5 Reasons Jinder Mahal Should Remain WWE Champion Until SummerSlam
By Bryan Heaton
3. Time To Judge The Impact
When Jinder Mahal first entered the world title picture, it was reported that WWE was looking to make a big push into India. Since Mahal is a Sikh of Punjabi descent, he can be the poster boy for such an international push. (There’s also the possibility that WWE just couldn’t resist trying to get a dig in on their competition.)
And, since his sudden rise to the main event, Jinder has been issuing promos in both English and Punjab – for “my people,” as he tells the audience. Before Backlash, billboards went up in India picturing Jinder as world champion. Early indications would be that WWE’s goal to make more money in India would be successful.
But how exactly will we know just how successful this push into India will be? If the goal is to make more money from the large number of fans in the country, there has to be a way to quantify that. The only way most of us can do that is by waiting for the WWE Quarterly Earnings Reports.
Right now, WWE is in the midst of the second quarter of 2017. Jinder’s championship victory came slightly more than halfway through Q2. So when the earnings report is released (likely early in August, just before SummerSlam), the comparison between Q1 and Q2 will give a good idea of how much business WWE has gained in India.
If the report takes into account everything from April through June, it makes zero sense for Mahal to drop the title within that time frame. Keep the title on him through SummerSlam – after the earnings report is released. (And maybe longer, with WWE’s tour of India scheduled for September.)