5 Times Randy Orton won a match he shouldn't have

#4 Randy Orton vs. Rusev (SmackDown 7/11/2017)

It only takes one...@RusevBUL will NOT be joining the #SDLive Men's #SurvivorSeries team. @RandyOrton pic.twitter.com/aW3s22LznR

— WWE (@WWE) November 8, 2017

The tale of Rusev in WWE is an unfortunate one. He was genuinely one of the most over Superstars in the company, but Vince McMahon seemingly dismissed his support as the fans mocking him. Several things probably should have gone Rusev's way, particularly in 2017. His feud with Randy Orton was not well-booked.

The Bulgarian Brute lost two pay-per-view matches to The Viper, with the only good coming out of this angle being the birth of 'Rusev Day'. This should have resulted in a big push for him soon after, as there was an opening in the SmackDown men's team for Survivor Series.

Rusev would have largely benefited from being in the team, but it did not happen. He had to beat Randy Orton, who was already in the team, to join. Rusev should have won this, even if it wasn't clean. John Cena ended up taking the final spot on Team SmackDown.

Congrats to my friend John Cena who qualified for the survivor series fair and square...... go get them TIGER

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) November 8, 2017

It was quite exciting at the time, but Cena's role in the match was minimal and he was eliminated without much fanfare at all. Rusev could have used this spot to further develop his character and improve the story of the match. Instead, WWE went for an impulsive injection of star power.