Blown opportunity with Jinder

[Olan]

Okay don't judge me just based on the title, hear me out.

Jinder has been getting more airtime recently and has been written more seriously. He has been getting a slight push so someone must like him.

Here is the missed oppurtunity:
he and Rusev's team recently split. At a recent PPV, they had seperate matches to prove something and in the end Big Show took Rusev out. I think the WWE missed a perfect oppurtunity to create a mid-card heel with Jinder. It should have been Jinder that took out Rusev. Rusev should have beaten Jinder and after match Jinder should lost it and destroyed Rusev: chairs, tables, choking everything. Rusev is written off and Jinder gets heat. Jinder could get more heelish. It would even have made his almost Andre win more believable.
Meanwhile since fans want to cheer Lana, she could be used to get sympathy for Rusev. Maybe even a #GetWellRusev angle. Lana and Rusev embrace the love shown them during his injury and they become faces upon his return.

Am I crazy?

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I agree completely with you that writing off Rusev via Big Show didn't make a lot of sense. I like the idea of Jinder getting pushed, but I don't know that going heel on Rusev is quite the right long term planning.

The challenge is that it requires a Rusev face turn. I'm a huge Rusev fan, might be my favourite guy on Raw. I don't think they have a Rusev face turn planned any time soon. I also don't think they were aware of the incoming roster shake up either.

You could have Jinder take out Rusev, then seperate them by the roster change, but you'd have to be aware of the upcoming changes to book that.

Rusev could return and go tween on Jinder, then reassert as heel after a program, but who comes out on top in that? Inevitably Rusev has the bigger star potential so he has to go over. Where does that leave Mahal? With two to three months of heat before he gets taken out?

Rusev is a heel, so taking out Rusev would kinda make Jinder more face wouldn't it? The Big Show attack on Rusev was a waste. Show didn't need it, and if rumours are true he's pretty much done.

Rusev will come back, but Big Show likely won't be there. Jinder Mahal will. It also would have given Jinder more momentum heading into the Andre Battle Royal.

Jinder has gotten himself incredibly shredded. Hopefully WWE will give him a better push. He could make a decent lower midcard heel on Smackdown. The timing wasn't right to book him taking out Rusev.

 

[Olan]

P

I agree completely with you that writing off Rusev via Big Show didn't make a lot of sense. I like the idea of Jinder getting pushed, but I don't know that going heel on Rusev is quite the right long term planning.

The challenge is that it requires a Rusev face turn. I'm a huge Rusev fan, might be my favourite guy on Raw. I don't think they have a Rusev face turn planned any time soon. I also don't think they were aware of the incoming roster shake up either.

You could have Jinder take out Rusev, then seperate them by the roster change, but you'd have to be aware of the upcoming changes to book that.

Rusev could return and go tween on Jinder, then reassert as heel after a program, but who comes out on top in that? Inevitably Rusev has the bigger star potential so he has to go over. Where does that leave Mahal? With two to three months of heat before he gets taken out?

Rusev is a heel, so taking out Rusev would kinda make Jinder more face wouldn't it? The Big Show attack on Rusev was a waste. Show didn't need it, and if rumours are true he's pretty much done.

Rusev will come back, but Big Show likely won't be there. Jinder Mahal will. It also would have given Jinder more momentum heading into the Andre Battle Royal.

Jinder has gotten himself incredibly shredded. Hopefully WWE will give him a better push. He could make a decent lower midcard heel on Smackdown. The timing wasn't right to book him taking out Rusev.

The fans already cheer Lana and I think they want to cheer Rusev. He has let his personality really come out recently so I think a face turn would work. A Rusev/Lana face team would be gold. 8

 

[Jack-Hammer]

While I agree that the whole thing with Big Show, Rusev and Jinder made no sense, I simply don't see anything at all with Jinder. The guy has no personality, he's average in the ring at the very best and his promos are the typical foreigner formula with 90% of it being done in his native language, which automatically takes me out of the situation. I don't speak your language and I've no interest in hearing you rant about whatever in your native language.

Jinder has gotten himself into fantastic shape, the guy's shredded, so I do give him credit for that. Still, at the end of the day, Jinder still has jobber written all over him now every bit as much as the very first time he debuted on WWE television and that's pretty much what lower end mid-carders are used for in the first place.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

P

The fans already cheer Lana and I think they want to cheer Rusev. He has let his personality really come out recently so I think a face turn would work. A Rusev/Lana face team would be gold. 8

Couldn't agree with you more. The dude's an absolute gem. I just have a bad feeling WWE see him as someone that can never be face, which he has proven just by being as charismatic as he is.

They turned Del Rio face, but they never turned Barrett. Hopefully they see what they have with the handsome one and make the right call.

Jack-Hammer is right though. Jinder is a jobber. My previous post may have inadvertently made it seem as though I thought otherwise. I think he's a pretty good jobber, but a lot of his heat comes from his ethnicity and that's not a good thing.

Mahal is a fellow Canadian, so I want him to succeed. He'd be better suited in an enhancement tag team or as a bodyguard/heel magnet for another singles guy.

How about this: new Team Canada: Mahal, Owens, Bobby Rodoe and Lesnar. (jk lol).

 

[FromGlasgow]

I actually thought the best he looked was on his WWE debut and his alliance with the great Khali, I remember thinking he had a lot of potential at that point but his career seemed to have went downhill fast since that moment and never recovered to the point where if I never seen the guy again I wouldn't miss him or even notice that he was gone.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

The fans already cheer Lana and I think they want to cheer Rusev. He has let his personality really come out recently so I think a face turn would work. A Rusev/Lana face team would be gold.

Definitely agree with you, I've been thinking this for awhile.

Rusev has a charisma about him that I think could make him an excellent babyface. The guy is actually pretty funny, and a good talker, I could see a solid run as a big man babyface. Nikita Koloff was Russian and had a babyface run, so I don't think the RUssian thing is a big deal at all, plus you would downplay that and jsut have him not hate America.

I also think Rusev is pretty solid in the ring, and he's a believable force jsut based on his look. His been heel since day 1, might as well try something different.

Now, I'm not sure if a feud with Jinder Mahal is the way to kick this off necessarily. Jinder's role is that of a lowcard comedy heel, which is completely fine. But with upside Rusev has, and the potential for a solid babyface run, I'd want to start him out against someone a bit more significant. A Rusev vs. Miz feud would actually be perfect.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Simply put, I am not a fan of Jinder Mahal. I think he's just pretty bad in every way.

Rusev needs to stay far away from him. I wouldn't mind Rusev turning face and working the "Handsome Rusev" gimmick.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

While I agree that the whole thing with Big Show, Rusev and Jinder made no sense, I simply don't see anything at all with Jinder. The guy has no personality, he's average in the ring at the very best and his promos are the typical foreigner formula with 90% of it being done in his native language, which automatically takes me out of the situation. I don't speak your language and I've no interest in hearing you rant about whatever in your native language.

Jinder has gotten himself into fantastic shape, the guy's shredded, so I do give him credit for that. Still, at the end of the day, Jinder still has jobber written all over him now every bit as much as the very first time he debuted on WWE television and that's pretty much what lower end mid-carders are used for in the first place.

I believe that with the OP's point you would just give him a character. He doesn't have one. He's not even a "foreigner" wrestler at this point. He is just a glorified jobber and that's a shame. The guy has been working so hard to get that amazing shape. He has a decent heelish look and he's even quite decent on the microphone, but you can't be good or shit playing a character, where in all fairness, there isn't one.

WWE is so focused on building their workers down in NXT that they forget some of the talent they already have in the main roster that never had a decent opportunity. Jinder Mahal is one of those guys and he could've been easily what Muhammad Hassan couldn't. He's even a better worker than Hassan. It's all about how you portray him on television (this works for everyone) and the way Jinder could be portrayed should be more serious. Give him a few wins here and there and groom him for that midcard heel spot with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sheamus and Rusev. If he delivers, build up from there. He had a decent feud with Seth Rollins down in NXT and it helped a lot to take the brand out of the box.

I hope he gets his due somehow. In fact, all three members of 3MB have talent flying solo. Just need that one push. Drew McIntyre will get his fair treatment if he delivers quality matches like he has been doing in TNA and Evolve primarily. Just give him a character, a fighter, a bully, an anti-system. Whatever. Use those guys because they are talented. Mojo Rowley has a famous friend (I'm not from America, so seriously there is absolutely NOTHING interesting in him for me) and for that he got a push. There are no words to describe how annoyed I get to see some talents being labelled as "jobbers" when they have the talent to entertain and even make that company some money. Jinder is not indian, but if you portray him that way, you are working one of the biggest markets in the WORLD.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Jinder is a modern day Hercules or Warlord now... built like the proverbial shit house but ultimately is going to be fed to others... but he'll still get the odd big win to keep his stock relatively high.

I can see him moving to Smackdown in the Shakeup and potentially interacting with Heath and Rhyno (or replacing Rhyno) as that team has run its course. Tags do seem a good place for Jinder right now, similar to Power and Glory was for Herc.

One thing that COULD be interesting, would be a newer version of Evolution/Legacy or equivalent of. Jinder would fit the Batista role if they wanted to slow burn a push for him. Perhaps have Owens/Joe/Jinder with Trips running the show.

 

[Glacier]

Finn Balor beating him looked ridiculous.

That tiny Balor couldnt beat Cheeseburger, let alone someone who is
as big and ripped as Mahal.

 

[Olan]

Tonight's 6Pack results just adds another reason for why my original post should have occured. If WWE had this push planned for awhile I can't believe they blew this chance

 

[ShinChan]

I actually resonate with what OP said. Given what happened at the recent Smackdown Live episode, Jinder Mahal should've gotten rid of Rusev. Not Big Show who didn't need it. Jinder Mahal could've got some heel heat and momentum while Rusev could've turned face. It also set ups a feud after Rusev returns from injury.

Also, if Jinder Mahal had to be the next challenger, he shouldn't have been squashed by Finn Balor. That's the biggest problem of this Mahal push.