The main event match at Sunday night's WWE "Backlash" 2017 could feature a shocking new champion emerging from the pay-per-view. WWE fans were surprised weeks ago when they saw Jinder Mahal win a Sixpack Challenge matchup on "SmackDown Live" to become new No. 1 contender for the WWE World Championship.

Over the past several weeks, Mahal has staked his claim to the belt, attacking Orton with the help of his henchmen, the Singh Brothers. Now on Sunday night, the title is up for grabs. Will "The Viper" fall prey to "The Maharajah," or will Orton continue to reign supreme with the title at WWE's "Backlash" event?

Match preview

Randy Orton first won the WWE World Championship at "WrestleMania 33" by defeating his former mentor Bray Wyatt. Orton duped the "Eater of Worlds" into believing they were working together but then struck at an opportune moment to burn down Wyatt's resting place for Sister Abigail's remains.

Wyatt never really had a rematch for the title after losing it, as he was moved over to "Raw" and challenged Orton to his own "House of Horrors" match as revenge for what Orton had done. Wyatt won that match, thanks to help from Jinder Mahal and company.

Once Bray Wyatt was moved from WWE "SmackDown" to "Raw," it was time to determine a new top contender for the title Orton won at "WrestleMania 33." A Sixpack Challenge match was held on the Tuesday night show to determine who would be next in line for a title shot.

Competing in the matchup were Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Mojo Rawley, and Jinder Mahal.

Ultimately, it was Jinder getting the big win, thanks to help from The Singh Brothers. They showed up late in the match to grab Zayn's legs near the corner of the ring. That distraction allowed Mahal to grab Sami and put him down for a pinfall to win.

Ever since winning that match, Mahal has been on a mission to show that he intends to take that title away from Orton. He's shown up along with The Singh Brothers to attack Orton at different times.

One of these attacks came during the "House of Horrors" match at WWE "Payback." It ultimately cost Orton the win. There was even a moment where Jinder took the title belt away for a while until he was forced to return it by Shane McMahon.

Who will win?

There had been some rumors that Jinder Mahal was going to walk out of the Allstate Arena as the new WWE World Champion. However, the betting odds are telling a different story. The 5Dimes online sportsbook has Jinder listed as a +300 underdog, while Orton is a -420 favorite to win.

"The Viper" seems like the smart match winner prediction here, although a Jinder Mahal win isn't far fetched. WWE loves to try to establish new heels to work with, and Jinder could work his way into really aggravating the fans with a title reign where he speaks in another language and mocks the United States.

Still, the rumors have suggested Orton is going to keep the title for a while and possibly go on to lose the belt to either Kevin Owens or Baron Corbin in the following months near "SummerSlam 2017."
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