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That’s right. I said it. Every story, no matter how epic, eventually comes to an end. Jinder’s end is here. It is time for him to drop the WWE title. Some, if not all of you reading this may be surprised to hear this from me. It can be argued that I’m the single biggest Jinder supporter in our neck of the woods. My support has not wavered. I am merely being a realist. Before I delve into why I believe the time has come for a title change, allow me to dispel some misconceptions. First, Jinder Mahal shouldn’t lose his title because he’s a “bad wrestler”. He’s not a bad wrestler at all. A.J. Styles he isn’t, but his body of work during his title reign has been satisfactory. He gave Randy Orton his two best Pay Per View matches of the year. Sandwiched around solid matches with Mahal were turds against the likes of Bray Wyatt and Rusev that I am still struggling to flush. The idea that he is the “worst wrestler” to ever hold the WWE title is simply ridiculous. Second, Jinder Mahal shouldn’t lose his title because he “isn’t over enough”. He’s plenty over. In the ring, he gets booed while his opponents get cheered. When he cuts promos, he crowd responds. His job as world champion is to elicit the reaction you’d expect from a top heel. He accomplishes just that. Once again, my desire to see Jinder lose his title is not rooted in his crowd reactions. Lastly, and perhaps most important of all, I don’t want to #hinderJinder because The Doc has banned me from his podcast until he’s no longer champion. That’s right you filthy pirate hooker. I know you’re reading this and you should be ashamed of yourself. So if it’s not his wrestling, his overness or my unfortunate ban from “The Doc Says”, what is the cause for my desire to see Jinder lose the strap? It’s time. It really is that simple. Jinder won the belt on May 21st, 2017. He’s approaching five months as champion. He’s defended his title on four Pay Per Views already. It’s the 6th longest title reign this decade and he’ll end up moving into the 4th spot before the next Pay Per View hits. The only runs that will have been longer are the iconic reigns of CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins. As you can see, he’s rapidly approaching rarified air for title reigns in the modern day WWE. He doesn’t warrant that type of run and his title reign was never intended to be that. The purpose of his title run was to a) get people talking, and b) act as a bridge to fill the gap of time on the wrestling calendar where the average fan pays less attention. Mission accomplished. He’s been a lightning rod for conversation and performed admirably. Now it’s time to move on. Here’s a scenario that works for everyone. Survivor Series is the perfect time to make the switch. It’s a Big 4 PPV that deserves a huge moment. The end of Jinder’s title reign definitely qualifies. Shinsuke Nakamura is incredibly popular despite a complete lack of any skill that works in the WWE. Let third time be the charm and have him take the strap. He’s slipping into irrelevancy and the WWE title is just what the doctor ordered. Nakamura doesn’t work as WWE champion for any length of time, but he serves his purpose. He’s the face that KO can beat for the title. KO and Sami are such a hot heel act and it is a foregone conclusion that Smackdown will be built around them. KO is the uncrowned champion. He can’t be the guy to take the title off of Jinder. It needs to be a face. Nakamura is the perfect choice. Jinder will be fine. He was an irrelevant jobber and now can settle back into the role most suited for him – a mid-card to upper mid-card attraction. He doesn’t need the title to become a big star in India. When the WWE visits in two months, fly Cena or Roman in to lay down for him in the main event. No harm, no foul. I’ve enjoyed Jinder’s reign and especially enjoyed the angst it has caused some of the worst trolls in our community. His championship journey is destined to be overrated by the likes of me and underrated by the likes of you. In every relationship, it’s important to know when the right time to let go arises. I’m ready. It’s time to hinder Jinder.
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