WWE fans around the world were thrilled last week when A.J. Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to win the WWE Championship on the Nov. 7 episode of SmackDown Live.
Not only did it mean one of the most beloved stars on the roster was once again world champion, but it mean he’d replace Mahal in Sunday’s Survivor Series champion versus champion match against Brock Lesnar.
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But not everybody was happy about the switch. WWE Hall of Famer and Raw commentator Booker T voiced his displeasure of the upcoming Styles/Lesnar match on his podcast, Heated Discussions.
“As far as A.J. Styles-Brock Lesnar; I don’t like that matchup,” Booker said. “I don’t like that matchup. You know, Brock Lesnar is a beast. We know A.J. Styles, they don’t call him the ‘Phenomenal One’ for nothing… the guy is actually that good. But to step up to Brock Lesnar’s level, it’s almost like a middleweight going up against a heavyweight. A heavyweight that can move like a middleweight. So, that’s why I don’t like the balance of that one right there.”
Booker said he’d much rather have Mahal face Brock. Despite holding the title for 170 days, many fans panned “Modern-Day Maharaja” for sub par matches with the likes of Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura. But the five-time WCW Champion doesn’t see it that way.
“I think Jinder Mahal has had a great run,” Booker said. “I think Jinder Mahal has brought legitimacy to the championship. I think with Jinder Mahal as champion, people look at the WWE Championship now as, you know, we’ve got to get the title off this guy. It’s almost like that Iron Sheik when he had it back in the day, and Hogan had to get it off of him. Drop the big leg drop, bring America the title back home. I like this dynamic. It’s almost like when Sgt. Slaughter had his heel run. People hated him. I love it. This is professional wrestling, what he’s doing… Jinder Mahal has done a great job, and I think he’s been a great champion.”
Styles and Lesnar will meet this Sunday at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Meanwhile, Mahal is set to take on Triple H at an upcoming supershow in New Delhi, India on Dec. 9.
