5 top WWE Superstars whose push lasted less than a year

Kofi Kingston at Elimination Chamber 2019
Kofi Kingston at Elimination Chamber 2019

#4. Jinder Mahal

The year of Mahal
The year of Mahal

This one undoubtedly ranks as the most bizarre one on this list. Jinder Mahal was released by WWE in 2014, only to return over two years later. He was right back in his enhancement talent spot, but a major appearance change and improvement in physique, along with a move to SmackDown post-WrestleMania 33 saw him receive the biggest push of his career.

WWE normally takes a long time to build superstars to reach the pinnacle of the sports entertainment industry, but Jinder Mahal's push was abrupt and most certainly unexpected. He lost his SmackDown debut as well, only to win a #1 contender's match and earn a WWE Championship match against Randy Orton at Backlash 2017.

Seeing a low-card enhancement talent become a main eventer in a week didn't go well with the fans, but WWE proved to be committed to Mahal, giving him a PPV main event and a shocking WWE Championship win. He would hold on to the title up until early November in Manchester, ending his reign in just over 170 days. He would have an 8-day United States Championship reign after winning it at WrestleMania 34, but by then, his push was over.

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