The key to success against someone like Jinder Mahal is speed. Trying to brawl it out with him is a recipe for defeat.

AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal

Physically speaking, Mahal had the upper-hand throughout the whole match. Styles had to rely on his agility and explosive offense.At key moments, Styles demanded too much of body as he tried to set up the Styles Clash, but to no avail.

Just by his form, AJ was not only trying to dethrone the champion but slip his own spinal disks. Momentum shifted once Styles locked in the Calf-Crusher. Not only was it perfectly executed, but that was the game changer.

To take down a giant, work from the bottom to the top.

It came to no surprise that the Singh Brothers were going to play a role in this match. Styles was able to get rid of them with the Phenomenal Forearm (epic foreshadowing for the end), but it came with a price. Mahal took advantage of the distraction and took control of the match yet again.

Way too many times were the Manchester fans going to walk out of Etihad Stadium disappointed. It wasn’t wise for the challenger to go toe-to-toe with a larger and stronger opponent. Mahal nearly planted Styles from the top turnbuckle with the Khallas. If he had connected from that height, the “Modern Day Maharaja” would have walked out champion.

Eventually, Mahal was too worn-out and frustrated to get a game plan together.

With one final high impact (no pun intended) and perfect Phenomenal Forearm, AJ got the pinfall and his 2nd WWE Championship.

For the first time in history, the WWE Championship changed hands out of the United States. Not only was this crowning achievement the highlight of the night, but also of AJ Styles’ 2nd year in the WWE.

The Phenomenal One is now “going beast hunting” at Survivor Series.

Phenomenal One vs. Beast Incarnate

For a PPV event with such a huge historical significance, having two big star champions duke it out for brand supremacy is big money. Neither superstar has given the other the pleasure of a huge dream match. For this week, all we can do is just savor how great of a match ‘AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar’ could be.

Hopefully, this can transition into a larger-than-life feud. Their Survivor Series match should be the first of multiple encounters. If anything, that chapter can be closed at Wrestlemania XXXIV. Sure, that’s five months away, but don't dismiss it's potential. What path will WWE take and when it comes down to it, who will walk out with the bragging rights?
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