Update On WWE's Plans For Jinder Mahal - Is He Getting World Title Run?
Is there gold in the unlikely title contender's future?
Jinder Mahal is one of the unlikeliest number one contenders in WWE history, but there's a reason behind his sudden ascension. According to F4WOnline.com, Mahal's push is a product of WWE's desire to expand in India, and they hope his WWE Title shot will promote growth in a potentially huge market.
WWE currently have more social media followers in India than anywhere else, and India is third in the world for TV rights fees. Despite this, WWE aren't currently making a lot of money in the country, and hope Jinder's push will help them cash-in on their immense popularity.
There's no word on whether or not Jinder will unseat WWE Champion Randy Orton, but Dave Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE are looking to build a stable with Mahal and The Singh Brothers (Bollywood Boyz), who aided Jinder's victory last week. NXT wrestlers Jeet Rama and Kishan Raftar could also be involved, as The Singhs accompanied Rama to the ring during an NXT dark match last week.
Meltzer has also stated that WWE's long-term plan is to establish Baron Corbin as SmackDown's top heel, so Mahal could just be a speed bump for Orton. Regardless, his push will continue until Backlash on May 21st.