Top 25 WWE Superstars of 2017 (Part 2)

#5 Jinder Mahal

The Modern Day Maharaja

Key Highlights:

1. Became the #1 Contender for the WWE Championship, immediately upon arrival at SmackDown Live during the Superstar Shake-up.
2. Pulled off one of the biggest upsets in WWE history, defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
3. Retained the title against Orton in two rematches.
4. Survived a Money In The Bank contract cash-in from Baron Corbin.
5. Retained the title twice against Shinsuke Nakamura.

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Love him or hate him, 2017 has been the breakout year for The Modern Day Maharaja. Jinder Mahal established himself as one of the top competitors of WWE, putting out everyone's doubts along the way.

At WWE Wrestlemania, Jinder Mahal was the last superstar to be eliminated from the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. On the April 18 edition of SmackDown Live, Mahal won a 6-pack challenge to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship, with help from his new allies, The Singh Brothers.

Mahal would cost Randy Orton his match at WWE Payback against Bray Wyatt. He would then go on to win the WWE Championship by defeating Randy Orton at WWE Backlash, winning his first championship in the WWE and become the 50th recognized WWE Champion.

Mahal defeated Orton in his first title defence at WWE Money In The Bank. He would eventually defeat Orton again to retain the title at WWE Battleground, in a Punjabi Prison match, after interference from The Great Khali.

Jinder Mahal would also successfully defend his title after Baron Corbin would fail to cash-in his Money In The Bank contract. Mahal would then go on to face Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE SummerSlam, where The Modern Day Maharaja would retain the title. In a rematch at WWE Hell In A Cell, Mahal once again defeated Nakamura to continue his title reign.

Jinder Mahal would continue to hold the title for 170 days, before dropping it to AJ Styles on the November 7 episode of SmackDown Live.