8 Huge WWE Battleground 2017 Predictions You Need To Know

1. Prison Break

jinder mahal randy orton
WWE.com

At long last devising a way to make a Jinder Mahal/Randy Orton match interesting, the Punjabi Prison was hauled out of WWE's giant storage warehouse for the first time in nearly a decade to give the turgid conflict a last gasp chance to be somewhat entertaining.

Impossible take too seriously due to the inherently silly concept and the unsightly aesthetic, the structure itself loaned a masochistic quality to the matches featuring Undertaker, The Big Show, Batista and The Great Khali that took place in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Playing as much to the inherent silliness of Khali's position in general, it was impossible not to smile wryly at the giants exaggerating their way around the bamboo, and Batista's incredible leap between the inner and outer cage remains a genuine highlight from the laboured brawls.

Ahead of a possible programme with John Cena at SummerSlam, Jinder needs the victory here to cement his place atop SmackDown Live! and get the hell away from Orton. Other than actually dropping the title in their maiden clash, Randy has done little to help elevate Mahal to the fabled next level, but a surprise return of Khali himself to act as a giant heater for Jinder will hopefully see off 'The Viper' and enhance Mahal's overall package substantially ahead of his battle with 'The Champ'.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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