12 Ups And 15 Downs For WWE In 2017 (2nd Opinion)

1. Jinder Hinders World Title Scene

On one hand, you have to give kudos to WWE for trying something completely different in elevating someone new.

On the other hand, you have everything else in the universe against that decision.

As recently as April, Jinder Mahal was a jobber extraordinaire, losing to Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and Mojo Rawley, all in three minutes or less. And then suddenly, Mahal won a multi-man #1 contender’s match and was off to the races. Jinder defeated Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura at five straight PPVs, all with outside interference or distractions from the Singh Brothers.

Along the way, Mahal was widely panned by fans and critics alike. His matches were dull and formulaic. His promos were bland and uninspiring.

But it was all an effort to tap into the Indian market, and its 1.3 billion residents. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out how WWE anticpated (with the Indian tour being pared back to just one show), making Jinder’s six-month title reign an even bigger flop.

If the Indian outreach had worked well, this could almost be forgiven. But no such luck.