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What's the story?
As part of its rumour round-up, Cagesideseats.com is speculating that current WWE Champion Jinder Mahal is currently working with a minor shoulder injury.
In case you didn't know...
Regardless of how you feel about his ascension to the main event, Jinder Mahal is one of the most notable pro wrestling stories of 2017. The Modern Day Maharaja started the year on the same level as Curt Hawkins — an enhancement talent whose job was to eat a lot of pins and make others look good.
Mahal moved to SmackDown as part of the post-WrestleMania Superstar Shake-Up, and after a short feud with Mojo Rawley, he found himself as a shock number one contender for the WWE Championship. Mahal defeated Randy Orton at WWE Backlash and has been champion ever since.
Jinder overcame Orton in their feud and has since moved on to a story with Shinsuke Nakamura. Mahal and Nakamura are scheduled to do battle at WWE Hell in a Cell.
The heart of the matter
Cagesideseats.com neglects to mention any sources for its injury claim, leading most to question the legitimacy of the rumour. Pro wrestling is a physically demanding industry, however, and it wouldn't be surprising if Jinder had picked up a few aches and pains along the way.
Mahal has gone from working short enhancement matches on the undercard to long, gruelling battles in the main event, taking more intense bumps and working for much longer along the way. His body is almost certainly going to be feeling the strain of such a schedule.
The site states that the injury itself is only minor, which leads most to believe that Jinder won't be forced to miss any ring-time because of it. One must assume that the overwhelming majority of the WWE roster are working injured in some form or another.
What's next?
Jinder is scheduled to face Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell, with many expecting The King of Strong Style to come out on top in Detroit. Jinder's championship reign has been underwhelming, to say the least, and the time may be right to move the title.
As for the supposed injury, aches and pains come with the territory in professional wrestling.
Author's take
'Pro wrestler working hurt' is a phrase that could be used to describe thousands of situations in the business, but it takes on a little extra importance when that performer is the WWE Champion. Here's hoping that Jinder can come through whatever pain and put on a better match against Nakamura at Hell in a Cell.
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