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Jinder Mahal is the WWE Champion.
That's a sentence virtually no one ever expected to read, but "The Maharaja" defeated Randy Orton at Backlash a couple of weeks ago to become one of the most unlikely world champions in WWE history. But for Mahal, now comes the more difficult task of holding onto the title while on a SmackDown show that's loaded with stars who'd like to take it away from him.
Luckily for Mahal, however, he seems to have the backing of WWE management and looks poised to have a much longer run than anyone could have anticipated when he shocked the world at Backlash. Even though many are expecting the surprise WWE Champion to be a transitional one, there are plenty of indications that say otherwise.
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Here are five hints that suggest Jinder Mahal is going to have an extended run with the WWE Championship.
#5 Baron Corbin's push is on hold
nce thought to be SmackDown's "next big thing," Corbin has taken a backseat over the last several weeks, with multiple clean losses to the often poorly-booked Sami Zayn. That's good news for Mahal, who finds himself getting a bigger push now that Corbin's has stalled.
Corbin seems to have settled in as a midcard heel for now, and that's a strong indication that WWE thinks highly of Mahal and will give him every opportunity imaginable to be the blue brand's top heel.
At this point, WWE sees the advantage of pushing Mahal over Corbin, which is Mahal's massive appeal in India.
#4 AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for the United States Championship
Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are two of SmackDown's biggest stars and would seemingly be prime candidates to take the WWE title from Mahal, but they're still in somewhat of a midcard rivalry involving the US title.
Unless a midcard title is being held by someone like John Cena or Roman Reigns, WWE is typically hesitant to have a mid card champion also feud for a world title. Right off the bat, that eliminates both Styles and Owens as potential contenders for the WWE Championship for the foreseeable future.
SmackDown has a rather thin roster, and with Styles and Owens settled in the mid card, Mahal should feel a lot more comfortable with the WWE Championship. After all, WWE seems to be building the US title back up, which means that several potential main eventers who could be challenging Mahal for the title, may be challenging Owens or Styles instead.
#3 No Rusev
Several weeks ago, Rusev made his intentions clear: He wanted a WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank, or he was going to leave WWE.
Rusev promised he was heading to SmackDown to have a confrontation with the show's commissioner, Shane McMahon. But he didn't show up. He said once again he'd be there the following week to go face-to-face with Shane-O-Mac. But again, he didn't show up.
It's become very apparent that the plans WWE had for Rusev entering the title picture have changed, and in all likelihood, it's Mahal who took the spot that was once reserved for "The Bulgarian Brute." Though it isn't clear why WWE seems to have dropped its major plans for Rusev, it certainly looks like Mahal is the one who is benefiting from it.
If Rusev, a former tag team partner of Mahal, were to show up, then perhaps Mahal may have something to worry about. But with Rusev nowhere to be found, Mahal can rest assured that his title is safe for the immediate future.
- #2 A lack of potential challengers
On paper, Mahal has plenty of potential challengers. In reality? Not so much.
Most of Mahal's possible No. 1 contenders will be competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match for the coveted briefcase, so it's likely that the soonest Mahal will have a challenger not named Randy Orton is at Battleground in July. Another potential challenger for Mahal is John Cena, but he isn't expected to be back for good until July either.
That leaves Mahal with very few realistic chances to drop the WWE title over the course of the next couple of months, if not longer. In fact, if Mahal can get past Orton at Money in the Bank like most expect him to, then it could be smooth sailing for him until SummerSlam.
In other words, WWE is clearing the path for Mahal to hold the title for much longer than any of the other four WWE champions in 2017 held it.
#1 There are no indications Randy Orton will win it back
Randy Orton quite simply isn't in a position to win the WWE title again.
When he won it at WrestleMania 33, his victory was an important part of a lengthy rivalry with Bray Wyatt. But once Wyatt was moved to Raw in the "Superstar Shakeup," Orton seemed to lose his motivation to hold onto the title, which has basically become a prop rather than a pivotal piece of a major storyline.
Throw in the fact that Orton is already a 13-time WWE Champion, and it's clear that WWE doesn't really need to put the title back on him already. He is not at a point in his career where he has to have the WWE title, which bodes well for Mahal because holding the belt fits his heel character so well.
If this were six or seven years ago when Orton was at his peak, maybe he'd beat Mahal for it. But how many Superstars win back their title in their first rematch after losing it? That's a rarity, and judging by what we've seen in recent weeks, Orton won't be the exception to that rule.
