8 New Directions For WWE Champion Jinder Mahal
4. Go All-In On The Indian Expansion
One of the most common takes on Jinder Mahal's sudden push is that WWE are seeking to exploit the potentially huge Indian wrestling market by crowning a native champion. The company themselves all but confirmed this as part of their Q1 2017 earnings conference call, and it makes sense. Though Mahal is Canadian by birth, he is of Punjabi descent, and speaks the language. Thus, he is the ideal man to front such an expansion, and making him WWE Champion gives the company the impetus to go all-in.
A recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that India is WWE's best social media market, and their third biggest in terms of television viewership, but merch sales and Network subscriptions are low. Theoretically, WWE can now place Jinder at the heart of a marketing campaign aimed at attracting new Network customers, and give the new champion his own line of t-shirts and other merchandise, thus tapping into two new revenue streams.
WWE are still at the early stages of capitalising upon the Indian market, and while installing Mahal as champion isn't an overnight fix, it's a logical first building block. This would, however, require a lengthy spell on top, as if Jinder loses the belt within the next few weeks, he becomes much less valuable as a marketing tool.