WWE Bizarrely Overshadowing TLC PPV with Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal Tease

WWE TLC is coming on Sunday, October 22, and there's plenty for fans to talk about.

Asuka is making her Raw main roster debut against Emma. Finn Balor's Demon will return to face Bray Wyatt's twisted Sister Abigail. The company's most popular faction of all time has returned as The Shield will battle in the main event.

But everyone is talking about a match that hasn't even been booked yet: Brock Lesnar versus Jinder Mahal.

So why is this happening?

WWE has never been accused of having perfect timing around the clock. Things don't usually move at the pace fans would like, and oftentimes the WWE faithful is left wondering what went wrong. That doesn't mean the company isn't on the right track, but in this case, the timing indeed seems bizarrely off.

However, that does not necessarily mean it can't work.

Mahal continues to reign as WWE champion even though many believe he should have dropped the title a long time ago. Though he has improved in the ring and has embraced his role to the fullest, his booking tends to fall flat. 

He should be a top player establishing himself as the man to beat. But instead he can't seem to get anywhere without hiding behind his belt and his boys, the Singh Brothers.

Why shouldn't he pick a fight with The Beast Incarnate? A good showing against Lesnar may be just what Mahal needs to finally get the respect he deserves.

But then there's Lesnar, who just doesn't have anything left to do.

The Universal champion has pummeled almost every top guy on Monday Night Raw and nearly everyone on SmackDown Live as well. He destroys every opponent he touches, and he always looks like a monster when he does it.

He's the complete opposite of Mahal in terms of booking and he's lost only nine matches in five years. He could take Mahal down and add one more win to his incredibly dominant record, but that does not help the WWE champion at all.

Of course WWE could put Mahal over on Lesnar.

It could be nothing more than a fluke win, perhaps coming after interference from Roman Reigns. Reigns and Lesnar are overdue for a final showdown, and a distraction of this nature could open the door for that showdown at WrestleMania 34.

But why is this happening now?

Why is WWE already planning a match between its two top champions before TLC even happens? What could be the reason for it, and why even book the match to begin with? Shouldn't Lesnar and Mahal be kept away from each other, especially since their pairing could ultimately lead to talk of title unification?

If WWE insists on the two champions' meeting, the best possible destination is Survivor Series on November 19, and the hype for that should begin after TLC. The red and blue brands will be represented at Survivor Series, which means Lesnar and Mahal could face each other. If they don't, however, then perhaps each man will captain a traditional Survivor Series team for bragging rights in the company.

But again, is all of that really necessary?

TLC should be the focus for WWE. The return of The Shield has become the top storyline in the company. Fans are anxious to see Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose go to war against The Miz, Braun Strowman, The Bar and Kane. That match alone is enough to make TLC a must-see event.

However, the addition of Asuka's main roster introduction and Balor's return to his dark alter ego are added bonuses for the event. Considering TLC has quite a bit of momentum behind it, why overshadow it with a match that doesn't even need to happen?

Has Mahal truly come to a place in his WWE career where he needs to test his mettle against the prizefighting powerhouse? Has Lesnar reached a point where he should just maul The Modern Day Maharaja because he's got nothing better to do?

Where is WWE really going with this?

Instead of putting the focus on Raw's upcoming TLC event, WWE instead has everyone talking about Lesnar versus Mahal. It's a match that doesn't seem to have any purpose, and it's a match that fans may not even want. Mahal has guts and Lesnar would likely love to tear him in half, but apart from that, there seems to be no good reason for this bout to happen.

Timing is indeed everything—meanwhile, the time is all wrong for this one.

Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com