A Shocking Champion
The pacing of the match was very Randy Orton-like. He struck fast and often, hitting some kicks and then a stalling suplex for a two count. The only real offense that Mahal got in early was when he threw The Viper into the ring LED boards. Mahal focused on the shoulder of Randy Orton, which would be the ultimate demise later in the night. Mahal was able to show his resilience, overcoming a hanging DDT and getting the upper hand by a continued focus on Orton’s injured shoulder.
The Singh Brothers did their best tonight, as Randy Orton whipped them all around the ring. One of the brothers took an incredible bump on the announcers table. Funny enough, Randy Orton’s face after the bump was “oh s**t, that looked painful.”
When Orton was focusing more on these guys, all it took was one move and Jinder Mahal became the WWE Champion. Yes, Jinder “freaking” Mahal became WWE Champion in one of the most meteoric rises in recent memory. From jobbing out to Finn Balor two months ago and now becoming WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal has proven that anything can happen in the WWE.
The decision was the right one. It gets people talking and he has put in a lot of work to make himself in the best shape possible. Will WWE go all the way with him or will he drop it shortly after last night? Either way, PEOPLE ARE TALKING.
We have positives and negatives in his game tonight, but the reception from this has been nothing but positive from his peers and controversial from the fans. I call that a success. Building upon this win, as well as potentially adding a former friend of his to the mix, could make out for a very interesting summer of Smackdown Live. WWE Backlash saw the rise of Mahal-Mania.
@JoshIsenberg4 on Twitter. WWE Backlash Rating:
