5 things that could happen on SmackDown Live after Royal Rumble 2018

#2 Jinder Mahal is announced as Bobby Roode’s first US Title challenger

roode spinebuster — Bobby Roode nails Jinder Mahal with a spinebuster this week on SD Live

I don’t know if he will win a match to earn the title opportunity or if he’ll just complain about being forced to wrestle two matches in one night while being unprepared to do so, but Mahal is likely to be the first challenger for Roode’s new title.

Unlike many people, I actually enjoyed their match last week in the tournament final, and I would be open to seeing a rematch. As long as Roode retains the gold, I’m cool with him getting a strong win over a (somewhat) credible opponent before he gears up to defend his title at WrestleMania, against Rusev, hopefully.

About the author

I got my first big break writing for 411Mania back in 2004. I did a small spot in a big weekly piece that was written by one of the site's top writers. I quickly added the duty of being the live recapper for episodes of SmackDown, and in 2005 was given my own weekly column, which I did for a few years. I gave up writing (mostly) to start a family but got back into it, still at 411, a little over 3 years later. For another couple of years, I wrote 2-3 columns per week for the website before finding paid work elsewhere, and eventually wound up at SportsKeeda.

I am also the co-founder of the RBR: Weekly Wrestling Talk podcast, which started in the summer of 2005 and is still going strong today, almost 15 years later. Due to school, work, and family commitments, I left the team in 2011 but still remain a part of the family.

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Edited by Shruti Sadbhav