Jinder Mahal Shocks Randy Orton On SmackDown

05/09/2017 10:07 pm EDT

Jinder Mahal's ascent towards the top of the WWE continued tonight on SmackDown Live as he picked up a huge victory, pinning Champion, Randy Orton in the middle of the ring.

Orton, Sami Zayn, and AJ Styles took on the team of Mahal, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin, but it was Mahal hitting his new Cobra Clutch Slam on Orton that gave the number one contender the shockingly clean victory in London.

With 12 days left until his first ever WWE Championship opportunity at WWE Backlash, Mahal has solidified his position as a serious contender for The Viper's Championship. But the question remains - will WWE pull the trigger on a Jinder title reign only one month after he was elevated from perennial jobber status?

SmackDown has billed itself as the land of opportunity and AJ Styles recently told Talking Smack that SD Live was famous for "making stars" while Raw could only "take them."

Does Jinder need to defeat Orton at Backlash to complete his transformation into a bonafide star or will being in the main event be enough?

Mahal has certainly looked every bit the part of a main eventer in the last few weeks and his pairing with The Singh Brothers has given him a new air of importance. He looks like a leader. He looks like a champion. His new finisher is even cool.

Was Mahal's shocking victory over Orton a sign of things to come or just a red herring?

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