– Early tomorrow morning Chris Jericho will be returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) for his highly-anticipated match-up against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Jericho took to Instagram to post some fan art that showed himself, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. “Y2J” said that he is dedicating his match tomorrow to his “fallen brothers”:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdfXpUjlQnS/
– In the dark main event after SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings; a Six-Man Tag Team match between the teams of AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, and Shinsuke Nakamura took on the team of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Jinder Mahal. “The Phenomenal One” and his team were able to emerge victorious to send the crowd home happy.
– Two matches have been officially confirmed for the first SmackDown Live of 2018 next week. First, Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable will take on The Usos for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Titles after defeating The New Day and Rusev & Aiden English in a Triple Threat No. 1-contender’s match last night.
Also, The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Breezango has been confirmed after The Ascension challenged The Bludgeon Brothers on Breezango’s behalf.
– On last night’s SmackDown Live former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defeated Tye Dillinger to advance to the second round of the United States Championship Tournament. WWE posted the following video of Mahal backstage in which he claims he’ll bring class, dignity and diversity to the United States Title:
It appears that former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has been working through an injury for the past three months. “The Modern Day Maharaja” revealed in a recent video by athleanx.com that he tore his right shoulder labrum back in September. Mahal claimed he has been doing his own rehab for the injury and has been working through it inside of the ring:
Mahal has had a tremendous year in WWE since returning back in July of 2016. With a new physique, the Singh Brothers by his side, and a WWE Title reign under his belt, the Indo-Canadian has solidified himself as one of the top heels on SmackDown Live. He is currently embroiled in a feud with WWE Champion AJ Styles, who defeated Mahal for the strap last month during a SmackDown Live taping in the UK.
Unfortunately for Mahal he was unable to recapture the WWE Title this past Sunday at Clash Of Champions, losing to “The Phenomenal One” yet again in one-on-one competition. With WrestleMania approaching quickly, it should be interesting to see if Mahal remains in the WWE Title picture.
– As he continues to rehab his recently repaired bicep, former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre posted a clip on Twitter of himself training with former 3MB member and ex-WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Check it out:
– SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is set to do a Facebook Q&A this Monday at 8 P.M. EST. If you’d like to be eligible for a prize pack, use the hashtag #SecondNature.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently spoke to WrestlingInc and among other things he also talked about his match with Brock Lesnar being nixed. Below are some highlights from his interview:
Fans getting behind 3MB:
“That’s generally cool. I think that’s the portion of the fans that like to cheer the guys who that they are being held down, like Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder. They get the similar (reaction) that we did with 3 MB. But it was up to us to make or break, and I’m the first to admit that it was our fault we weren’t successful. We weren’t giving it a 100%. If I was just as focused back then as I am now, I would be multiple time world champion right now, and today, I’d be sitting here a totally different Superstar.”
How getting released from WWE was the best thing happened to him:
“In a way, getting released was the best thing that happened to me. Because I got the much needed kick in the butt, right? I would’ve just been coasting had I not been released, which just like in WWE, is a kiss of death — in any sport. MMA, cricket or anything, you cannot just coast. Everyday, you have to wake up hungry. Everyday, you have to put in the hard work. You can’t just become complacent or lazy, or then the decline happens.”
When he found out that he won’t be facing Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series:
“I found the day of, when we got to Manchester. To be honest, I was a little disappointed; I was looking forward to that match. But I know that match is going to happen sometime in the future, and it is up to me to make sure that it happens. And I’m going to make sure that it happens. Either; as I said earlier, there are two ways you can take it. You can either say you’re going to make it happen, or write and do whatever it takes to get there, or you can pour out, boohoo, and blame someone else. But what is meant to be, was meant to be, it will be. And I’m going to make sure that it becomes.”
The day Mahal mentioned in the interview is November 7th, when he lost the WWE Championship to AJ Styles.
– An in-ring face-off between WWE Champion AJ Styles and former champ Jinder Mahal has been announced for tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown Live. Styles and Mahal had the following Twitter exchange to hype the event:
Triple H and Jinder Mahal’s highly-anticipated match in India has now come and gone. Both men got a tremendous pop from the crowd as they made their entrances. Mahal kicked out of a Pedigree at the two count and some “This Is Awesome” chants rang out. Mahal reportedly got distracted by the Indian crowd and was hit with another Pedigree for the three count. The match lasted roughly around 30 minutes.
“The Game” praised Mahal after the match, and Mahal promised the crowd that the next time he returns to India he will be WWE Champion. Also after the match, Triple H danced with Mahal and the Singh Brothers – before hitting one of the Singhs with a Pedigree and leaving. Check it out:
WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal (with The Singh Brothers) recently did an interview with TOI Sports to promote his upcoming match against Triple H in New Delhi, India. “The Modern Day Maharaja” discussed feeling the pressure of facing off against someone such as Triple H, and his belief that “The Game” is past his prime. You can check out the highlights here:
His match with Triple H:
“This is definitely the biggest match of my career. Probably the biggest match in Indian wrestling history. I’m really disappointed that I’m not here as WWE champion, but a match against Triple H is more than making up for it. I was really looking forward to [facing] Kevin Owens, but this is a really big match.”
Feeling the pressure of measuring up to “The Game”:
“I would be lying if I said it was not a little bit nervous. I definitely feel the pressure. I’m very, very nervous. Triple H said in a recent interview that now his job is to ensure that the next generation of WWE superstars are up to par, so basically Triple H is the measuring sick, so I need this match personally. I want to see how I measure up to Triple H, the ‘King of Kings’.”
His belief that Triple H is past his prime:
“I personally believe that Triple H is a bit past his prime, whereas I haven’t even hit my prime. I’m 31 years old. Day by day, week by week, month by month I’m getting better. I hope Triple H sees that, and come tomorrow I think he’s going to see that my arm is going to be raised at the end of the night [in celebration of victory].”
You can check out Mahal’s full interview with TOI Sports by clicking here.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Kevin Nash underwent a right knee replacement surgery earlier this week. Nash posted the following photos and revealed it took more than 20 staples to close him up:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcXrwhRgWxZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcaxo22g0DA/
– Jinder Mahal was gifted a custom ring jacket by designer Narendra Kumar to wear for his match against Triple H tomorrow at the WWE Supershow live event in New Delhi, India. Mahal Tweeted out the following photo:
– At a recent WWE Live Event in Lima, Peru, WWE Champion AJ Styles successfully defended his title against Jinder Mahal. After the match Styles took a cardboard cutout that one fan had of “The Maharaja” and brought it into the ring before hitting it with the Styles Clash. Check it out:
– WWE continues to tease “Woken” Matt Hardy after posting the following video after their Salt Lake City, Utah Live Event in which Hardy let a “Delete” chant with the crowd:
– As we’ve noted, former WWE Champion Chris Jericho will be taking on Kenny Omega for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Omega is a member of the infamous Bullet Club; which has seen high-profile members such as Finn Balor, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, The Young Bucks, and many more.
The tagline for Jericho and Omega’s match has bee deemed “Alpha vs. Omega,” and it seems Jericho has launched the “Alpha Club” in a slight jab towards Omega and The Bullet Club. “Y2J” posted the following picture of himself wearing an Alpha Club t-shirt which you can buy here. All proceeds go to The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcDil_SDcUm/
– Triple H and former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal will be going head-to-head in the main event of WWE’s live event in New Delhi, India on December 9th. WWE posted a video of Triple H cutting a promo on Mahal from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Check it out:
A photo has been making the rounds online for a WWE live event in Florence, South Carolina featuring Baron Corbin holding a redesigned United States Championship. The photo was even published on the official Facebook page of the Florence Civic Center, the venue hosting the upcoming show. For fans who have emailed us asking about the “new” US title belt, it’s Photoshopped and not a design WWE will be changing to any time soon.
– WWE posted a backstage interview with Jinder Mahal after last night’s SmackDown Live. Mahal ranted about being forced to defend the WWE Title against AJ Styles when he was focused on preparing for a match with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. Mahal also stated that Styles robbed him of the opportunity of visiting his homeland of India with the WWE Title. Check it out:
– As noted, tonight’s WWE SmackDown saw WWE Champion AJ Styles defeat The Singh Brothers in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match, despite a pre-match attack from Jinder Mahal. WWE posted this video of the beatdown continuing during the commercial break:
– WWE has confirmed that the Fatal 4 Way on next week’s RAW will feature Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander. As noted, the winner of that Fatal 4 Way will face Rich Swann the next week with the winner going on to face WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore the following week.
– Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley took to Twitter tonight and tweeted the following after Mojo turned on Ryder following their loss to Rowan & Harper in a rematch from last week’s loss.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has received almost constant criticism from the fans of the WWE Universe. Many have dubbed his reign as The Jinder Experiment and claimed that it has failed. It’s hard to disagree when SmackDown Live ratings increase the night Mahal lost the title to AJ Styles.
However Kane has recently shared his opinion on The Modern Day Maharaja as they build up for a tour in India. Talking to The Times of India, Kane suggested that the WWE Universe should reflect on what Jinder Mahal was before he was cast as The Modern Day Maharaja.
“His is a great story. He was in the WWE years ago, then left company. And then really improved both in his wrestling and his body and came back and became a world champion. I think a guy like Jinder Mahal is really what every WWE superstar should strive to become”
Here’s an example of Jinder Mahal in action back in August 2013.
And here is Jinder Mahal taking on AJ Styles in May 2017.
It’s clear that Mahal has significantly improved since returning, which Kane highlights as a positive, suggesting that other WWE superstars should learn from. It’s hard to deny the hard work that Jinder has put in, and I am not suggesting that other superstars in WWE aren’t putting in hard work, but Kane could be seen as suggesting that others are under-performing in their own development.
Kane goes on to praise the tour in India and those that are joining the tour of India:
“The India tour is going to be a great event. All big superstars are going be there Triple H, Jinder Mahal, The Shield, Samoa Joe, Cesaro and Sheamus and the match with Strowman, it is going to be a big match; two big guys doing their best to prove who is the dominant big man in the WWE”
Therefore Kane’s suggestion that WWE superstars should strive to be like Jinder Mahal is likely aimed at those struggling in the mid-card. But the next question would be: who would WWE be keen to push like they did with Mahal? Perhaps the next Superstar Shake-Up could reveal some clues.
Jinder Mahal confirmed on tonight’s WWE SmackDown that he will get his rematch from WWE Champion AJ Styles at the upcoming Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
Clash of Champions takes place on December 17th from the TD Garden in Boston.
Below are photos and video from tonight’s segment, which ended with AJ taking out The Singh Brothers after they sneak attacked him:
It has been advertised for the past few days that WWE Champion AJ Styles would be rematching Jinder Mahal for the title in a Houston Street Fight. This comes just days after Styles’ epic clash with Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series on pay-per-view (PPV). It seems as though WWE has cancelled the plans to have Mahal and Styles rematch tonight.
WWE.com issued a preview for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live and teased whether or not Styles and “The Maharaja” would “cross paths” – making no mention of a match between the two:
“Will AJ Styles cross paths with Jinder Mahal after tangling with The Beast?
“Although WWE Champion AJ Styles failed to conquer Universal Champion Brock Lesner at Survivor Series, he left WWE’s second-longest running pay-per-view looking phenomenal after a gutsy effort. Nevertheless, Styles may have no time to reflect on his hard-fought showdown against The Conqueror.
“Last week, former titleholder Jinder Mahal made no bones about his intentions to come after the WWE Champion once Lesnar was done with him. Will Styles and the former titleholder cross paths tonight? And if they do, considering the beatdown that the Phenomenal One has already endured this week, will he be in any condition to repel an assault from The Modern Day Maharaja?”
This week’s Smackdown will be headlined by AJ Styles defending his newly won WWE Championship against former champion, Jinder Mahal.
Last night at Survivor Series, Tom Phillips announced that Jinder will be cashing in his rematch clause on Tuesday night. This makes perfect sense for Jinder to do from a kayfabe perspective as Styles will only be 2 days removed from facing Brock Lesnar.
Before Styles vs. Lesnar at Survivor Series last night, Jinder cut a pre-taped promo saying he was cheering for Styles because he is from Smackdown but is hoping Lesnar hurts Styles because he wants his title back.
Jinder and AJ have met in single’s action twice before. In May, Jinder defeated Styles on an episode of Smackdown and 2 weeks ago AJ defeated Jinder for the WWE title on the Smackdown from Manchester.
– As noted, tonight’s WWE Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show saw WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore retain over Kalisto. Below is Fallout video of Enzo celebrating the win. Enzo says tomorrow night on RAW he thinks a celebration is in order because this isn’t the first time he has defied the odds. Enzo teases something big for RAW tomorrow as The Zo Train rolls through.
– Jinder Mahal appeared on tonight’s WWE Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show to taunt WWE Champion AJ Styles and later did a sidebar interview before AJ’s loss to WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. It was noted that Jinder is requesting his rematch for the WWE Title at Tuesday’s SmackDown from Houston.
– MLB player Josh Reddick of the Houston Astros and rapper Travis Scott were among those in attendance for tonight’s Survivor Series pay-per-view from the Toyota Center. Below is backstage video of Reddick and a ringside photo of Scott:
On a recent edition of former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, the duo discussed AJ Styles’ recent WWE Title victory over Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown Live. The pair discussed the big title change occurring on a taping in the UK, Styles now taking on Brock Lesnar on short notice, expectations for their Survivor Series match, and so much more. You can check out the highlights here below:
Christian on UK fans getting to see a big title change:
“I think it was a pretty big moment and I think it was the right guy to do it with,” Christian said. “And I think it was kind of shocking. I don’t think anybody was expecting it, especially with the build they’ve been doing with Jinder and Brock, I don’t think anybody expected it. But do you know what? It’s good to reward the fans over there with a big moment like that because they always show up over there in the U.K., in Europe. They’re always big crowds and they’re diehards. They support it and they love it and it’s good that they get rewarded with a big moment like that. It was a shocking moment, so it was pretty cool.”
Edge on Styles replacing Mahal on short-notice for Survivor Series:
“It’s pretty cool,” Edge admitted. “It feels a little hot-shotted. I’m not going to lie, after the buildup of Jinder and everything. I just kind of assumed [the title change] would be at ‘Mania.”
Edge on the title change likely happening because of the premiere of USA Network’s new show, Damnation:
“I think there [are] probably a few factors that go in. I think USA [Network] was debuting a new TV series after. And while some of you may scoff and say, ‘WWE wouldn’t change their business for that,’ yes, they would. The Shooter was debuting and they stacked the 900th episode of SmackDown. That’s why I was there. That’s why Taker was there. They’ll do those things because they’re on the USA Network and USA Network asks for a favor, so they’ll do them a favor.”
Christian on AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar:
“People were complaining about it, but he’s a legit heel. People don’t want to see him win. And I know [Edge] said it might have been hot-shotted. It might have been, but it was also one of those things where people weren’t expecting it and that’s hard to do. So in that case, I like it. I think AJ and Brock will be a pretty awesome match.
“It can be seen as maybe a little bit quick. It is one of the ‘big four’ pay-per-views, right? Survivor Series? It is one of the main shows. It gives it a little bit more oomph to that show.”
Edge on Styles vs. Lesnar needing to happen at one of The Big Four:
“I’m not a big fan of giving away the big matches on I don’t want to say throwaway pay-per-views because they’re not, don’t get me wrong. If there’s going to be this match, I’m happy that at least it’s on one of the big pay-per-views, one of the original four.”
You can listen to the E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.
Next month, WWE heads to India for live events in New Dehli on Friday, December 8th and Saturday, December 9th at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Although Jinder Mahal is no longer the defending WWE Champion, the Modern Day Maharajah will still be a big focus of the shows. He’s expected to get a hero’s welcome, but fans may be conflicted about who to cheer for when Mahal steps in the ring.
In a video posted on Twitter on Saturday night, Triple H said fans have asked him ‘a million times’ if he’ll be wrestling in India. Indeed, he will and his opponent will be Jinder Mahal.
Triple H vs. Jinder Mahal will take place on the December 9th card and The Game is is touting it as “the biggest match in India’s history.”
Triple H just has one question for Jinder Mahal and the fans of India. “Are you ready?”
WWE has revealed a new poster for WrestleMania 34 to support the ticket sales of the event at New Orleans on April 8th next year. The WWE Universe is expecting to have Roman Reigns come up against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, while AJ Styles could face Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship title.
The report focuses on Jinder Mahal being featured ahead of the new WWE Champion AJ Styles, who won the title at SmackDown Live last Tuesday. The main focus of the report highlights the negative response on Twitter, with fans being less than happy to see Jinder Mahal and not AJ Styles on the poster.
Jinder Mahal followed the defeat on Tuesday with a post on instagram to try and solidify his position as a dominant force in WWE.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPYTbVDVkl/
Mahal’s run as WWE Champion has not been popular with fans. He, and the company have been consistently criticized over the experiment to gain more viewers in India. This was emphatically proven as the ratings were released, highlighting a significant increase as AJ Styles won the title from Mahal.
Therefore fans of the WWE Universe may be concerned when they see the former WWE Champion feature on a poster for WrestleMania 34, ahead of AJ Styles. If this poster was an accurate representation of what to expect at WrestleMania 34, then fans should be frustrated to not see the current WWE Champion, but a crucial piece of information has been missed.
The poster was initially released via this article on wwe.com which was put up on October 30th, over a week before AJ Styles won the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal. While the showdown between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar has had speculation since the end of WrestleMania 33, Styles’ role in New Orleans has not had as clear a path.
Fans appear to be jumping up and down, assuming that Mahal is guaranteed to win the title back off AJ Styles, however it’s not that clear cut when all of the information is put together.
Others have pointed out Naomi’s appearance on the poster ahead of Natalya or Charlotte, but with 6 months to go, there are numerous women who could be champion by WrestleMania 34, Naomi is just one of many.
Opinion:
WWE would not have wanted to accidentally give away any spoilers through this poster, and I am sure updated posters will be revealed closer to the event as the matches and feuds become more clear. Jinder has improved as a talent in the ring, he’s a heel, he’s meant to be disliked; but I think AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura will be the match-up at WrestleMania 34.
Jinder Mahal has issued a statement after losing the WWE Championship to AJ Styles on Tuesday night from Manchester, England. The former champion gives Styles credit for being the better man that night and vows to be champion again.
Mahal also has a message for his haters and wrestling “insiders” – denying that his title reign was an experiment, denying that he’s injured and,stating “I have NOT violated the wellness policy.”
Mahal has been wearing Kinesio Tape at recent WWE live events, which the company describes as “rehabilitative taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process.” We had not heard anything about him violating the Wellness Policy.
Jinder Mahal was WWE Champion for 170 days. It remains to be seen how he’s positioned on SmackDown following the end of his reign.
As seen on last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, AJ Styles became a two-time WWE Champion when he defeated Jinder Mahal in the main event to capture the title. The event was pre-taped several hours in advance in Manchester before airing in its usual time slot on USA Network.
Per a report from Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio, someone from India contacted him several months before and indicated that WWE was advertising Jinder Mahal as a two-time WWE Champion. Dave Meltzer responded by saying the ad played no factor in what happened last night due to the fact that the decision to change the title-holder was made only a week ago.
Meltzer also revealed that those who needed to know about the title change only found out about it this week, and noted he himself only found out about it the morning of SmackDown. He also reported that the original plan was for “The Modern Day Maharaja” to “absolutely” head into India as WWE Champion, and there’s still a chance that can happen as Styles still isn’t advertised to be a part of the tour.
All signs point to this title change being a last-second decision from WWE, as Styles was initially advertised to face off against Rusev for a spot on SmackDown’s Survivor Series team.
Discussion: Do you think WWE will put the title back on Mahal in time for the India tour? And how long will “The Phenomenal One’s” title reign last?
AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to become the new WWE Champion on tonight’s SmackDown from Manchester, England. This was the first time that the WWE Title has changed hands outside of North America.
Styles is now a two-time WWE Champion. Jinder won the title back on May 21st at the WWE Backlash pay-per-view by defeating Randy Orton.
AJ will now face WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at the November 19th Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Below are photos and videos from tonight’s main event:
Next week on SmackDown, Jinder Mahal will defend the WWE Championship against AJ Styles from Manchester, England.
For what it’s worth, the Manchester Arena is advertising the match will be a Street Fight. As of this writing, WWE has not announced a stipulation.
The dark match main event for the show will see a 6-man tag match featuring Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler.
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has this to say about his match with Styles:
