10 Superstars WWE Tried To Push In 2017 (But Failed Miserably)
2. Jinder Mahal
To his credit, Jinder Mahal is in a much better place now than he was this time one year ago. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that, for all intents and purposes, his six-month WWE Championship run was a massive flop.
Mahal wasn't that exciting of a performer to begin with, but he could have been a fine fit as United States champion, had the company gradually pushed him. Instead, they thrust him into the main event spotlight and had him win the WWE title within a month without any build-up whatsoever.
It would have been one thing if he took to the role over time, but he simply never clicked as a top-tier talent, and constantly felt out of place when sharing the ring with the likes of Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles. It didn't help that his matches with the aforementioned individuals ranged from mediocre to downright deplorable. Thus, it was no wonder WWE cut his championship reign short on a random episode of SmackDown Live in November.
Perhaps he will have better luck with this tournament for the vacant United States Championship coming into 2018.