Kevin Owens ex-best friend.
As for Jinder, I've seen stranger title wins from people who didn't have half the ability to bring in money, as they clearly believe Jinder can from India, like Swagger. If they're serious about the stable then they aren't going to have Orton just run through them. They shouldn't, anyway. They've got to give him an out. I don't think he'll win but I don't think it's as cut and dry as some people think.
Still, time will tell, but this may have been a situation where they could have got more mileage out of him if they'd taken their time with him. Doing well in the AGBR and some offence against Reigns isn't particularly a sign someone is going to start Main Eventing. And really, someone doesn't like one part of the seven hours they broadcast each week, so they should not just stop watching WWE, but might as well stop watching pro-wrestling entirely? That's a holier than thou attitude I see a lot here and it's ridiculous.
The nuances of modern day race relations and diversity has never been handled particularly well or sensitively by pro-wrestling. Hassan was great...at the start...because a lot of the time he was right. But the audience in general just isn't sophisticated enough for it. Looks like that's going to be the crux of his gimmick.
This was an awful decision. Jinder's terrible. He always has been. The guy has been a jobber for just about his entire career and is remembered most for his time in 3MB. Others have mentioned JBL. Sure, few expected him to win against Eddie let alone go on to have a title reign that lasted an entire schoolyear, but pushes like that with a sudden character change leading to something awesome are rare. This should be a filler feud and nothing else. Someone different getting a shot until someone worthy of winning the title gets their shot at a bigger show. We aren't exactly in a major PPV cycle right now. Up until Money In The Bank or so, we won't be. Jinder will lose to Orton and then we can all move on with our lives. Or if he does happen to pull off the impossible and win I'll give it a chance. I doubt I'll like him as World Heavyweight Champion since he truly sucks, but worse things have happened and I'll still give this bizarre push a chance regardless.
LoudClearVoice
Mid-Card Championship Winner
You're exactly right. This isn't a major PPV coming up so why waste an AJ Styles vs. Orton or Kevin Owens vs. Orton feud on this. WWE is most likely just doing this because of that new Indian executive that was hired and because India is a huge WWE market. I don't think Jinder is horrible but this definitely a filler feud and after he loses to Orton, he'll probably putz around with the Bollywood Boyz in some lower mid card feud.
JoeFromTomsRiver
Championship Contender
I keep seeing the comparison to when Bradshaw became "JBL", but a major difference is that Bradshaw was never a "jobber" except in the very beginning of his career when he was "Justin Hawk Bradshaw" and lost to top babyfaces. He was always a mid-carder, but he wasn't enhancement talent. He was always "taken seriously" in a sense. And the APA got huge pops. Jinder has never gotten a pop, and he has never been taken seriously.
Also, that re-branding of Bradshaw to JBL resulted in a long run of JBL being a top heel in the company. Anyone who thinks this is going to result in a long-term main event push for Jinder is delusional.
I think a much more accurate comparison is to the one-off title shot that R-Truth got against Cena at the very beginning of the "Little Jimmy" phase.
Also, that re-branding of Bradshaw to JBL resulted in a long run of JBL being a top heel in the company. Anyone who thinks this is going to result in a long-term main event push for Jinder is delusional.
I think a much more accurate comparison is to the one-off title shot that R-Truth got against Cena at the very beginning of the "Little Jimmy" phase.
Spencesc11
Getting Noticed By Management
Building him up would've been fine but you don't throw him immediately into the World Title Picture.
Better way to build him up......
1) Allegiance with the Bollywood boys is solid check!
2) Have him start winning matches against lower tier competition (Mojo, Rowan, etc...)
3) Have him win the US Title. I would've had Owens arrive at Smackdown and within months take the belt from Orton. Then you could setup an extended Owens vs. Styles feud for the WWE Title with the 1st big match at Summerslam!!! US Title could've been vacated and put in a tournament with a surprise winner Jinder Mahal.
4) Give him an extended run as US Champ, maybe Bollywood Boys get tag gold as well.
5) That buildup would've been much more believable.
What will happen....
Orton will destroy him and the feud will end with no momentum for Mahal at all....
Better way to build him up......
1) Allegiance with the Bollywood boys is solid check!
2) Have him start winning matches against lower tier competition (Mojo, Rowan, etc...)
3) Have him win the US Title. I would've had Owens arrive at Smackdown and within months take the belt from Orton. Then you could setup an extended Owens vs. Styles feud for the WWE Title with the 1st big match at Summerslam!!! US Title could've been vacated and put in a tournament with a surprise winner Jinder Mahal.
4) Give him an extended run as US Champ, maybe Bollywood Boys get tag gold as well.
5) That buildup would've been much more believable.
What will happen....
Orton will destroy him and the feud will end with no momentum for Mahal at all....