10 Perfect WWE Main Roster Rivalries For Tye Dillinger
4. Jinder Mahal
It might sound ridiculous to frame the recently debuted Dillinger as the next potential #1 contender, but it's equally (if not more) ridiculous that Jinder Mahal is currently WWE Champion. The rules don't apply anymore. The Perfect Ten missed out on earning any titles in NXT, but his current wave of popularity is enough to propel him to glory. Mahal is one of the most contentious choices for a world champion in recent memory, but parachuting the title back to a safe pair of hands like Randy Orton isn't much more interesting. If WWE are going to take creative risks, then why not take a risk on a guy with such incredible crowd support?
It's support that would only get more vocal if Dillinger was the one chosen to knock off The Maharaja. Even if he didn't win the gold, the momentum of a main event push like that would cement Dillinger as a top contender for a long time. WWE love to throw around phrases like 'land of opportunity' and 'grabbing the brass ring', and there's very few other wrestlers in the company who maximised their minutes in 2016 like Dillinger did. If superstars lower down the totem pole are now eligible to win #1 contendership, then Tye Dillinger should be the first in line.
Mahal's character is still pretty ill-defined, but one of his strongest traits is his arrogant disrespect towards the WWE Universe. For maximum storyline investment, his next opponent should be a people's hero, somebody who fights on behalf of the fans. There's few currently better suited to that role than Tye Dillinger. WWE struggles to get the fans to cheer the heroes and boo the villains – pitting Dillinger against Mahal with gold on the line is a surefire way to remedy that.