Triple H To Wrestle Jinder Mahal On WWE India Tour
This could have serious implications regarding AJ Styles' WWE Championship reign.
Triple H took to Twitter yesterday to challenge former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal to a match in New Delhi.
https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/929561518710149120
The 14-time world champion specified the WWE Live event on December 9th, during WWE's upcoming tour of India. Jinder has since responded, accepting the challenge and calling it the biggest match of his career.
This is an especially intriguing match-up as it has potential implications regarding AJ Styles' WWE Championship reign. The Phenomenal One defeated Jinder on the most recent edition of SmackDown Live (actually a taped event in Manchester, England), the first time that particular title has changed hands on UK soil.
Although many welcomed the title change - given the widespread unpopularity of Jinder's reign - there was speculation that it was only booked in order for Mahal to win it back on the India tour.
Jinder's reign was seen as an attempt by WWE to appeal to the large market of fans in India, as although he was born in Canada, he is of Indian descent - a heritage which plays a large role in his 'Maharaja' persona.
However, Triple H's challenge surely casts doubt on the possibility of Mahal winning the title back from Styles. His upcoming clash with The Game is certainly a marquee bout - billed by Triple H as the biggest wrestling match in India's history - and one which would surely sell tickets, even without the WWE Championship at stake.
Then again, December 9th isn't the only date on the tour, and there's no way of ruling out a title change for certain. The WWE Championship has changed hands on house shows before, but not since Diesel defeated Bob Backlund in 1994. Booking a similar switch in the modern era would certainly be a bold move by WWE, and could risk angering fans.
Then again, the NXT Championship has changed hands at live events twice in recent years. Samoa Joe defeated Finn Balor at a house show in 2016, and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Joe in his home nation of Japan (although this match was later aired as part of the weekly NXT show).
For now, however, Styles' reign looks a lot safer than it did a couple of days ago.
https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/929561518710149120
The 14-time world champion specified the WWE Live event on December 9th, during WWE's upcoming tour of India. Jinder has since responded, accepting the challenge and calling it the biggest match of his career.
This is an especially intriguing match-up as it has potential implications regarding AJ Styles' WWE Championship reign. The Phenomenal One defeated Jinder on the most recent edition of SmackDown Live (actually a taped event in Manchester, England), the first time that particular title has changed hands on UK soil.
Although many welcomed the title change - given the widespread unpopularity of Jinder's reign - there was speculation that it was only booked in order for Mahal to win it back on the India tour.
Jinder's reign was seen as an attempt by WWE to appeal to the large market of fans in India, as although he was born in Canada, he is of Indian descent - a heritage which plays a large role in his 'Maharaja' persona.
However, Triple H's challenge surely casts doubt on the possibility of Mahal winning the title back from Styles. His upcoming clash with The Game is certainly a marquee bout - billed by Triple H as the biggest wrestling match in India's history - and one which would surely sell tickets, even without the WWE Championship at stake.
Then again, December 9th isn't the only date on the tour, and there's no way of ruling out a title change for certain. The WWE Championship has changed hands on house shows before, but not since Diesel defeated Bob Backlund in 1994. Booking a similar switch in the modern era would certainly be a bold move by WWE, and could risk angering fans.
Then again, the NXT Championship has changed hands at live events twice in recent years. Samoa Joe defeated Finn Balor at a house show in 2016, and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Joe in his home nation of Japan (although this match was later aired as part of the weekly NXT show).
For now, however, Styles' reign looks a lot safer than it did a couple of days ago.
Written by Jack King
jack.king@cultaholic.com Twitter: @JackTheJobber
