The surprising reign of Jinder Mahal as WWE champion finally ended on Tuesday at the hands of AJ Styles. Mahal lost the WWE Championship to Styles on SmackDown Live in Manchester, England. There have been many speculations on why Mahal lost the title, but “The Maharaja” could also regain the championship soon.
As recapped by WWE.com , Mahal vs. Styles for the WWE Championship was announced by SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon late last week. The Singh Brothers tried to interfere and help Mahal retain the title, but Styles took them out during the match. Mahal was able to hit The Khallas, but it was not enough to put Styles down for the win.
“The Phenomenal One” showed amazing resilience as he battled back against “The Maharaja.” Styles ended up hitting The Phenomenal Forearm to get the win and the WWE Championship. Mahal’s reign ended after 170 days while Styles became a two-time WWE champion.
Along with the victory, Styles will now represent SmackDown Live at Survivor Series . He is set to face Universal champion Brock Lesnar for the first time ever. Styles vs. Lesnar is a dream match for many WWE fans and it is going to happen at Survivor Series . As for Mahal, he could get added as the final member of Team SmackDown .
There have already been speculations on why Jinder Mahal lost the championship. Some of the rumored reasons include the WWE losing faith in him after the poor ratings, an injury to his shoulder, and even a failed WWE Wellness Policy test. However, nothing can be confirmed at the moment and fans just need to celebrate that Styles is the new WWE champion.
But according to Cageside Seats , the WWE might be planning to give back the title to Mahal when the company tours India next month. Styles vs. Lesnar also has more appeal rather than Mahal vs. Lesnar at Survivor Series . However, it makes sense for the WWE to have Mahal win back the WWE Championship from Styles in India.
The WWE started expanding in India and they have used Mahal because of his Indian ancestry. The company will hold two live events in India in December and it would not be a surprise if Mahal won back the WWE Championship. Mahal winning the title in his native country helps the WWE’s expansion and popularity in the Asian nation.
Nevertheless, these are still purely speculative at the moment so take it with a grain of salt. The WWE changes their plans on a regular basis and they could just be looking for ratings. They can even immediately have Styles lose the WWE Championship back to Mahal next week on SmackDown Live .
[Featured Image by WWE]