7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (June 30)

2. The Punjabi Prison Match Is Coming Back

LaVar Ball
WWE.com

As presaged by your author - really, anybody with a justly cynical view of WWE and their approach to presenting foreigners - WWE is exhuming possibly the worst gimmick match ever not devised by Vince Russo as a vehicle with which to get Jinder Mahal over. At Battleground, Jinder Mahal is set to defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match.

You just knew it was coming.

Major WWE PPV programmes typically follow a rule of three, with the often unnecessary rubber match afforded a stipulation when not already booked for a gimmick event. Even though Mahal has defeated Orton twice now, a third match must happen, and it must, with Jinder's ethnicity being his major selling point, have something to do with his heritage.

It doesn't matter that the first two matches sucked. It doesn't matter that the double cage structure means actually watching the wrestling match more difficult than it needs to be. It doesn't matter that the double cage structure necessitates climbing sequences of well over two minutes. It doesn't even matter that WWE have lazily hosed down the original structure - that, again, nobody could see through - when it could and should be modified. Jinder Mahal has Indian heritage and this sh*tshow has the word "Punjabi" in it.

The sad irony is that this will probably be the most interesting singles match Orton has had in years.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!