The WWE Championship reign of Jinder Mahal came as somewhat of a surprise to many members of the WWE Universe.

While Mahal is yet to be tested against anyone other than Randy Orton, the modern day Maharaja has certainly won over some early critics while he has had the belt.

More than one mans idea

Mahal has had an interesting title reign and firmly established himself as one of the top heel characters on Smackdown Live.

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Rather than being the comedic relief character he was in 3MB several years ago or being the irrelevant character that led to his release from the company, Mahal is now holding a lot of interest around him.

Mahal has undergone a dramatic character shift since returning to WWE following last year's WWE Draft.

The modern day Maharaja himself has been discussing his current character and has made the claim that creative control for his character belongs to himself.

Speaking to The Times of India, Mahal claimed:

"I do have creative control, but also Vince gives advice and ideas and I take them."

Still giving credit for his character to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Mahal explained who decides what is next for the WWE Champion.

The idea for Mahal moving forward is somewhat unclear, but with him set to face Orton in a Punjabi Prison match on Sunday, his immediate future is something to look forward to.

A decades wait

Sunday's match between Mahal and Orton will end a spell of 10 years since the last Punjabi Prison Match in WWE.

The match has only appeared twice in the company's history and Mahal could be set to become the first superstar of Indian descent to claim victory.

Batista and the undertaker are the other men to have won the match but retaining his title at Battleground will write Mahal's name in the history books.

Mahal brought the Punjabi Prison to Smackdown on Tuesday night and it was quite the sight to behold.