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#4 Jinder Mahal would win the WWE Championship from Randy Orton.... out of nowhere.
Yuvraj Sing Dhesi is better known to pro wrestling fans as former WWE and United States Champion Jinder Mahal (which is a pretty cool name, it's time we admit that). Since making his debut on the WWE main roster in 2011, Mahal's career in the company has been anything but typical.
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Mahal was introduced as The Great Khali's brother-in-law, constantly berating the now-WWE Hall of Famer for not taking his wrestling career seriously. It was only a year later that the talented Canadian grappler found himself in the trio known as 3MB (Three Man Band), along with Drew McIntyre (we're getting to him) and Heath Slater (we're not getting to him). While the faction was entertaining, it wasn't enough to keep Jinder in the good graces of WWE, and in 2014, Jinder found himself released from the company.
Jinder Mahal found his way back to WWE with a new attitude and to great success
After some time on the independent circuit - in the US and Canada, as well as in India - and a lifestyle change that saw him abstain from alcohol and shedding twenty pounds off his frame, The Great Khali's brother-in-law found himself once again in the employ of WWE.
In 2016, Mahal returned to WWE as a member of the Raw roster. Over the course of the year, his biggest highlight was being eliminated from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by eventual winner Mojo Rawley (with help from NFL star and eventual WrestleMania host Rob Gronkowski) at WrestleMania 33.
In the spring of 2017, however, Jinder found himself in a WWE Championship match against then-champ Randy Orton - and won. In fact, he would hold on to the title for six months, defending the title against both Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura before eventually dropping it to AJ Styles.
Mahal wouldn't just wander off into obscurity, however, as not long after he would also gain the United States Championship - and at WrestleMania of all shows. That reign would, sadly, only last eight days.
It wouldn't be out of line to bring up the fact that Mahal's WWE Championship reign coincided with a tour of India the company had scheduled. However, Mahal worked his Canadian butt off during his time away from WWE, as well as since coming back. He also helped introduce the main roster audience to the Bollywood Boyz/Singh Brothers, and, more recently, the team formerly known in NXT and Indus Sher.
Say what you want about Jinder Mahal's time as WWE Champion. It's not like you've ever been WWE Champion. So, maybe don't say what you want.
