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| Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton in action at WWE Backlash 2017 (Photo: © WWE) |
Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to become one of the most unlikely WWE Champions in history at WWE Backlash.
The 30-year-old Punjabi Canadian grappler shocked the world by dethroning the 13-time world champion at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Mahal, who returned to WWE last year after being released from his contract in 2014, was previously an "enhancement talent" who helped build other stars.
But last night he captured the most prestigious title in all of wrestling thanks to the interference of his sidekicks the Singh Brothers in the main event clash.
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| Jinder Mahal is the new WWE Champion (Photo: © WWE) |
A fired-up Orton, who attacked Mahal before the bell, became so annoyed with Jinder's henchmen that he gave them a savage beatdown at ringside.
But after delivering a double rope-assisted DDT to the pair, he turned into the path of Mahal, who hit his Khallas cobra clutch slam to capture the gold.
The result left fans in the crowd open-mouthed in a state of sheer disbelief, a feeling matched by millions watching at home around the globe.
The evening began with a strong opening bout as the charismatic Japanese megastar Shinsuke Nakamura made his main roster in-ring debut.
He faced a disrespectful former world champion in the shape of Dolph Ziggler, who spat at the King of Strong Style and hit him with everything in his arsenal.
That treatment, after Nakamura had kicked out of his opponent's Zig Zag finisher, only served to provoke the former NXT Champion into a furious reaction.
He delivered yet more scintillating kicks before connecting with his Kinshasha running knee strike and finally silencing Ziggler's arrogant taunts.
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| Dolph Ziggler faced Shinsuke Nakamura (Photo: © WWE) |
The match of the night was definitely AJ Styles versus Kevin Owens, with the manner of Owens’ victory via count out meaning this feud is set to run and run.
The new face of America retained his United States Championship after a cracking back and forth encounter with the Phenomenal One that lived up to expectations.
Styles was unable to perform his Phenomenal Forearm due to the targeting of his right leg by KO, including a vicious cannonball splash onto the injured limb.
A desperate AJ nailed Owens with a snap suplex on the edge of the ring apron, but when he attempted to hit a Styles Clash on an announce table, fate intervened.
He fell with his leg becoming trapped in a hole on the table, allowing KO to retreat and the referee award him the match after a count of 10, which AJ could not answer.
Zayn repeatedly sold an injury to his lower back but valiantly struggled on in the face of such a powerful opponent and eventually got his rewards.
He hit his patented Helluva Kick for the win, after showing again he is superb at making fans believe in his predicament and invest in his fortunes.
The Usos retained their SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Breezango in a very entertaining match, which was a mixture of good comedy and wrestling.
Tyler Breeze donned a series of bizarre disguises including impersonating an old lady in a dress as he and Fandango sought to topple the Samoan pairing.
They had fans laughing along with their antics but Jimmy and Jey Uso unceremoniously ended the fun by superkicking Fandango off the top turnbuckle.
Luke Harper again looked like a star in the making after a decent singles win over Erick Rowan, while Tye Dillinger kept his momentum going by dispatching Aiden English.
The six-women tag team match that saw the Welcoming Committee defeat Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch didn’t set the world alight but was decent nonetheless.
Natalya, Tamina and Carmella triumphed as Nattie made Lynch tap out to her Sharpshooter submission. How long can Naomi, Charlotte and Becky co-exist?
Full Results
1. Tye Dillinger defeated Aiden English in a singles match (Kickoff pre-show)
2. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler in a singles match
3. The Usos (c) defeated Breezango in a tag team match to retain the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
4. Sami Zayn defeated Baron Corbin in a singles match
5. The Welcoming Committee (Natalya, Carmella and Tamina) defeated Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in a six-woman tag team match
6. Kevin Owens (c) defeated AJ Styles in a singles match to retain the WWE United States Championship
7. Luke Harper defeated Erick Rowan in a singles match
8. Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton (c) in a singles match to become the new WWE Champion.
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