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What’s the story?
On the latest edition of SmackDown Live, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Randy Orton in a No. 1 Contender’s Match to earn the opportunity to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at WWE Hell in a Cell.
In case you didn’t know...
Mahal began his championship reign by defeating Orton at Backlash and continuing their feud for the majority of the summer. Their last championship match took place at Battleground where they faced off in a horrid Punjabi Prison Match.
Nakamura began his feud with Mahal last month after he defeated John Cena to become the No.1 contender heading into SummerSlam. Mahal defeated Nakamura at SummerSlam following interference from the Singh Brothers and has been the reigning WWE Champion for more than 100 days.
The heart of the matter
Nakamura emerged victorious in this first-time match after laying out Orton with a single Kinshasa. Many fans were predicting a triple threat match and a non-finish on SmackDown, but that wasn't the case.
Mahal was rumoured to have become WWE Champion because the company wanted to have an Indian wrestler at the helm of their India tour coming up in September. If this rumour is to be believed, then it’s possible that Mahal’s championship reign can come to an end at the Hell in A Cell pay-per-view that’s scheduled for October.
What’s next?
The Hell in A Cell pay-per-view will take place on Oct. 8, 2017, from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Many fans have voiced their disapproval of Mahal as the WWE Champion, and the reported low numbers for SmackDown house shows and viewership could spell the end of the Modern Day Maharaja at the top of the card.
Author’s take
Nakamura winning the championship at Hell In A Cell could easily be compared to Goldberg beating Triple H for the title in 2003 for one reason: the company missed the best opportunity for the title switch.
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