Assessing Future Of 10 WWE Stars Who Didn’t Make Royal Rumble 2017 Cut 

The union between Rusev and Jinder Mahal has hardly caught fire lately. Over the past month or so, Mahal has been aligned with the 'Bulgarian Brute' and thus become involved in Rusev's feud with Enzo Amore and Big Cass over the affections of Lana. This has been a bit part role at best.

It's hard to see where WWE can take this tag-team next, as Rusev doesn't need Jinder by his side (he hasn't exactly swung things in his favour) and has been hampered by the association. Without Rusev, Mahal will be another empty vessel drifting aimlessly towards obscurity on the Raw roster.

Getting himself in supreme physical shape hasn't changed how WWE's writers look at Jinder; he's seemingly destined to be mid-card fodder regardless of how hard he works. Even with a broken nose, Rusev was picked for the Rumble field and Mahal was left out in the cold without much of a purpose.

Expect Jinder Mahal to be drafted at first opportunity, only for WWE to realise that shifting him sideways to SmackDown doesn't remedy the fact creative have no fresh ideas for him.