Backstage News On Rusev Losing Quickly To Randy Orton At WWE SummerSlam
Rusev lost to Randy Orton in just nine seconds at WWE SummerSlam this past Sunday night. It continued Rusev's losing pay-per-view streak, as the Bulgarian brute hasn't won a pay-per-view main card match since defeating Zack Ryder at WWE Battleground in July of 2016.
The loss sparked a lot of rumors about Rusev's WWE future. However, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the quick loss was just a way to kick off their program. The idea is that the first match was a fluke, and Orton winning was due to him needing a victory after his recent lackluster PPV losses to Bray Wyatt and Jinder Mahal.
While WWE didn't further the Orton – Rusev program on SmackDown Live this past Tuesday night, it is the plan going forward. Meltzer noted that the SummerSlam booking call wasn't really "anti-Rusev," but was rather "a major pro-Orton decision."
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
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