10 Things WWE Is Still Awesome At
9. Bluster
On the subject of Jinder Mahal - to subvert Good Ol' JR's mantra, there is more sizzle than steak to his act. The bells and whistles tacked onto it aren't limited to his blinding entrance; the commentary team - specifically the much-maligned JBL - also do much to present him as a big deal.
It's easy to criticise JBL. He's a bully. He's more obnoxious as a heel colour commentator than his witty counterpart Corey Graves or hilariously sleazy spiritual predecessor Jerry Lawler, but he's more effective than most are willing to credit him for, even if his tactics are cheap and belligerent. Through the conditioning of repetition, and shouting strangled words at the top of his lungs, JBL has managed to batter us over the head with Mahal's main event positioning and helped to make it comprehendible. There's just something about the way he shouts "modern day MAHARAJA" really loudly that puts him over the top.
There's something facetious in that, but really, it's no less true.
Michael Cole does it too - a constant carny stream of STEP RIGHT UP that works, somehow, even though you're painfully aware that you're a rube falling for something that probably isn't worth the money.