WWE SmackDown Division Power Rankings: Jinder Mahal Beats Randy Orton

Smackdown Live.

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The SmackDown Live World Title Picture

Highlights of the Division

I’ll have to finally admit it but Jinder Mahal is working his tail off on his march towards his WWE Championship match in a few weeks. He’s been presented in a way that was unfathomable nearly a month ago—he looks and acts like a superstar. His mic skills are very underrated and his wrestling skills are solid but not eye-popping. The Maharaja  has been put in multiple situations and scenarios the past month, and passed with flying colours.   

His huge win in the six-man tag team match in the main event by laying out Orton with his finisher definitely turned some heads. Will the power brokers behind the scenes pull the trigger and make Jinder their next WWE Champion for their India marketing expansion? Orion’s stock as WWE Champion has dramatically dropped after suffering his loss at Payback. Will the lame-duck champion retain his title at Backlash? 

The rivalry between Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura has been excellent in slowly building up the former NXT Champion as a main-event star coming out of the shadows. Having Nakamura’s first match on the main roster be on Backlash should set the tone for his push to the top of the blue brand. The Artist is the perfect superstar to carry the torch John Cena left behind as the top babyface of Smackdown Live and eventually the next WWE Champion.

Rusev arriving on Smackdown Live next week to confront Shane McMahon over his proposed WWE title request at Money in the Bank should be intriguing. Will the Bulgarian Brute be forced to compete in the ring to prove his worth or handed a title opportunity based on his career accomplishments?

Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.

WWE World Champion: Randy Orton (9 Wins – 4 Losses)

Contenders

• No.1 Contender: Jinder Mahal (6 Wins – 10 Losses)
• Contender No. 2: John Cena (6 Wins – 4 Losses)

Pretenders

• Pretender No. 1: Shinsuke Nakamura (N/A)

Next: All 26 Champions in NXT History, Ranked

What are your thoughts on this week’s Smackdown Live Rankings? Comment bellow!