10 Big Questions About Jinder Mahal As WWE Champion
8. Will Monday Night Raw Steal SmackDown Live!'s Momentum?
Since the reimagined 2016 Draft, SmackDown Live! has routinely been referred to as the 'Land of Opportunity' by authority figures Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan.
The thinking actually plays off an old vision Paul Heyman held for the blue brand during his time as head writer of the 'B-show' back in 2002. In the original incarnation of the Brand Extension, Raw was again positioned as the company's priority show, but Heyman used it as a stick to beat his Monday counterparts with. Presenting it as the night for gaga instead of quality action he utilised his knack for promoting skilled wrestlers oh his show, crafting a 'Smackdown Six' crew of talent as the backbone supporting WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and established superstars such as The Undertaker and The Big Show.
As a natural successor as an authority figure, Daniel Bryan was the first to suggest that the grass was greener on the blue side, with AJ Styles recently going as far as to yell 'Smackdown makes 'em and Raw takes 'em' during a post-'Shake-up' edition of Talking Smack.
Jinder has been the latest advert for the opportunistic concept, but his push strays from the previous formula. Less of a fan favourite and more a McMahon choice, Mahal's rise doesn't replicate the Eddie Guerrero or AJ Styles rises of old, which could for the first time instead steer fans looking for true growth to the trajectories of Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman and Finn Balor on Monday Nights.