What’s the Story?
A WWE Championship match was scheduled for next week’s episode of SmackDown LIVE, but that match no longer seems to be taking place during the live broadcast. Reports suggest that the WWE Championship match between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton has been called off for the main show.
In case you didn’t know...
Mahal defeated Orton at Backlash to become the 50th WWE Champion in the title’s illustrious history. A few weeks after winning the championship, Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that a rematch between Orton and Mahal would take place at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
The heart of the matter
The following is the statement the WWE released regarding the June 13, 2017, edition of SmackDown and the matches they had in store for the New Orleans, Louisiana crowd.
SmackDown LIVE comes to The Big Easy on June 13, the last WWE event in New Orleans before WrestleMania 34. The WWE Universe in The Big Easy will witness a huge spectacle, featuring a triple main event with Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal battling for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles clashing for the United States Title and Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Dolph Ziggler in a WWE Backlash rematch.
However, it seems that the WWE Championship match will be a dark match following the 205 Live Taping, a phenomenon that has been happening for the past few weeks.
What’s Next?
Expect to see Orton and Mahal interact next week on SmackDown, but don’t expect to see them compete for the championship on WWE programming until the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on Sunday, June 18, 2017.
Author’s take
The WWE advertising a match between the two men who’ll be competing on pay-per-view seemed like a ridiculous notion the moment the Money in the Bank pay-per-view was announced.
Now fans will have to pay to see the Maharaja defend his title against the Apex Predator and see whether or not the Money in the Bank winner will cash in that night.
