What’s the story?
In a shocking turn of events, Jinder Mahal is the odds-on favourite to win the WWE Championship at Backlash when he faces Randy Orton.
As per WWELeaks.org, the betting odds have swung in favour of The Maharaja in the last 24 hours and he could walk away with the Championship belt on Sunday.
In case you didn’t know...
Jinder Mahal became the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship after winning the six-pack challenge in the April 18th edition of Smackdown. The Maharaja also attacked Orton after helping Bray Wyatt to victory in his match with Orton at Payback.
The heart of the matter
Orton was the favourite to retain his title at Backlash leading up to the event, but it seems that Jinder does have a chance to get victory over The Viper. The odds are now 3/10 in favour of Mahal, while Orton’s odds are 11/5, dropping from odds of 1/6 on Wednesday.
There has been a significant change in the odds since betting began on Wednesday, but it could tilt back in favour of Orton before the start of the event.
The Viper had defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 to recapture the WWE Championship.
What’s next?
The Maharaja will take on Orton at Backlash for the WWE Championship on May 21, 2017, in Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. Backlash will be the first SmackDown PPV since the WWE Superstar Shake-up.
Author’s Take
Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship will have mixed reactions from ardent fans as he has been pushed from a jobber to the No. 1 contender in just over a month.
WWE have had crazier storylines in the past but this is one of the weirdest of them yet. Jinder’s push to win the title may be WWE’s tactic to increase their Indian audience.
