WWE: Who Will be Next in Line for Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship?

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Jinder Mahal continues his stranglehold over the WWE Championship with his victory over Shinsuke Nakamura.  With Survivor Series on the horizon, his next opponent may be thef\ Phenomenal One.

WWE Hell in A Cell has come and gone, and Jinder Mahal is still the WWE Champion.  Just like he has in matches past, Mahal survived with the help of The Singh Brothers.  Despite how hard Nakamura fought, in the end, it was still a 3-1 disadvantage.  And with Hell in a Cell in the rearview mirror, it’s time to create the foundation for a new contender.  Who could be the next challenger to the throne of the Modern Day Maharaja?

Coming out of Hell in a Cell there isn’t anyone true person that seems to be the top choice for the next shot at the gold.  However across the internet one name seems to be popping up more than any other, AJ Styles.  At Hell in a Cell, Styles lost his United States Championship to Baron Corbin in a triple threat match.  In a rematch this past week on SmackDown Live, The Phenomenal One would once again come up short.  

Now the tricky thing is, Styles is coming off of two very recent losses.  While there are others that won their matches at Hell in a Cell, none truly feel as right as Styles for the opportunity.  From the initial brand split back in July 2016, Styles has been the face of SmackDown Live.  He never misses the opportunity to remind fans that SmackDown Live is “the house that AJ Styles built.”  Styles must take advantage of his freedom from the mid-card.

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If it does wind up being Styles that gets to challenge Mahal next, that could be good news for Jinder.  Styles, since the day he stepped foot into WWE, has done nothing but have great matches.  Now there have been some hiccups here and there but that falls more on the story than the match.  Mahal has been having some rough matches since his return.  It’s a good thing that Styles is the best wrestler in the world today.  To use the old adage, Styles could have a match with a broomstick and make it look like a million bucks.  

Jinder Mahal needs to evolve or be forgotten

SmackDown Live doesn’t have another PPV event until Survivor Series.  If they follow suit with Raw, there may not be many title matches on the card.  After that, the next brand exclusive event would be in December, giving plenty of time to tell a Styles title chase story.  Mahal could use some help from the creative team and gain a layer or two to his character.  Claiming he is hated because of how he looks and where he is from but then also uses racial undertones of his own.  In 2017, the character just doesn’t work in any way, shape or form.

Next: WWE TLC 2017: Match Predictions

So with several weeks between events, we could start to see a build for Styles to stake his claim back on top of the SmackDown Live mountain.  Now would also be a great time for a superstar shakeup, so Styles can even the odds with The Club.  Until he gets some help the advantage will firmly be in the hands of Mahal.  With Survivor Series fast approaching, expect to see some developments in the near future.