Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton WWE Battleground 2017 Match Preview and Pick

The most intensely personal rivalry on SmackDown Live will reach its culmination Sunday night in Philadelphia as Jinder Mahal defends the WWE championship against Randy Orton in the first Punjabi Prison match in a decade. 

The contest will bring to ahead a rivalry that has stretched four months and seen the improbable rise of Mahal to the top of the professional wrestling mountain. Without The Singh Brothers lurking at ringside, though, will The Modern Day Maharaja be able to retain his title over a third-generation star (and future Hall of Famer) fueled by a thirst for furious vengeance?

The Background

Mahal rose to prominence on Tuesday nights on the April 18 episode of SmackDown Live, where he defeated Dolph Ziggler, Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper to become No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship.

Fans understandably questioned the logic of a perennial jobber suddenly rising to championship contention via one victory that was incredibly tainted, thanks in large part to the re-emergence of The Singh Brothers.

The protests of those fans would grow louder and more vociferous at Backlash on May 21 when Mahal defeated Orton to capture the title and embark on the most unpredictable championship reign since John Bradshaw Layfield abandoned the safety of the APA offices for the bright lights and stardom of the main event scene.

A vengeful Orton sought retribution for what was a very controversial defeat. After all, The Singh Brothers were absolutely instrumental in Mahal winning the title, their interference providing a distraction of The Viper that Mahal was all-too-eager to take advantage of.

Their role in the story would not be over, though.

At Money in the Bank in Orton's hometown of St. Louis, Mahal would be forced to defend against the third-generation star, whose father was watching from ringside as his son attempted to dethrone The Modern Day Maharaja and earn championship number 14.

Samir and Sunil would make their presence felt again, though, threatening Cowboy Bob Orton at ringside. Orton unloaded on them, bouncing and bumping them around ringside. As was the case at Backlash, though, Mahal caught a distracted Orton with the Khallas and retained.

Sunday night at Battleground, there will be no Singh Brothers to protect Mahal and preserve his title reign. With Orton vowing to unleash an ass-kicking on the champion, The Viper may finally earn the 14th title reign that has eluded him over the last two months.

The Match

There are no disqualifications and no count-outs Sunday night as Orton and Mahal wage war inside the bamboo structure not seen since Batista and The Great Khali fought over the World Heavyweight Championship at No Mercy 2007.

Of course, the rules make it absolutely possible for The Singh Brothers to get involved despite the structure being designed to keep them out. A big bump from the top of the cage by at least one of them is almost a given and would serve as a memorable high spot in a match that is not likely to be filled with them.

Orton and Mahal are methodical workers. They both are old-school professional wrestlers in a day and age where dives, flashy offense and excessive near-falls are all the rage. They are more likely to target a limb and work over it for the majority of the match before initiating a babyface comeback as they are to attempt a high-risk maneuver.

With that said, the success of Sunday's match will rely on the violence they dish out inside the structure. Their previous bouts have been more traditional matches. This is the gimmick bout in which they must incorporate an intensity and aggression fans have not seen out of them to this point.

The entire show has been built around the return of the Punjabi Prison. Working a match like they did at Backlash would render the structure unnecessary and leave the audience unsatisfied.

Expect Orton to be as nasty and violent as we have seen in quite some time and Mahal to deliver the best performance of his career. If they keep things explosive, the passionate Philadelphia audience will react in kind.

Prediction

Mahal needs to leave Philadelphia with his title intact.

While some will point at Orton and say the storyline dictates he gets revenge, wins the title and everyone lives happily ever after, sometimes the good guy does not win. Sometimes, the bad guy is better or smarter and he emerges victoriously to the dismay of the WWE Universe.

This is not a comic book where Batman drops from the sky, beats up The Joker and saves the day.

SmackDown Live is The Maharaja's playground and Sunday night, he reaffirms that sentiment with a definitive victory and moves on from The Viper.

Winner: Jinder Mahal