Kammala jumla mai zuwa: A ranar 18 ga Afrilu na "SmackDown Live", Mahal ya lashe kalubalen kwalliya shida wanda ya hada da Mojo Rawley, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper da Sami Zayn don samun wasan cin kofin WWE Championship bayan tsoma baki daga sabbin abokan Mahal, The Singh Brothers (Samir da Sunil Singh). A matsayin wani ɓangare na labarin, Mahal ya kai wa WWE Champion Randy Orton hari, ya saci belin zakarun kuma ya kashe Orton wasan da ya yi da Bray Wyatt a Payback a ranar 30 ga Afrilu. A ranar 2 ga watan Mayu na "SmackDown Live", Kwamishinan SmackDown Shane McMahon ya tilasta wa Mahal ya mayar da belin taken. Mahal ya ci gaba da kayar da Sami Zayn daga baya a cikin wasan kuma ya sanya Randy Orton a wasan rukuni na mutum shida don samun nasarar tawagarsa a mako mai zuwa a SmackDown. A ranar 21 ga Mayu a Backlash, Mahal ya doke Orton don lashe WWE Championship (gwarzon farko a WWE), ya zama Gwarzon WWE na 50 da aka sani kuma na farko na asalin Indiya. Bayan da Mahal ya gudanar da bikin Punjabi don nasarar WWE Championship, Orton ya yi amfani da sharadin sake dawowa don Kudi a Bankin a ranar 18 ga Yuni; tare da WWE Hall of Famers Bob Orton Jr., Ric Flair, da Sgt. Kashewa a ringside, Mahal ya ci Orton a cikin kariyar farko. Lokacin da wani Orton mai fushi ya bukaci wani wasa, McMahon ya ba shi a kan yanayin da Mahal zai zabi sharadin, wanda aka bayyana a matsayin wasan kurkuku na Punjabi. Tare da Mahal yana nufin Babban Khali a matsayin "gwarzonsa na sirri", Khali daga karshe ya dawo a
Filin yaƙi a ranar 23 ga Yuli don taimakawa Mahal ya ci Orton kuma ya riƙe taken.