5 WWE mid-carders that can be better main eventers than Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal has been the WWE Champion for almost five months now.

That's longer than Kevin Owens held the WWE Universal Title. Longer than Bray Wyatt held the WWE Title. And one Title run more than Sami Zayn has managed in the entirety of his WWE career so far.

When Mahal upset the apple cart to win the Title from Randy Orton at Backlash earlier this year, people were legitimately stunned. After all, they'd only been acquainted with him as a part of the enhancement talent group 3MB up till then.

But here we are now. Five months on and still going strong.

Neither The Viper's best-laid plans nor the Artist's storming ascent could prise the WWE Championship away from Jinder Mahal.

And given that WWE's tour to India is just around the corner, we don't expect him to drop it anytime soon either.

But is Jinder Mahal deserving of the strong push he's getting? Has he done justice to WWE's decision of having him repeatedly defend his belt against the top-tier competition?

While most of us are just thankful for the refreshing change of having a new face at the top of the mountain - after a decade of just Cena and Orton - we'd still like to play Devil's advocate and pick out a handful of mid-card Superstars in the WWE today, who could do a better job as WWE Champion.

So here it goes.

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#5 Sami Zayn

Ironically, the best way for Sami Zayn to come out of Kevin Owens' shadow would be alongside him

The Underdog from the Underground has just cast aside his goody-two-shoes persona to embrace the cold, hard reality in the WWE. Being a nice guy just doesn't sell. At least, not unless you're John Cena.

Aligning himself yet again with his former best friend Kevin Owens, it seems that Sami Zayn has finally realized that if he wants something in the WWE, he's got to take it.

Armed with a newfound edge and vigour, could this be the time for Sami Zayn to finally shine like the star he was meant to be?

A run with the WWE Championship wouldn't be a bad way to find out.

#4 Bray Wyatt

The consistency of Bray Wyatt deserves to be rewarded

If you thought WWE's resident spook artist had run out of ideas after years of pulling off the same cryptic shtick, you had another thing coming.

Enter Sister Abigail.

Yes, her introduction on Raw was underwhelming. But it seemed like the WWE decided against introducing her as a separate character and instead just made her out to be a dark and sinister part of Bray Wyatt...not unlike the Demon's association to Finn Balor.

However, Abigail revealing herself to the WWE Universe (despite looking remarkably like Bray underneath a veil of fuzzy distortions) may be exactly the kind of boost in momentum the Eater of Worlds needed at the moment.

And perhaps it's even enough of a push to justify a sustained run with an important Title. After so many years of being undercut at the big stage, I can't think of any other Superstar who deserve it more.

#3 Finn Balor

One of the most naturally riveting Superstars on the roster today

From one ethereal character onto another, Finn Balor is one of the most intriguing characters on the WWE roster today.

And it certainly helps that he's also one of 'Triple H's guys'; meaning that sooner or later, he will be back in the WWE/Universal Championship picture.

After all, he never really lost the Universal Championship, did he?

Even otherwise, apart from the fact that he isn't built like a prototypical Vince McMahon Superstar, Balor's got bags of charisma and in-ring ability going for him.

And we're positive that he'd do a great job as a main eventer, if and when he's afforded the chance.

#2 Big Cass

If Enzo can win the Cruiserweight Title it only makes sense for Big Cass to get his hands on Championship gold too

He may be out with injury for the time being but Big Cass has been touted as a future WWE Champion - and with good reason.

He's quite passable in the ring, can certainly work a microphone and.... Well, he's seven feet tall so I guess that pretty much takes precedence over everything else in Vince McMahon's eyes.

But all in all, Cass is quite over with the WWE Universe, especially after the whole episode with Enzo Amore.

And giving him a run in the main event scene when he returns, especially if he's transferred over to the Blue brand, could work out favourably for all parties involved.

SmackDown Live needs new faces to head up the brand after John Cena has semi-retired and Big Cass could do with the opportunity.

#1 Kevin Owens

Give this man the WWE Title and let him be Champion for however long he pleases...

Of everyone on this list, no one convinces me more than Kevin Owens that he's a bonafide, legitimate star.

His promos are gold. He's unbelievable in the ring when he wants to be. And he's incredibly over with the WWE Universe for a guy who's practically been a heel in all his time in the main roster.

There's ample evidence that the powers-that-be think so too, given that he's spent more time on the main roster with a Title than without.

And should he be elevated to the main event scene on SmackDown Live (not that he wasn't already the main attraction, barring AJ Styles), I don't think anyone would really complain.

After all, it's not known as the Kevin Owens show for no reason.