WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Jinder Mahal, the Great Khali and More

The Battleground pay-per-view may not have been the most electrifying in recent memory, but it did produce several reports and rumors involving the night's most prominent stars.

From WWE champion Jinder Mahal to United States champion Kevin Owens to heated rival AJ Styles, the blue brand's most recognizable faces are making headlines as it attempts to shift its focus to the August 20 SummerSlam pay-per-view.

What do WWE officials have in store for Mahal's reign atop the SmackDown Live roster and just how real was the controversy surrounding the Styles-Owens finish?

How Long Will Jinder Mahal Be WWE Champion?

According to Cageside Seats, The Modern Day Maharaja's days as WWE champion appear numbered: "Current plans call for Jinder Mahal’s WWE title run to end at SummerSlam or SmackDown's September PPV at the latest."

That has to be considered somewhat of a disappointment for Mahal. After all, it will come on the heels of one championship program against Randy Orton, and only three months after capturing the title.

There will be some who classify his reign as underwhelming, but it is through no fault of the Superstar himself. Mahal has clearly worked extremely hard to become a legitimate main event star. From his work in the gym to the growth and evolution of his in-ring game, The Maharaja has done everything he could have to ensure his reign succeeded.

If when all is said and done, he fails, it will be the fault of a creative team who never truly allowed him to be a credible champion. Always relying on The Singh Brothers, he has been unable to secure that one definitive win that secures his status as a premier star in WWE.

There is still time for him to deliver that win and strengthen his case for a continued run in the main event scene, but taking that title off him will hurt significantly.

The Great Khali's Return Plans

When Great Khali came through the curtain and into the Wells Fargo Center Sunday night in Philadelphia, his return to WWE was greeted with shock and awe. He stalked toward the ring, wrapped his mammoth hand around the throat of Randy Orton and held him stationary while Jinder Mahal climbed out of the Punjabi Prison and retained his title.

According to Cageside Seats, Khali's return to the company serves a "bigger picture" purpose: "The Great Khali was brought in to shore up support for Jinder Mahal in India."

Khali is already an icon in his home country and leaning on him to help strengthen Mahal's status in India is a wise decision on WWE's part. If the Cageside Seats' report is accurate, we could see the former world heavyweight champion back in the ring sooner than later, too: "While plans aren't set in stone, WWE does list Khali as a "Current Superstar" and is considering using him for a match or two, including at SummerSlam."

Khali lumbered to the ring and looked hesitant as he climbed the Punjabi Prison to greet Orton. A high-profile singles run would likely expose just how unfit he is to be in the ring at this point. A tag team match, though, would allow him to hide his weaknesses and lend credibility to Mahal at the same time.

As long as this is not an extended run, Khali's return should be welcomed. Anything beyond that, and some will question why a potentially dangerous worker is still getting television time when guys like Sami Zayn cannot sniff an opportunity to ascend into the main event.

Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles: Controversy or Not?

Kevin Owens countered a crossface Sunday night and pinned AJ Styles to regain the United States Championship, his third in 2017. There was some question about a potential botch and whether or not Owens and Styles knew that was to be the finish.

On Monday's edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer attempted to clarify things (h/t WrestlingInc.com for the transcription): "Styles was scheduled to win the match when the show started. Meltzer noted that the finish that took place was not the original finish, and it's not known if it was changed during the match or right before."

Fightful disputed that report: "Fightful.com was able to confirm with a source that the ending of the AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens United States Championship match went awry, which explains several unusual situations at the close of the match."

The site did go on to reveal it was not told who was scheduled to leave with the belt.

I was in Philadelphia for Battleground, and Styles did stick around for several moments after the match had concluded. What appeared to be his initially selling frustration turned into something more real as he hung around longer and longer, he then proceeded to flip the ring stairs off-camera.

This after he had what appeared to be a not-so-pleasant conversation with referee Bryan Nguyen.

Maybe Styles was being every bit as great as he was, showing the live audience just how important the loss was to him. Maybe the finish was called for during the match, angering him based on what he had been told earlier.

Having been to numerous televised events, it is rare to see a Superstar hang around as long as Styles given the highly structured and timed nature of those shows. When he stomped back the aisle way and flung open the curtain to return backstage, it appeared as though the line between fiction and reality had certainly been blurred.