Once again Team SLTD have gotten together to give our thoughts on who we think will come out victorious at Backlash this Sunday. Will it be the WWE Champion Randy Orton or will Jinder Mahal become the new champion?
We all give our thoughts below, let us know in the comments below who you think will win!
@ZacJones_SK (Five Good Five Bad)
While Jinder Mahal becoming WWE Champion does seem like a very WWE thing to do, surely there not going to have him win at Backlash. Smackdown have had their lowest ratings of the year recently and that has to be in part to Jinder being in the main event scene.
I don’t think Mahal has impressed anywhere near enough to deserve a Title run and surely Orton will retain this Sunday.
Surely…right?
@TownNation (The Fox Files)
So, whoever thought Jinder Mahal would become #1 contender for the WWE Title… And I do actually think he will win the belt! Here me out….
Randy Orton as a face, is very, VERY stale. I honestly think because he has had the same character for SO long, it just doesn’t work with today’s product.
However, Jinder Mahal, especially since his return, has been absolutely fantastic. He represents 1.2 billion people in the Indian market, and that’s bigger than the American market! Also, they’ve debuted a new show in India, so Jinder Mahal could become champion to promote that show even more. Jinder becoming WWE Champion would be something new, different and fresh.
So yes, Jinder Mahal is my prediction to become new WWE Champion
@callumowen98 (Facebook Manager)
At first I was actually enjoying this feud, the unpredictable nature of Jinder being #1 contender was a shock to say the least. However the fact that I’m not a Jinder or Orton fan, I’ll likely skip this match if I decide not to watch Backlash live. I anticipate Orton to retain and Jinder can go back to jobbing to Mojo Rawley. As for Orton, I hope he turns heel, as I find him incredibly dull as a face, he can then feud with AJ Styles over the summer period, who will hopefully take the title back off the viper.
@TomRobinson5199 (Armbar Analysis)
Randy Orton wins. He must. WWE can’t look a the last few shows, with ratings plummeting to new lows with Jinder Mahal being the focus, and expect things to be different when he’s champion. Randy Orton wins
@BigMatchSully (Monster Match Sully )
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m super jazzed for this match! On paper, it looks as if Mahal is simply a transitional heel for Orton to face until he has a ‘big name’ opponent. However, I believe if WWE are willing to take a risk, Mahal would be a great WWE Champion (certainly better than Yokozuana…)
Mahal may not be the greatest wrestler in the world, but he’s shown recently that he has a real fire and passion. And to be honest Orton doesn’t need the title to be a draw. Much like Cena and Lesnar he’s an ‘above title’ figure. Giving the title to Mahal would perhaps give WWE a fresh feel, not to mention how well it’d go over in India (WWE’s 3rd largest source of TV revenue).
The match itself this Sunday won’t be match of the night (on a night where we see Styles v Owens, nothing else could be… maybe Maven v Taker…). However, both men work at a similar pace, and a combination of Randy’s veteran skill and Mahal’s passion (and the flair of the Bollywood Boyz) this could certainly be a fun match at the very least.
*I preface my opinion on wanting Mahal to win being slightly biased due to my Punjabi heritage.
@ColinHebert614 (The Curtain Jerker)
It came as a bit of a shock to me that Jinder Mahal of all people won the right to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Since the brand split, Finn Balor has won more matches than Jinder and he spent 7 months on the injured list. However, with Randy Orton sort of sputtering as champion and Rusev, Mahal’s former tag team partner awaiting a WWE Championship match at Money In The Bank, Mahal will win the WWE Championship with Rusev’s help. Rusev will then come out and say he did it because he thought Mahal would be the easier of the 2 to beat and that will be their story heading into the next SmackDown Live! pay-per-view.
@Tybo_SLTD (Tybo Talks)
I think the general consensus was shock when Jinder became the number one contender for the WWE Championship, with me included. But over the last few weeks Mahal has really shown that he can be a main even player. He has become a legit threat to Orton’s championship. Now, honestly I don’t think WWE are going to pull the trigger on Mahal being the Champion but if they did in the future I wouldn’t hate it. Jinder has shown that with the right sort of push, gimmick and promos behind you, anyone can be a main event star. I hope this continues with more mid-carders getting the chance to step up and show their worth.
@thekantastic (Kantastic Wrestletalk Korner)
Mahal is still a mid-card wrestler and it would be an extreme upset…unless WWE doesn’t think featuring Jinder on these past few weeks isn’t doing enough for their marketing push into India…putting title on Mahal would be first time an Indian wrestler has held a heavyweight championship in WWE since the Great Khali
Do you agree with #TeamSLTD thoughts? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @SLTDWrestling
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