Opinion
Making The Case: AJ Styles & Jinder Mahal Delivered A Big Time Main Event
If you know me at all, you know I love Jinder Mahal. I’ve been linked to the guy since calling his push right after WrestleMania 33 (go listen to DWI Podcast episode 100 if you don’t believe me). Jinder is perfect for Smackdown, which has labeled itself as “The Land Of Opportunity.” “The Maharaja” has grown into a performer who can do well in the ring and on the mic, to the point where basically the only knock against him is how he was booked before his meteoric rise.
Flip it around to AJ Styles, who at 40 years old can stake a legitimate claim towards being the very best in the world. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson), CM Punk, Chris Jericho and others have used “Best In The World” as a gimmick, but for AJ it’s no gimmick. It’s due praise.
Leading up to the main event of WWE Clash Of Champions, I heard several arguments being given for their match to not serve as the main event, and I feel they overcame the main two:
- Jinder Mahal doesn’t deserve another main event – That argument is moot at this point.
- Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn had the better build – I’d argue that it had the more intricate build, because it needed to. But that wasn’t a blow-off—this was.
The match itself did so many things right, and I am baffled by fans who are stating the contrary. “It wasn’t for me” just strikes me as a copout for someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. This was a great wrestling match, told a great story, featured great spots, and finished a feud in the right manner.
Exhibit A: The match played to the strengths of both AJ Styles and Jinder Mahal
AJ Styles lives up to his name: he’s a phenomenal athlete, a phenomenal in-ring performer. This match gave him the opportunity to showcase those skills, and Jinder provided the base AJ needed at times to pull everything off.
But AJ’s style (no pun intended, I promise) also allowed Jinder Mahal’s greatest strength—ring awareness—to shine through. Jinder masterfully used his surroundings to work on AJ’s ribs, an element of Jinder’s game that I bet has been there since his run as a low card guy and we simply weren’t smart enough to notice.
Exhibit B: Both men came out looking like a million bucks
Many members of the Internet Wrestling Community love to believe Jinder Mahal’s push came purely due to the WWE’s focus on India, but they should notice by now that that’s simply not the case.
WWE creates stars, and they chose Jinder. I knew they’d pick Jinder after he sold like a champ for Rob Gronkowski at WrestleMania 33…and I don’t mean selling for him in the ring. Jinder sold the situation and made it matter. Without Jinder Mahal, that doesn’t work at all.
For a good portion of this match, Jinder Mahal dominated AJ Styles. He worked a body part and it factored into the match (as it should). But Jinder also sold AJ’s working of his leg, and ended up tapping out to the Calf Crusher.
AJ looked great as well. He overcame Jinder’s onslaught, and was able to deal with The Singh Bros. Plus, he got to kick out of a super finisher. That always helps one’s cause!
Exhibit C: Everything they did was about the WWE Championship
There are plenty of times where the world championship isn’t in the main event. WrestleMania 33 is a great example, along with this year’s Hell In A Cell pay-per-view event. But this event is named for championships, and Clash Of Champions should damn well be main evented by a world title match!
But this match was more than that.
Everything AJ Styles did was to defend his championship. Win, at all costs.
Everything Jinder Mahal did was to regain the championship. Win, at all costs.
Even The Singh Bros., solely in place to help Jinder as a champion, did their job. In fact, I could write an entire article about how The Four Horsemen were put together solely to protect the world champion, and no one has embodied that since. Nobody, that is, but The Singh Bros.
Back to this match, again it was about the title. The match before, which many thought should main event the show, was all over the place. In the end it was more about Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan than it was about the competitors in the ring, and that’s simply not main event material to me.
Closing Argument
I try to respect the opinions of others, but to me this is inarguable. I don’t care if you didn’t like the methodical nature of the match. Maybe it wasn’t the high-flying style you’re used to. Not enough striking for you. Too bad.
Our own Andrew Balaz, in his Official Chairshot Match Ratings, scored this match at four and a quarter stars. I’m not a star-ratings guy, but this seems dead on balls accurate to me.
This was a match where every performer did everything right. Jinder Mahal delivered. The Singh Bros. delivered. AJ Styles delivered. Even the announcers, along with the crowd, delivered. Big fight feel for a big fight.
If you didn’t like it, keep watching it until you do. Learn from it, because it was a masterful performance, equal parts Mahal and Styles, and it is what wrestling should be about.
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
-
Podcasts7 days agoGreg DeMarco Show: WrestleMania 42 – Know What You’re Watching
-
AEW Results6 days agoMitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (4/22/26)
-
Results4 days agoMitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/24/26)
-
Results5 days agoAndrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.23.2026


