What’s the story?
It has been a rough few weeks for Jinder Mahal, and despite a change of scenery, the defeats continue to pile up for the SmackDown Live Superstar. Mahal has been featured prominently on WWE TV in 2017, but two of his recent defeats can arguably be put down to the interference of NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski has interfered in matches on SmackDown Live and even at WrestleMania 33, and Jinder is now calling for the Gronk to be banned from future WWE live events.
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Jinder Mahal made it to the final two of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 and seemed to have the match under control when he decided to throw a drink over Rob Gronkowski at ringside.
This led to Gronk getting involved and hitting Mahal with a running tackle, allowing Gronkowski’s friend Mojo Rawley to eliminate him and take home the memorial trophy.
Mahal and Gronkowski’s problems continued this week on SmackDown Live, when the New England Patriots’ tight-end enticed Mahal out of the ring and dumped a drink over him, allowing Rawley to once again take advantage and pick up the victory.
The heart of the matter
Following SmackDown Live, Jinder appeared on Talking Smack to vent his frustrations with the NFL Superstar. Mahal asked SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon why Gronkowski wasn’t banned from WWE events, following his interference.
On the surface of things, it would appear that Mahal has a point, as fans getting involved in the action is a huge no-no.
Shane McMahon was largely unsympathetic to Mahal’s complaints, however, questioning the reasons behind Jinder even bothering to get involved with Gronkowski. Shane asked Jinder why he left the ring in the first place, and whilst he sated the Maharaja by saying he would look into the complaints, Gronkowski is unlikely to be banned from ringside anytime soon.
Will Gronkowski continue to show up at WWE events and get involved in Jinder’s business? With Mahal now on the same show as Gronk’s buddy Mojo Rawley, it is very likely that he will.
What’s next?
Shane McMahon may have told Jinder that the company will look into his complaints but the mainstream media attention garnered by the SuperBowl winning tight end’s appearances pretty much guarantees that we’ll see more of Gronkowski in the coming weeks.
Mojo Rawley is seemingly in line for a big push in the wake of winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and his association with the popular Gronkowski may be key to his success.
Author’s take
Do I want to see American Football players making professional wrestlers look silly on WWE TV? Certainly not.
Do I understand why WWE is running this program? Of course. Gronkowski is a household name in American sports, and one thing Vince McMahon and WWE loves is mainstream attention. The more Gronk is involved, the more column inches the promotion will get in major sports news outlets around the country.
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