Jinder Mahal finally had his first real test as WWE Champion at the Money in the Bank event when Randy Orton was given his rematch.The WWE Universe were left stunned at the Backlash pay-per-view when The Modern Day Maharaja somehow dethroned The Viper to claim the top prize in the company, something not many believed would have ever happened to a man who was once the butt of the jokes in 3MB alongside Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre.
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
The expansion into India played an integral role in Mahal finding himself in this position, and it was once claimed that this was an experiment by WWE officials to see how Mahal can handle being the champion – and if that was a test then he seems to have passed as he successfully retained his championship in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
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The match itself was almost identical to what we saw at Backlash in their first outing, with Orton showing why he’s still a top star by having his way with Mahal; although the champion did get plenty of offence throughout the match.
As expected, the slimy Singh Brothers played a big part in the outcome of the contest, as it looked like Orton was going to become the new WWE Champion, but only for Sunil and Samir to help Mahal by putting his foot on the ropes.
As the referee’s kicked them out from ringside, that’s when things went awry.
SUCCESSFUL DEFENCE
A lot was made of the fact that several legends were in attendance on the front row, ranging from Ric Flair to Sgt. Slaughter – while Cowboy Bob Orton was also there to watch his son try and become champion once again.
The team formerly known as the Bollywood Boyz decided to grab him before Orton snapped and threw them from pillar to post at ringside, while sending one through the announcer’s desk with a vicious RKO.
After recovering at ringside, Orton went back to Mahal to finish off the job but it was almost déjà vu from one month ago where Mahal managed to counter his strike, and connected with the Khallas to pick up the ring, as he wasn’t even featured in the match during the most entertaining part.
While it wasn’t the most convincing performance from Mahal, it’s clear that WWE still has enough faith in him to remain as the WWE Champion with a potentially a new contender shortly emerging.
It wasn't a great night for Orton, though, losing in his hometown in front of his Dad on Father's Day is almost the worst night imaginable.
What did you make of the finish to the match? 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
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