5 Smackdown Superstars who would be a better champion than Jinder Mahal

I think most people can agree that, for one reason or another, Jinder Mahal has been a weak WWE champion.

Elevated beyond a position for which he was ready, the spotlight of the main event has exposed Mahal's weaknesses manifold, while the booking that has surrounded him has reinforced that fragility, providing the audiences with unmemorable feuds with skilled and veteran performers that have actually damaged the credibility of the people involved.

While it doesn't look like Mahal will be dethroned for some time, let's take a look at 5 wrestlers on Smackdown that could replace him and provide us a better example of what we expect from a WWE champion.

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#5 Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode's current run on Smackdown may seem a little stalled at the moment, but there's no denying his pedigree, as both a performer in TNA for years, and his run as a loathsome heel on WWE's developmental brand NXT.

Roode is a safe bet for the kind of easily hateable persona that Jinder Mahal is unable to manufacture, while also being a good hand in the ring.

#4 Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura

An unlikely choice for champion at the moment, especially since his damaging feud with Mahal for the past few months and a general malaise after his promotion to the main brand from NXT, Nakamura still possesses enormous charisma and a capacity to thrill a crowd in the ring.

His mic skills in English may be primitive and stilted, but in the hands of someone as talented as he is, it somehow fits in a strange and enigmatic way.

The bonus effect of having someone relatively uncomfortable in promos would also mean no 20-minute talking segments that feel like they last an hour, with Nakamura letting his Kinshasa do most of the talking for him.

#3 Xavier Woods

Xavier Woods

The New Day have been a constant delight since their formation in 2014, providing the audience with a much-needed dash of fun into proceedings, whilst also managing to keep the gimmick relatively fresh.

Their feud with The Uso's was overextended, but the skill of the people involved ensured that both tag-teams were put over by the programme and enlivened a moribund tag-team division.

Xavier Woods as Smackdown champion would see The New Day get involved in the main event scene, feuding with the likes of Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, giving the group a fresh set of targets and new impetus at a higher level than ever before.

#2 Kevin Owens

Former US Champion, Kevin Owens

There's no denying that Kevin Owens has been a brilliant performer since his debut in the WWE. His initial run in NXT proved his worth to the company, but his work on Raw and Smackdown has shown that a larger audience is able to accept Owens too.

Whilst he's been rightly given a large amount of the spotlight this past year, with an incredible run with Chris Jericho, it seems odd that Owens has yet to be rewarded with carrying the brand.

I expect his teaming with Sami Zayn to elevate him even further and it's possible we could see Owens finally take his spot at the top next year, with mouth-watering feuds on the horizon.

#1 AJ Styles

AJ Styles

AJ Styles is a complete performer. Comfortable on the microphone as well as an outstanding performer in the ring, Styles has everything one would need to succeed at the highest level in the WWE.

With only his age as a deterrent for an extended run with the championship (he's 40), Styles is someone who absolutely must occupy the top spot in the next year or so to maximize his value to the company whilst also elevating the championship.

What's even better is that the "Phenomenal One" can work as both a face or heel, providing the WWE enormous latitude for opponents and challengers to his belt and whether it's Kevin Owens or Shinsuke Nakamura, either cheering or booing him, both are potential feuds that the audience would love to see.