'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Purportedly as part of an effort to make Survivor Series better, Vince McMahon finally pulled the plug on Jinder Mahal's WWE Championship reign and placed the title on AJ Styles during this week's SmackDown, to the delight of the Manchester crowd in attendance. This sets up a dream match with Brock Lesnar that could be great depending on if "The Beast Incarnate" is motivated.
But after Survivor Series, the euphoria is likely to end. WWE embarks on a tour of India in December and Jinder Mahal was always scheduled to be one of its headliners. He's also purportedly being advertised there as a two-time WWE Champion. So chances are, Jinder Mahal will win the title back shortly after Survivor Series.
Though I might be fighting against the tide in saying this, Jinder Mahal should absolutely not get a second reign. Here are the reasons why.
# Network subscriptions in India haven't increased
Jinder's title reign came primarily as part of an effort to increase WWE's presence in India. Yet in Q2, Network subscriptions only grew by 0.3% internationally, showing at best, no big effect for Jinder Mahal in India. Numbers declined from Q2 to Q3 (but are up year over year). There are even indications that Network subscriptions are down in India during his reign. And even though there are big TV distribution deals in India on the way, they won't come until 2019, and Jinder Mahal likely has nothing to do with them.
In other words, the anticipated gains for Jinder Mahal's push have failed to materialize. It hasn't been a short experiment either, at least by modern standards. Jinder Mahal's reign was the fourth longest of the 2010's, behind CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and Seth Rollins.
If the purported gains had materialized, perhaps the price would be worth it, but after 170 days, there was no evidence of this happening. Without it, the price has been far too steep, which brings us to the next point.
#2 The quality of SmackDown has declined considerably
It's indisputable that in the post-Attitude Era, WWE is a cyclical business. September to January are WWE's winter months. Even with AJ Styles at the helm last year, this didn't change. And yet, most of Jinder's reign came outside of those months, where average live attendance has continued to decline. SmackDown, in particular, has become notorious for low attendances this year, infamously only drawing 4,000 in Las Vegas with Vince McMahon in attendance.
And even though last week was Halloween and also featured a World Series game, the low SmackDown rating seemed to spook Vince enough to want to make a drastic change.
Ever since the Superstar Shakeup, SmackDown has been a mess with only a few bright spots. Jinder Mahal isn't entirely responsible for that, but he's been a big part of it. If the main event is poor, the rest of the show loses a major chunk of its appeal.
If SmackDown wants to retool for next year and become a better show, starting the change at the top of the card is a good idea, which brings us to the last point.
#1 SmackDown cannot afford to go into WrestleMania with Jinder Mahal as champion
Say what you will about Brock Lesnar, but part-timer or not, he's elevated the Universal Championship. Coming off of Kevin Owens' mediocre 2016 reign, Brock has made the championship and the feuds over it feel like a big deal. Jinder Mahal's feuds, on the other hand, have all been forgettable at best, awful at worst. To seemingly prove how little faith WWE had in him, most of his matches haven't even been in the main event spot on the card, except for Battleground, and we all know how that went.
With a Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns main event that few people seem genuinely excited about and a series of underwhelming matches seemingly developing elsewhere, sending Jinder Mahal into WrestleMania 34 as WWE Champion could well be the kiss of death for next year's Show of Shows. Why should SmackDown choose to do such a thing with a potential mega clash between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura in the cards? Or if not that, some other anticipated matchup? AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton, for example. And if John Cena must break Ric Flair's record at WrestleMania next year, few would mind another barn burner with AJ Styles.
Point being, the potentialities for excellent WrestleMania matches with AJ Styles as champion are numerous. If Jinder Mahal takes Styles' place in New Orleans, a disastrous match is guaranteed. Why do something other than your best at your biggest show?
WWE has experimented with Jinder Mahal for too long. It's time to pull the plug permanently. He doesn't deserve a second reign and definitely doesn't deserve to be in a world title match at the biggest show of the year. Perhaps that's harsh on the guy, as outside the ring he's been nothing but a good ambassador for the company, but results speak for themselves.
