Jinder Mahal claimed the WWE Championship at Backlash, and the reaction was rabid.
Coming into the WWE Backlash pay-per-view, Jinder Mahal got the opportunity to main event the show. He never had this chance before, only headlining old NXT shows at Full Sail University in 2012. Between then and now, Mahal even got released, having been let go in 2014.
Well, on Sunday night, everything transpired for Mahal. He faced Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the closing match of Backlash and did the unthinkable, winning the title.
The Maharaja claiming the WWE’s top prize is something that didn’t seem possible after WrestleMania 33. He took a celebrity beatdown from New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, and followed it up by losing a match to Mojo Rawley on SmackDown Live. One month later, he rules the Blue Brand.
The reaction from the fans came in fast and furious. What did they have to say on Twitter?
I actually really enjoyed the storytelling in that match. Super old school. Major props to Jinder Mahal. What a world. #WWEBacklash
— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) May 22, 2017
Jinder Mahal has forever cemented his legacy #wwebacklash
— Joseph Gumalo (@jgumalo_62) May 22, 2017
In 4 weeks I might be attending a PPV main evented by Jinder Mahal.
— Joe Roderick (@JoeRoderick) May 22, 2017
@JinderMahal NEW WWE WORLD CHAMPION #TalkingSmack #DontHinderJinder
— Damien (@JustaDamien) May 22, 2017
This is the biggest joke ever
— James Reynolds (@JamesReynolds15) May 22, 2017
New WWE Champ @JinderMahal! Exactly what we need a good heel champ. #WWEBacklash
— Amish Carpool (@kingkarpinski) May 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/mjtiscione/status/866487002413363202
YOU CAN'T HINDER THE JINDER!!! @JinderMahal
— R9 JO3 ✝️🙏 (@JO3_Live) May 22, 2017
This will be a trending topic all night and into Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown. It’s a mind-blowing story if you’ve followed WWE for the past few years.
The path to Mahal winning the top title started with stealing the pin in a No. 1 Contenders Match in April. He went onto pin Orton in a Six-Man Tag Match on SmackDown, as well as AJ Styles on the go-home show. How often does someone ever do that?
Now Mahal has pinned the Viper in a one-on-one match at a WWE PPV. It’s a remarkable turn of events and the culminate of a rise no one saw coming. This created the first title reign for the former 3MB member, with the chance for an extended run.
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It’s 2017 and Mahal is the WWE Champion. Let that sink in for the rest of your evening.