It was quite surprising to witness an impromptu championship match getting announced for the next edition of Smackdown Live.
We did not have any clues about this fallout from Jinder Mahal’s attack on AJ Styles which is said to be the reason behind this title bout. The Phenomenal One will get to challenge the champion for his title, as a result.
It will serve as a big treat for the show to be hosted in Manchester. WWE.com posted the following regarding the upcoming championship match,
“AJ Styles will challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship this Tuesday on SmackDown Live from Manchester, England, in a bout that has major Survivor Series implications. SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon made the announcement on Twitter Thursday afternoon, as a result of Mahal’s savage attack on Styles this past Tuesday.”
Due to @JinderMahal vicious attack on @AJStylesOrg, he will defend the #WWEChampionship against AJ this Tues. in Manchester, UK on #SDLive.
— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) November 2, 2017
Now, this announcement has put the WWE Championship on the line as well as the main event of Survivor Series in quite a jeopardy. For now, the match champion vs champion match between Jinder Mahal and Brock Lesnar is confirmed. But, if AJ wins the title match then the card is likely to be changed.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave some interesting notes, as to why the match might have been announced alongside the potential outcome. Jinder Mahal might be dealing with an injury for quite sometimes. Hence, the title will be taken away from him to give him some time off.
What does the Modern Day Maharaja have to say about @ShaneMcMahon’s HUGE announcement for #SDLive?!@JinderMahal @SinghBrosWWE pic.twitter.com/H1SJ9Sc4nn
— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2017
The officials want him to be a 100 percent during the WWE Live in India. Hence, keeping him off for one month will get him some needed rest. Another reason behind this match is that WWE wants to change the match card of Survivor Series. A title change will ensure a match between Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles which is bound to garner attention from the WWE Universe. It will be a ‘one of a kind match’ of this generation.
Furthermore, if Jinder Mahal retains the title, then the sudden announcement might be due to Vince McMahon’s panic over last week’s Smackdown ratings which was an all-time low, since June. This title match might give some boost to the ratings.