WWE fans were shocked this past weekend by the company's decision to make Jinder Mahal the face of SmackDown Live moving forward.

On Sunday, The Maharaja defeated Randy Orton to win the WWE championship at Backlash much to the surprise of many fans watching the match live in the arena and watching from home.

It has been a big talking point amongst fans over the past couple of weeks as they decide whether or not it was the right decision for WWE to place the title on him in order to, according to reports, boost their reach to fans in India.

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The conclusion to that talking point won't come for at least another couple of months or until the end of Mahal's title reign but in the meantime, WWE officials, including Vince McMahon are said to be very happy with how the main event of Backlash turned out.

During an interview with Sportskeeda, Mahal said the backstage reaction to his WWE championship was very good. He also said Vince is very happy with him because of the work he has put in.

Jinder said: “The backstage reaction has been very good. Vince was very happy. He was really proud of me because Vince knows how much work I’ve put in. And, I told Vince, ‘Hey Vince, my goal is to come back every week and improve. Every time you see me perform I’m going to get better on the mic, going to get better in the ring and I’ll be in better shape every week.’

"I think Vince really appreciates that and WWE is a place where they reward hard work and I’m an example of that.”

If you compare pictures from Mahal's previous WWE run with 3MB to what he looks like now, he has definitely put in the work to deserve some sort of push by the company as he has completely transformed his body. He looks like a totally different superstar.

Whether or not he is worthy of a main event push, only time will tell. The Maharaja will defend the WWE title for the first time at Money in the Bank next month against The Viper. By then, we should have a decent indication of how he is performing on the main event stage and how this push is coming along.

Are you happy with Jinder Mahal as WWE champion? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback