One of the biggest decisions WWE made this year saw the company pull the trigger on a WWE Championship run for Jinder Mahal.
It’s a decision which shocked many, as Mahal was brought back to the company last year after being released a few years earlier where his time as the butt of the jokes as part of 3MB suggested they’d never have a place for him again.
WWE CHAMPION
Despite boasting a stacked roster, the brand extension seemed to work in his favour as he was the runner-up in the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal at WrestleMania 33, before The Modern Day Maharaja defeated Randy Orton at Backlash to claim the biggest prize the company has to offer.
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It’s no secret why the decision was made, as the WWE’s expansion plans into India had been well-documented online and some are still confused as to why they put the gold on him right now, as he’s not at the elite level where he can mix it up with the likes of The Viper or even AJ Styles on SmackDown LIVE.
Plus, if rumours are to be believed then he could be having a run in with John Cena too.
However, former WWE star and Hall of Famer Edge revealed on his podcast that he sees a big similarity in Mahal and Orton.
Speaking on E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness alongside Christian, the Rated R Superstar claimed that Mahal is developing in the exact same way that Orton had developed 15 or so years ago, learning from veterans on a weekly basis and claims Mahal continues to show improvement every week.
According to Wrestling Inc, he said: “Here’s what people forget: that was Randy 15 years ago.
“That was Randy working Chris Benoit, teaming with Ric Flair, working against Shawn Michaels and [Chris] Jericho, and teaming with Batista, working against me.
“Like, he was working against guys that were much more experienced in that level on the card and he was thrust into that too. And, obviously, he swam like Michael Phelps with it.
“Anyways, you do see the confidence Jinder is gaining and the small time lapse of trying to think of what to do next instead of going with instinct are starting to happen. That instinct, and timing, and not second-guessing yourself if starting to assimilate in and you can see it happening.”
Edge makes a good point, as Mahal is still relatively young at 30-years-old and has never been involved in a serious programme with the top guys in the company, until now.
Orton, on the other hand, was destined for success straight away and worked with the massive names right off the bat, so maybe fans need to give Mahal a little more time to impress before judging.
What do you make of Edge’s remarks on Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the fourth episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link: https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-money-in-the-bank-fallout
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