Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I te waahanga o te Paenga-whāwhā 18 o "SmackDown Live", i wikitoria a Mahal i tetahi wero e ono-peke e uru ana hoki ki a Mojo Rawley, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper me Sami Zayn ki te whiwhi i tetahi whakataetae taitara mo te WWE Championship i muri i te aukati mai i nga hoa hou o Mahal, The Singh Brothers (Samir me Sunil Singh). Hei wāhanga o te kōrero, i whakaekea e Mahal te toa WWE a Randy Orton, i tahaetia te whitiki toa, ā, i ngaro ai i a Orton tana tukinga ki a Bray Wyatt i te whakataetae WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Te utu i te 30 o Aperira. I te wahanga 2 o Mei o "SmackDown Live", i akiaki a Shane McMahon i a Mahal ki te whakahoki i te whitiki taitara. I haere a Mahal ki te patu i a Sami Zayn i muri mai i te waahanga me te whakairi i a Randy Orton i roto i te tukinga takirua takirua-takirua kia ono nga tangata kia wikitoria ai tana roopu i te wiki e whai ake nei i runga i te SmackDown. I te Mei 21 i Backlash, i hinga a Mahal i a Orton ki te wikitoria i te WWE Championship (tona toa tuatahi i WWE), ka noho ko ia te 50th WWE Champion kua mohiotia me te tuatahi o te uri Inia. I muri i te mahi a Mahal i tetahi whakanui Punjabi mo tana wikitoria i te WWE Championship, i kii a Orton i tana kupu whakahoki mo te Moni i te Peeke i te Pipiri 18; me te WWE Hall of Famers Bob Orton Jr., Ric Flair, me Sgt. Slaughter i te taha o te ringside, i hinga a Mahal i a Orton i tana tiitara tuatahi. I te wa i tono ai a Orton i tetahi atu tukinga, i whakaaetia e McMahon i runga i te tikanga ka whiriwhiri a Mahal i te whakaritenga, i whakaatuhia he tukinga Punjabi Prison. I te korero a Mahal ki a The Great Khali hei "hero whaiaro", i te mutunga ka hoki mai a Khali ki Battleground i te Hurae 23 ki te awhina i a Mahal ki te patu i a Orton me te pupuri i te taitara.