2. Original Backlash 2017 Plan For Jinder Mahal Revealed, Reason Behind Mojo Rawley Winning The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Instead Of Braun Strowman

Backlash 2017 featured the biggest moment of “The Maharaja” Jinder Mahal’s career when he defeated the 13 time WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and won the WWE Championship.

However, this moment wouldn’t have happened if WWE officials stuck with their original Backlash 2017 plan for Mahal. According to Sportskeeda, the original plan for Backlash 2017 was for this year’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Mojo Rawley to team up with Rob Gronkowski (from the New England Patriots) to take on the team of Jinder Mahal and a partner of his choosing.

Mojo Rawley won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 instead of Braun Strowman (who was originally scheduled to win it) because Gronk agreed to work a tag team match at Backlash 2017.

However, the New England Patriots demanded that Gronk shouldn’t get physically involved at any WWE event again and this led to the planned tag team match for Backlash 2017 being scrapped (and this resulted in Mojo being left off the Backlash 2017 match-card).

Mojo hasn’t been given much TV time on SmackDown Live as of late and recently jobbed out to Baron Corbin in squash matches at WWE Live Events.