Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal Rumored WWE Survivor Series Match Would Be a Bust

As NXT is in the process of crafting a TakeOver event for the ages, the WWE reportedly has a clunker in mind to headline Survivor Series 2017: Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal.

Normally, a battle between the universal champion and the WWE titleholder would be huge. A battle of the Raw and SmackDown brands' kings would have fans abuzz. Not here.

Lesnar vs. Mahal isn't an appealing matchup from a style perspective. In The Maharaja, it features a champion who hasn't looked worthy of his crown. And there are better options for The Beast Incarnate out there.

Disappointment looms.

But that's the direction the company appears to be going. Dave Meltzer reported on Figure Four Online: "Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal, with neither championship at stake, is right now the planned main event for Survivor Series."

PWMania writer Jason Solomon joked about the rumored match:

There is a distinctly unexcited energy surrounding the rumored Nov. 19 contest. That's no big shock. It's hard to get pumped about a big Mahal match at this point.

In a continuation of a blase title run, the WWE champ has underwhelmed in his last two performances against Shinsuke Nakamura. 

Mahal vs. Nakamura at SummerSlam was one of the PPV's worst bouts. Their rematch at Hell in a Cell was, as Sean Sedor put it for Voices of Wrestling, "painfully average."

And against The Beast Incarnate, there's a good chance Mahal fails to thrill again. He employs a methodical, throwback style that will not mesh well with Lesnar's steamrolling approach. It's not safe to assume Mahal can handle himself in a prime-time slugfest or that Lesnar will look good in a bout heavy on rest holds. 

Lesnar has been at his best of late with guys who can hang with him in a clash full of haymakers. Fellow wrecking balls like Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman are ideal foes. They look and act like the kind of monster that can match up with The Beast Incarnate.

Mahal hasn't been billed as a predator of that variety.

He's a sneaky, cheating scoundrel who escapes with victories. He's a longtime midcarder still in the process of proving himself as a top-tier guy. That's not who you pit against Lesnar. Especially at an event as big as Survivor Series. 

Not having either championship on the line hurts the match's appeal, too.

There will be far fewer stakes if Lesnar or Mahal will be immune from losing their titles. It will feel like an exhibition match of sorts.

That's an odd choice for the main event of one of the Big Four PPVs. 

In the past three years, we've seen Survivor Series' top spot feature the return of Goldberg, the finals of a WWE Championship tournament and a five-on-five battle to decide the fate of the company and potentially oust The Authority from power. Lesnar vs. Mahal can't compare to those in terms of buzz. 

And with the universal champ's limited schedule, the WWE has a sparse supply of Lesnar bouts to go around. Why waste one on Mahal in non-title action when the powerhouse can have around go-round with Joe?

The Destroyer is expected to be back by the end of October, as Meltzer noted for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc.).

Giving him a second crack at Lesnar is a better idea than trying to lean on Mahal in a big spot again. The Maharaja hasn't proved himself to be on Lesnar's level. Giving him the nod come Survivor Series will result in a snoozer.