As we saw on Smackdown Live, Jinder Mahal became the number one contender for the WWE Championship after he won the six-pack challenge. He will face Randy Orton at the upcoming WWE Backlash pay-per-view for the title.
Jinder’s win came out of nowhere, shocking the wrestling world. Regardless of if you loved or hated the decision, it certainly has gotten people talking.
There are some rumors circulating that Jinder’s push might have been destined for someone else.. The Bulgarian Brute: Rusev.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscribe here), Dave Meltzer speculated that Rusev was likely the one that was going to get a big push on Smackdown prior to his injury. Vince is big on the company featuring an anti-American heel. As a result, Rusev would have been the number one choice.
With Rusev being on the shelf with a shoulder injury, this left Jinder as one of the top options. WWE has decided to go all-in on Jinder and as we noted prior, is working on their expansion into India. This week, the company announced Sheetesh Srivastava as the new Vice President and General Manager of WWE India. He formerly worked for Disney and is expected to do big things for the company in India.
We need to make clear that this is only speculation on Meltzer’s part but a lot of it makes sense based on how Jinder was treated by the company over the past few months. He went from losing all of his matches to getting a big spot at Wrestlemania involving Rob Gronkowski and now a title shot. It would have made a lot of sense to have Rusev in that same role if he didn’t get injured.
See Also: The Horrible Gimmick That Rusev Almost Got Stuck With
Certainly interesting to think about. Jinder has a big opportunity in front of him and hopefully Rusev gets a push when he returns!
Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
