WWE Clash of Champions: 5 potential finishes for AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal

One of the most enticing and interesting things about the AJ Styles and Jinder Mahal feud is that there have been a number of twists and turns, and no clear-cut direction for where they are going. While many believe WWE has moved on from Mahal as champion, the other side is that for a period of six months the Modern Day Maharaja was clearly despised as champion.

For those who have moved on, they are quite pleased and believe that AJ Styles is exactly where he needs to be, and this next match is simply a means of putting this feud behind him and moving on to his next challenge at Royal Rumble.

What will ultimately happen between these two men at the Smackdown Live only pay per view? Who will walk away as the winner? Will Jinder Mahal become the WWE champion for a second time? Here are five potential finishes for the WWE championship match between AJ Styles and Jinder Mahal at Clash of Champions.

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#5 AJ Styles wins clean over Jinder Mahal

Styles could walk away sill as champion and it without having to resort to any underhanded tactics

When AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal in front of a capacity crowd prior to Survivor Series, fans were pleasantly surprised. His win couldn't have been anticipated because the initial plan going into Survivor Series was for Mahal to face Brock Lesnar.

Regardless of what the result of such a match would have been, many WWE fans found the prospect of a Mahal/Lesnar match a little underwhelming, while the alternative, with Styles and Lesnar facing each other, certainly generated a reaction.

When Styles eventually hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Mahal, the ovation he received for returning to the top of the mountain as the WWE champion was huge. One possible ending for this match and feud could see Styles defeat Mahal clean, ultimately ending this rivalry and moving on to face someone else, with the next pay per view event being the Royal Rumble.

#4 Jinder Mahal wins clean and recaptures the championship

Mahal could regain the championship and be able to do it without the aid any outside interference

Given how pleased fans were with the win by Styles, despite interference by the Singh Brothers, they would be incredibly disappointed if Mahal was to recapture the championship. Despite reports that the company has ‘given up' on a Mahal title run, there is no denying the heat he received either in person or on social media. The key to a good heel is to keep fans talking.

Rightly or wrongly, fans spewed a great deal of hate towards Mahal, making clear that they were not happy with him as the WWE champion. As this is the last Smackdown Live pay-per-view of 2017, it would be fitting to have Mahal defeat Styles in a way that solidifies just how well he has been booked over the last six months.

To have him pin Styles in the middle of the ring would certainly turn heads and have fans see him differently going into 2018.

#3 AJ Styles wins via disqualification

Styles could retain simply because Mahal loses sight of what his ultimate goal was if he's frustrated

One way to have Styles walk away victorious without having Mahal take the clean pinfall would be to have it end in a disqualification. As these two have battled each other leading into this matchup, we have seen Mahal completely snap on the Singh Brothers, who stood by and supported him.

So perhaps this match doesn't go in the direction that Mahal wants, he lashes out and thus costs himself the victory.

While it may seem like a careless thing for Mahal to do because he cares so much about being the champion, at any moment anyone is capable of making a bad decision and going in a direction they may not intend.

A scenario could very well play out where Styles hits Mahal with the Phenomenal Forearm, Jinder rolls out of the ring, grabs a chair and attacks Styles, beating him down until the referee calls for the bell.

#2 Jinder Mahal wins via count-out

Mahal could render Styles incapacitated leading to another match at Royal Rumble

Another result rooted in frustration, we could see a scenario where Mahal walks away victorious, but not because he pins Styles, but rather renders him incapacitated. Instead of a referee stoppage, this would be an instance where Styles cannot get back in the ring and is counted out.

While a count out win is rather anticlimactic, it is the build for these two to have a blow-off match at the Royal Rumble.

In Mahal's mind, a count out win would be because AJ ‘intentionally saved himself,' knowing a title cannot change hands-on a count out or a disqualification, Mahal could claim that Styles was a coward and knew very well that he would retain that when the going got tough Styles was a ‘phenomenal chicken.'

Styles would have to be beaten down so badly that he couldn't compete, costing him the match.

#1 AJ Styles retains in a no contest, but new personnel debut alongside Mahal in the process

Could we see the Mahal stable completely reinvented at Clash of Champions?

For example, with the success of the Sanity faction in NXT as a mixed group of men and women, we could see a scenario play out where Kavita Devi and Shadia Bseiso create an all-female fighting squad, showcasing how talented these women are.

Along with them, there could be a debut of Jeet Rama and Kishan Raftar, who have both been with the WWE's Performance Center for over a year and a half. Mahal could easily re-establish himself as a main eventer if he builds an army around him of physically imposing and talented men and women.

Thus, he would ensure he succeeds in the long run, more than when he has been accompanied by the Singh Brothers.