Why China could have its first WWE champion sooner than you think

Unsurprisingly, John Cena is front and centre of WWE’s promotional material for their upcoming Shenzhen live event on September 17.

But it is an unfamiliar face, to casual fans of the professional wrestling product at least, who could be walking into the Shenzhen Civic Centre as WWE champion.

Previously unheralded Jinder Mahal, an Indo-Canadian born and raised in Calgary, skyrocketed to the very top of the pecking order on the company’s “SmackDown Live” television show in May when he defeated Randy Orton to claim his first WWE championship.

Before that victory, Mahal had never even won a match on a pay-per-view event in just six outings since first debuting with the company in 2012.

Before he won a six-man match in April on SmackDown to become the number one contender to Orton’s title, he had lost 404 of his 501 bouts.

Mahal was seen as little more than an “enhancement talent” – someone who is regularly booked to lose to more established performers to make them look good.