10 WWE Predictions We All Got Completely Wrong In 2017

9. Randy Orton Will Defeat Jinder Mahal

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WWE

Jinder Mahal becoming Number One Contender to Randy Orton's WWE Title capped off what had, up to that point, probably been the two most bizarre weeks of his career. And it was about to get even weirder.

'The Modern Day Maharaja' arrived on SmackDown Live! via April's 'Superstar Shake-up', having lost a routine squash to recent returnee Finn Bálor on his final night on the red brand. He assumed identical duties on his Team Blue debut, falling to Mojo Rawley in a WrestleMania Andre The Giant Battle Royal retread.

Mahal travelled from the gutter to the stars in seven days though, surviving another multi-man match to become Randy Orton's newest challenger. Those most in shock then composed themselves enough to look at his bulging physique as a vascular reason for the push, but his theft of Randy's title in the weeks that followed seemingly foreshadowed him not claiming permanent ownership of it.

May's Backlash arrived, and he only went and actually won it. Even up to the day of the show following breaking news that WWE would again attempt to further monetise a growing Indian market, few dared to think the unthinkable.

But how right those few were. And how wrong the whole thing was.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett