Jinder Mahal vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series isn’t so bad of an idea

WWE Champion Jinder Mahal issued a challenge to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar on SmackDown Live. Naturally, that got people talking. While it might seem grating, this might not be so bad of an idea.

When the Wrestler Observer Newsletter dropped the news that Jinder Mahal would be facing Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, WWE fans everywhere were quick to throw their reactions. Many were anticipating Tuesday night’s SmackDown Live to see if this would indeed be true. As time would come to pass, the WWE Champion indeed issued a challenge to the Universal Champion from RAW.

It’s easy to understand why there was much hemming and hawing about this. Jinder Mahal vs. Brock Lesnar? Someone would have slapped you in the face if you told them this was going to happen a year ago, let alone three or five. Would it have happened as a way to feed Lesnar? Would it just be bait-and-switch? Just a running gag? No, as it turns out, Jinder Mahal will indeed face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series in November.

There will likely be many detractors for this match. They’ll cite Jinder’s in-ring skills. They’ll also cite Brock’s laziness. Blending the two together may result in disaster. To play Devil’s Advocate though, this may not be so bad. Seriously.

Champion vs. Champion allows for more variety at Survivor Series

Survivor Series has always been about the classic elimination tags. Last year, we saw brand warfare take center stage, just like 2005. On that night, there were three massive elimination tag team matches that pit damn near everyone against each other.

Looking back, maybe that wasn’t the best idea. Especially in the jumbled up match featuring all of the tag teams. Sure, some of the matches were pretty good, including the one revolving around the top stars of RAW and SmackDown Live. But Jinder vs. Brock may be a way to get attention elsewhere. AJ Styles and Kevin Owens were WWE and Universal Champions, respectively, heading into Survivor Series last year. Both were prominent fixtures in the tag team match. Now, WWE and Universal Champion will be colliding against each other this year.

For that reason, this may provide opportunities for others to lead tag teams if they go that route. But with that said, they may not even choose to.

With The Shield being back, there could be an opportunity for them to face a trio on SmackDown Live. Or, depending on the result of TLC’s main event, a chance for them to gain reinforcements to face the five-man team they’re facing. It’s hard to see a lot of camaraderie

So, there might not be any brand warfare tag matches this year. Considering some of the mess that happened last year, that might not be a bad thing.