The Complete A-Z Of Wrestling In 2017

17. J - Jinder Mahal

The Shield Paige
WWE.com

WWE's highest level full-timer for a unfeasibly large portion of 2017, Jinder Mahal presumably first grabbed Vince McMahon's attention when he got...unfeasibly large following his unspectacular 2016 return. Even he couldn't have imagined the perks his peaks would grant him.

Jobbing twice in the week he was shunted from Raw to SmackDown Live!, Mahal rebounded by becoming Number One Contender then Champion in a six-week period. It was an admirable zero-to-hero attempt from the company despite reeking of the desperation at its root, but when matches failed to improve and promos somehow got worse, the joke was no longer a laughing matter.

Not that the Singh Brothers knew as they literally rolled around on the floor whilst Mahal's braindead villain persona took racist potshots at Shinsuke Nakamura before winning the feud against him.

Not since Bret Hart liberated the WWE Title from Yokozuna have fans been so relieved to see a foreign heel vanquished, but at least Yoko was a hell of a wrestler. AJ Styles' November win over Jinder was a victory for the entire art-form.

And from the ridiculous to the sublime...

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