WWE Must Avoid Jinder Mahal vs. John Cena Feud After Battleground Wins

Both Jinder Mahal and John Cena were victorious at WWE Battleground, which sets up a collision course for the two SmackDown Live stars to face off for the WWE Championship come SummerSlam. 

With The Great Khali in his corner, Mahal now has a full fleet of WWE Superstars in an unnamed stable that will hopefully add more firepower to what has been a lukewarm, experimental run. 

Given Mahal's gimmick as an anti-American foreigner, and Cena's love for the United States growing with every second, the last thing WWE needs is yet another feud pitting USA against "the enemy." 

WWE Battleground was filled with storylines that pit foreigners against All-American heroes. The top three matches saw Canada vs. America (Kevin Owens against AJ Styles), Bulgaria vs. America (Rusev against Cena) and India vs. America (Mahal against Orton). 

Is WWE really going to quadruple down on a tired concept that could serve as an explanation of why the pro-wrestling audience has grown so old, per John Lombardo and David Broughton of the Sports Business Journal? 

WWE has gone to the well one too many times with its glaring themes of patriotism. If WWE does plan on capitalizing on its popularity in international markets such as India, constantly portraying foreigners as invasive heels is not the way to go. 

Cena loves America, we get it. But this is a message that may not be resonating with today's wrestling audience. Battleground's ticket sales were quite humble headed into the final days before the pay-per-view, with WWE eventually opting to offer discounted prices, per WWE promotional emails (h/t Wrestling Inc). 

Perhaps fans are burnt out on a decades-old booking strategy that could hardly be considered fresh when Hulk Hogan was doing it in the 1980s. 

How many different ways can Cena profess his love for the United States while promising to fight off any outsider who threatens its freedoms?

If WWE is to move forward with a Mahal-Cena feud, it would behove it to add more nuance and creativity. Mahal and Cena can't keep cutting the same promos. The two need a different angle as to why they can't see eye to eye because I'm not sure xenophobia draws, especially with WWE still fearful of using the words "Donald Trump" on its programming. 

It's time for a change. There are plenty of opponents for both Cena and Mahal (Chad Gable anybody?) who could use a much-needed boost in profile on the blue brand.

And if Mahal and Cena came face-to-face, it's hard to believe WWE would do anything other than revert to its same old tricks. 

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.