Jinder Mahal has a lot of detractors as the WWE world champion but he has one major fan in WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross. Before Mahal won the right to face the WWE world heavyweight champion Randy Orton, he was a jobber and had not won any matches on television for years. Few thought that Mahal had a chance to win since he had never proven to be a main event talent. Jinder won the title and has held it ever since. With a title defense coming against Orton at "Money in the Bank," Jinder is looking to become a solid heel champion for the WWE.
Jim Ross' comments on Jinder Mahal
According to Jim Ross, he is a fan of making Jinder Mahal the WWE world heavyweight champion on "SmackDown Live." Ross did have one complaint about the overuse of the Singh Brothers (Bollywood Boys), although Jim did compliment them on the beatings they take in the ring. Ross did say that he loves when heels reach success because he said this adds to storylines in professional wrestling. Ross said he always thinks the heel should win more to get more heat.
Jinder Mahal's future as champion
He is expected to beat Randy Orton in their rematch at "Money in the Bank" and move on to defend his WWE title again at "SummerSlam," the biggest show of the summer. While his opponent is unknown, John Cena is making his return on the Fourth of July, which really makes it sound like he will come back in a Patriotic sense, making challenging Jinder Mahal make sense.
There is a chance that both he and John Cena could wrestle in July, but the best bet is to hold it off until "SummerSlam" in August. If John beats Jinder for the WWE world title, he will break Ric Flair's record of 16 world title reigns. The WWE will likely want to wait until a huge event like "SummerSlam" to give Cena his 17th world title in order to really make money off of it.
With that said, Jinder Mahal and his WWE world title reign should not be discounted. Mahal is proof that anyone could rise to the top of the WWE no matter their station. While Jinder Mahal has been slammed by some fans, surprises like these are good for the WWE.
Jim Ross' other 'SmackDown' comments
Jim Ross had some other thoughts about "SmackDown Live" stars other than Jinder Mahal.
When it comes to Lana getting an immediate women's title shot against Naomi while better wrestlers have to fight in a Money in the Bank ladder match, he said the pressure was on for her to deliver in front of a WWE crowd that is unforgiving.