User blog comment:B214/Shin DxD 1 discussion/@comment-29963364-20180803032716/@comment-29963364-20180803064959

Well, like I said: "it's very unlikely due to Issei's reputation and record of accomplishments."

But the best I can come-up with at the moment is...

Issei is a hero to the Underworld, specifically the younger generation of Devils. He is a Reincarnated Devil who has gained near God-class strength, and achieved the rank of High-class Devil, all in just one year since his reincarnation.

He represents the idea that "no matter your origin, you can get stronger and achieve your dream through hard work." This is the message Issei's story and accomplishments send, and Sirzechs and Azazel have been using that to "re-arrange" the political landscape of the Underworld to lean more towards Meritocracy (power to those who earn it) than Elitism (all power to the Pure-Bloods).

Now, if Issei were to lose his upcoming match against Rias, we (the readers) would logically think "oh well, Rias was the better strategist this time" or "Issei's just not there yet."

But the Elitist Devil Higher-ups (perhaps Zekram and his supporters) could take that and warp things to concoct and send a message favoring Elitism.

They could change it from...

"Rias won because she was the better strategist."

to...

"Rias won because she's a Pure-Blood, a difference that no amount of hard work can ever make up for. It's only natural. A lowly Reincarnated Servant, no matter their efforts, could never rise above their betters (pure-blood nobles)."

But AGAIN, I said this is unlikely. And since their are plenty of cases where Reincarnated Devils (like Rudiger and Tannin) have more than proven that they can match, and even out-match Pure-Blood Devils, the Elitist Devils will have "no legs to stand on."