WWE SmackDown: 10 Things You Might Have Missed (Aug 9)

2. Rusev Attacking Randy Orton

Rusev Randy Orton
WWE.com

When that 'registered trademark' graphic flashes up on screen near the end of broadcasts, WWE fans are conditioned to expect that nothing else of note will happen. This week, WWE bucked that trend by booking Rusev to smash Randy Orton with a kick right before SmackDown went dark.

Anyone who missed this could be forgiven, because WWE's producers nearly did too. Rusev was handed a grand total of 5 seconds air time to make an impression. Again, wouldn't it have made more sense to have him intrude on Orton's match with Jinder Mahal, thus saving the WWE Champion from an unnecessary clean loss?

Randy barely had time to sell the boot before SmackDown went off the air. In fairness, this felt different to the usual WWE formula. You know the one: a beatdown occurs in plenty of time for the perpetrator to pose. In that respect then, it's a refreshing twist on the established format.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.