Jinder Mahal vs. Neville: Who Is WWE's Best Turnaround Story in 2017?

At this time last year, Jinder Mahal didn't even work for WWE. He was fresh off competing in a six-man tag team match held in a kiddie park called Fun Station USA. Neville was out of action, with a fractured ankle leaving The Man That Gravity Forgot grounded for months.

Today, Mahal is the WWE champion and is set to headline the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in June against Randy Orton. Neville is the longest-reigning cruiserweight champion in the revamped title's short history.

Neville went from midcard purgatory to the best stretch of his career. Mahal shot up from obscurity to the spotlight.

Who has been the best example of a WWE rags-to-riches story? Who has made the biggest, most emphatic leap upward? The answers lies in how much their careers have changed, how they acquired the gold around their waists and what they have done with the added opportunities. 

Distance Traveled

Mahal resided at the bottom of the WWE barrel when the company released him in 2014.

He was one third of the air-guitar-playing faction of also-rans 3MB. Wins rarely came his way. The only non-Battle Royal pay-per-view match to his name at that point was 3MB's loss to Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and the 51-year-old Brooklyn Brawler in 2012.

Neville, meanwhile, was far more of a midcarder than a bottom feeder.

WWE never consistently showcased him, but he won roughly as often as he lost. At times, he played stepping stone to the likes of Tyler Breeze and Bo Dallas. But he'd also defeat Superstars like Wade Barrett.

Credit: WWE.com

It wasn't until his heel turn, when he ambushed Rich Swann at Roadblock: End of the Line in December, that he started charging toward contention.

Before that, though, his record was still strong. He was 15-5 in the 20 bouts before that night, per CageMatch.net. On the other hand, the 20 bouts before Mahal's surprise win in April saw him go 5-14-1.

Neville's combined winning percentage for the past two years has been .642. 

That beats Mahal's number over the two years before his release by a mile. In 2013, The Maharajah boasted a measly .063 winning percentage. The next year, he raised it to .078. Even the Philadelphia 76ers have to cringe at those figures.

It was unthinkable at that point that Mahal could be a titleholder, much less the WWE world champion.

Neville was a middle-of-the-pack star who moved to the upper rungs of the cruiserweight division. Mahal went from a WWE pauper to royalty. The drastic nature of that change in position makes Mahal's story more noteworthy and more stunning.

The Story of Their Rises

Neville's metamorphosis began with a shocker and built from there.

After Swann outlasted Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins at Roadblock: End of the Line, his friend Neville emerged to presumably congratulate him. Instead, he kicked him in the gut and proceeded to lay out both Swann and Perkins. A vicious side of Neville broke through, leaving the high-flying superhero a darker, more heartless being.

He'd been off TV for weeks. He had zero direction before this.

And soon, Neville was barreling toward the top of the cruiserweight division, claiming to be its king.

Now wearing a constant scowl, he compiled a series of wins until he earned a title shot against Swann at the 2017 Royal Rumble. He snatched the championship from his former friend and has battled hard to keep everyone else from joining him on the mountaintop.

Neville's journey has been logical and well-paced.

It makes perfect sense he's angry about being left out of the cruiserweight division for so long after being such an afterthought for WWE. This violent climb to the championship was an act of revenge.

There's been a similar tone to Mahal's tale.

As he's made his impact on SmackDown, he's made sure to tell his critics they were wrong. The years of being treated as a joke clearly got to him.

Where Mahal's trek has been most different from Neville's is the level of surprise. The King of the Cruiserweight's ascension raised eyebrows. Having Mahal become WWE champion left the audience with wide-open jaws.

Out of nowhere, Mahal earned a shot at Orton's title. On April 18, he pinned Sami Zayn to claim victory and become became the No. 1 contender.

A perennial loser started sprinting past the competition, even pinning AJ Styles. Just over a month after the biggest win of his career, he dethroned Orton at Backlash. 

Both Mahal and Neville's title chases came in a compressed space. Maha's risel remains the most shocking, a curveball no one saw coming.

It's a bigger story for that reason, one that will long be a part of WWE lore.

Neville's path felt more natural. For one, he didn't have to move from such a low spot to begin with. Mahal, meanwhile, was thrust into a No. 1 Contender's match despite not having the resume to suggest he belonged there. 

And Neville's character shift has been easier to buy. A lack of opportunities fueled him, whereas Mahal's impetus has been a perceived distaste for diversity from the fans. Considering the fanbase adores The New Day, Naomi and Shinsuke Nakamura, The Maharaja's narrative feels forced.

Plus, he showed up with The Singh Brothers at his side with no explanation. And those minions have had no character development to speak of since.

Entertainment Value

Neville is the better character. He's believably angry at the world. His promos are dripping with disdain. 

He's a major league villain in a midcard division.

And WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle believes the cruiserweight champ can thrive outside of that realm. During a Facebook Q&A (h/t Wrestlezone), Angle said of Neville: "He's so talented as a wrestler, and his character is strong. He can speak very well, and his style will mesh well with the heavyweights."

Neville's in-ring resume speaks to the talent Angle spoke of.

The King of the Cruiserweights has steadily delivered one of the best matches on each PPV he's been on this year. He's put on excellent showings against Swann, Jack Gallagher, Austin Aries and Mustafa Ali.

Mahal hasn't had nearly as many opportunities, but his bouts have not been as impressive. 

He and Orton put on a fun show at Backlash, but The Viper provided much of the bout's highlights. His encounters with Styles and Zayn were underwhelming.

Mahal has not yet snatched the brass ring as emphatically as Neville from either a character or an in-ring standpoint.

He still feels out of place as a marquee talent. His leap to the top of the pile is more about WWE surprising us than what Mahal has done. 

Neville went from being an afterthought to one of the best things WWE has going for it. Mahal is struggling to fit into his headliner skin. He will have time to adjust as his reign has just begun, but for now, Neville's rise is the more satisfying one.

Mahal, though, is the bigger story.

The distance between where he was and where he is now is vast. And where The King of the Cruiserweights is the top dog of a subsection of the Raw roster, Mahal holds the most prestigious prize in the company. That will make his journey one we remember far longer than Neville's, flaws and all.