What's the story?
According to the Rumor Roundup section of Cageside Seats, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal’s meteoric rise is a direct result of Impact Wrestling’s tapings in Mumbai, India.
In case you didn’t know...
Jinder Mahal, who was a mid-card wrestler at best until quite recently, achieved meteoric fame overnight as he first became the Number 1 contender for Randy Orton's WWE Championship on SmackDown Live and then went on to defeat Orton and grab the top prize in the business at Backlash. WWE has received both fanfare (for taking a chance) and criticism (for not having the ideal build to the top spot) for their bold decision.
The heart of the matter
Impact Wrestling recently filmed 4 episodes in Mumbai, India; with shows heavily centered around two of their Indian (origin) performers- Sonjay Dutt and Mahabali Shera. In doing so, Impact Wrestling became the first American promotion to actually film episodes for their television product in India.
The event was a grand success with completely packed stands. The rumor at hand speculates that since these tapings were not really a secret, WWE pushed Jinder Mahal to the top spot, to rain on Impact’s parade.
Also read: 5 hints that Jinder Mahal’s WWE title run is going to last months
What's next?
Irrespective of their reasons for making Jinder the top guy, it is clear that WWE has their sights set on India (much like Impact Wrestling does as well). As Impact Wrestling founder and chief, Jeff Jarrett told us in our exclusive interview with him, this is only the beginning and India will remain a top priority for the brand. Only time will tell if there will be a WWE live event in India as well, for the promotion to consolidate their hold in the vast market.
Author’s take
India is the place to be for any professional wrestling fan right now. All eyes are on the market, to see who manages to grab the largest share.
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