5 Most Interesting Opponents For Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal is YOUR new WWE Champion.

Has it set in yet? I know it’s hard to believe that the former 3 Man Band member is doing something that Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, Jake The Snake and Owen Hart never did, but hey if we cry for long enough about WWE not making new stars then we probably shouldn’t complain when they finally give us one.

And Mahal has looked every bit the star WWE has pushed him to be in the last two months. The former lower mid-carder has picked up impressive wins against both Sami Zayn and AJ Styles in the lead up to his first championship opportunity with Randy Orton.

While it may seem Jinder was destined to be a jobber before he got his new ripped physique, WWE did initially have very high hopes for the Maharaja.

Mahal admitted to becoming complacent after WWE made him a comedy act in 3MB, but after being released, the pride of India (via Canada) dedicated himself to becoming a true WWE superstar.

So where do we go from here? Mahal and his tiny Bollywood bros make quite the interesting heel stable heading into the summer and SmackDown is full of new and interesting opportunities for The Maharaja and his coveted championship.

And if SmackDown Live truly is the ‘land of opportunity’ we’re not just going to give Mahal a summer full of WWE retreads.

Step aside Randy Orton, here are the 5 most interesting opponents for Mahal’s WWE Championship.

5. Luke Harper

It’s Tuesday, you know what that means. 

It means its high time we push Luke Harper into a meaningful storyline with someone not associated with The Wyatt Family. 

Harper as the wild-eyed crazy man would bring back Mankind-esque memories as a contender for Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship. The odd pairing of Mahal’s straight-faced foreign nationalist and Luke Harper’s back woods charm would make for a crazy interesting WWE title feud. 

4. AJ Styles

Obviously, AJ vs anyone on the planet (even you or me), is going to be must see wrasslin’ action. Styles already had a run-in with Jinder before Backlash and would certainly be looking to get his win back. The Phenomenal One could transition nicely out of his program with Kevin Owens into one for the WWE Championship. 

The only fault in this logic is that if Styles doesn’t ultimately capture the US Championship, how would he then be primed to move up the card? 

To that I say Jinder Mahal went from losing 86% of his matches to the number one contender, so anything is possible. 

3. Big E

The New Day are rumored to make their debut tonight on SmackDown. While a tag team showdown with The Usos makes the most sense, E, Woods and Kofi have mentioned wanting to ‘Freebird’ a singles title; meaning that any of the three could defend the Championship. 

On premise, this seems insane and will likely never happen, however, if anyone could pull it off, it would be the New Day. And just imagine how it would affect the group when one of the three ended up losing the belt. 

Either way, I love the idea of Big E leading a charge against Jinder while Xavier and Kofi neutralize the Singh Brothers. 

2. Rusev

There are several reasons Rusev is the perfect foil for Jinder’s Championship run. He’s set for his return. He’s demanded a WWE Championship match. He already has a tumultuous past with Jinder that will lead perfectly into feud. He’ll be so over as a babyface. 

Maybe for once we can not place all the foreigners on one side of the gym and all the ‘Mericans on the other. Maybe Rusev is the hero we need. 

But sometimes the most interesting choice is also the most obvious choice. 

1. John Cena

John Cena will be returning to SmackDown Live sometime next month. The Cenation leader will be returning with one major milestone left on his greatest WWE career ever checklist and that is to break Ric Flair’s record and become the 17 time World Champion.

It would make much more sense for WWE to hold out until WrestleMania 34 for this amazing feat to take place, but if they’re looking to boost their SummerSlam card they could have Jinder and his anti-American rhetoric hold onto the belt until Cena can challenge The Maharaja for a match on a US aircraft carrier with Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger and a bald eagle in his corner.