WWE SmackDown Top 5 Segments: Sami Zayn Eviscerates Daniel Bryan

Number 4: AJ Puts Jinder In His Place

If you had been paying attention to the rumor mill over the past few days, you probably already heard of the plans for having Jinder Mahal fight Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. When it was announced Monday night on Raw that Jinder was going to make an announcement regarding that very pay-per-view, a collective groan was heard throughout the Internet Wrestling Community™.

So when Jinder and the (always entertaining) Singh brothers came out for the announcement there wasn’t any real surprise. Or excitement. Or hope. Yes, the last flickers of hope quivered gently, as if being snuffed out by a deep and palpable darkness in which joy had no place. As Mahal challenged Lesnar, our eyes glazed over with the murky, ochre film of resignation of being confronted with this terrible, awful plan coming to reality.

I may be being slightly melodramatic, but hot damn if I wasn’t surprised to hear AJ Styles’ music hit. That was a good enough twist to shake up a predictable and tepid promo, not to mention setting in motion what I believed would happen to AJ after losing the US title at Hell in a Cell (i.e. being thrust into the WWE title picture). AJ proceeded to remind Jinder that he was no great shakes and that he was going to beat him for the WWE title.

We can all save our anxious discussions as to whether AJ will beat Jinder or not for another forum, but keep one thing in mind: if there is one man in the entire WWE who can squeeze a great match out of Mahal, it’s Styles.

In the meantime, I have to think about how this feud is going to work while Lesnar vs. Mahal is a thing.