Jinder Mahal pulled off the shocker of the century, last night by defeating Randy Orton. It was true that Mahal was getting a big push but nobody would have thought that he would pick up the WWE championship this early.
Also, in the process of winning his maiden championship in the WWE, he has defeated none other than the Apex Predator of the WWE, the 13-time WWE champion. The thunderous reaction of the crowd has made the night even more worth to remember, for sure as the Backlash PPV turned out to be yet another successful one.
Now, as per the initial reports, Jinder Mahal was not supposed to be the new WWE champion, at all. Orton is always considered to be Vince McMahon’s guy and was supposed to continue his championship reign for a longer span. There was no way that he was about to drop it before Summerslam.
But, the plans were abruptly changed hours before Backlash PPV kicked off. As per reports from SportsKeeda, it was a last minute decision to crown Jinder Mahal with the most coveted gold present in the WWE.
Previously, even prior to the last episode of Smackdown Live, Randy Orton was supposed to continue his title reign. As per the advertisements on that night, Rusev was about to show up demanding a WWE championship opportunity to the show-runners.
However, without clarifying any reason, he was called off from the show. Later, he stated that he was watching an NFL match that barred him from appearing. It was just a kayfabe story to make up the changed plans.
The head writer for Smackdown Live decided to keep aside the upcoming Orton vs. Rusev feud for the Money in the Bank PPV. With the good reactions that Jinder is getting, he decided to stretch the ongoing storyline till the next Smackdown-exclusive PPV.
Meanwhile, the push towards Rusev will be kept intact since now he will be given an opportunity to win the Money in the Bank briefcase. He is already favourite to win it, this year. This Tuesday is supposed to mark his return to WWE TV following the shoulder surgery whereas the Maharaja is supposed to get a championship coronation.