5 potential finishes for Randy Orton vs Rusev vs Jinder Mahal vs Bobby Roode - United States Championship

With WWE WrestleMania 34 almost upon us, we are taking a look at five potential finishes that could take place in some of the biggest matches at this year’s event.

In this article, we focus on the Fatal 4-Way match between Randy Orton, Rusev, Jinder Mahal and Bobby Roode for the United States Championship.

Will Orton retain his title on the grand WrestleMania stage? Will Sunday be the happiest Rusev Day in history? Will “uncrowned champion” Jinder get the job done? Or will former champ Roode reclaim the title he lost at Fastlane?

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#5 Jinder Mahal sneaks a victory thanks to Sunil Singh

Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton on three PPVs in 2017

Let’s be honest, the two leading contenders to win Sunday’s Fatal 4-Way match are Randy Orton and Rusev, and nobody is giving Jinder Mahal much of a chance of walking away from WrestleMania as United States champion.

The only way Jinder, who has recently been referring to himself as the “uncrowned US champion”, can realistically win the title is if he receives help from Sunil Singh before hitting an unsuspecting opponent, perhaps Bobby Roode, with the Khallas to pick up the win.

It’s also worth noting that WWE’s dual-brand PPV structure is likely to be centred around title matches from WrestleMania onwards, which makes it even more important for Jinder, Roode and Rusev to remain in the title picture after Sunday’s show.

#4 Bobby Roode cheats to win

Bobby Roode has lost fan support in recent weeks

Bobby Roode defeated Jinder Mahal for the vacant United States Championship in January, but it’s fair to say that his 54-day reign with the title was a lot less “glorious” than anticipated.

The former US champion defended the title against Mojo Rawley on the Royal Rumble kickoff show and against Rusev on SmackDown Live in February, but he lost all of his babyface momentum by the time he lost the title to Randy Orton at Fastlane – a match in which he was repeatedly booed by fans.

Needless to say, another babyface title reign wouldn’t work for Roode, so the only way he can leave WrestleMania as US champ is if he wins by cheating, possibly by screwing fan favourite Rusev out of a victory, to lay the foundations for a heel turn in the weeks after ‘Mania.

#3 Randy Orton retains after another memorable RKO

Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins with an RKO at WrestleMania 31

Randy Orton might not be the most popular babyface in WWE right now, but his RKO finisher remains one of the most popular moves in all of wrestling.

“The Viper” has been known to break out spectacular RKOs at past WrestleMania events, with his WrestleMania 31 execution of the move on Seth Rollins a particular highlight, and this Sunday in New Orleans should be no different.

It’s difficult to think of new ways for the United States champion to pull off his famous move, especially when you consider that none of his three opponents are high-flyers, but this is WrestleMania… and this is Orton… so there’s always a way!

#2 Rusev makes Jinder Mahal submit

Rusev is more popular than ever right now

Rusev has become one of WWE’s most popular Superstars since the “Rusev Day” phenomenon took off in late 2017. However, according to PW Insider, “The Bulgarian Brute” is unhappy about his recent booking and he has been pushing to be released from his contract.

If true, you can hardly blame the former United States champion for being disappointed by WWE’s handling of him, especially when you consider that he has largely continued to play a heel in recent months despite being the biggest fan favourite on SmackDown.

If Rusev wins at WrestleMania RusevMania, then the most obvious outcome would be to have him make Jinder Mahal tap out to The Accolade.

#1 Rusev pins Randy Orton clean after a Machka Kick

Rusev has previously held the US title on two occasions

If WWE really wants to capitalise on the inevitable “Rusev Day” chants around the Superdome on Sunday, then there would be no bigger way for Rusev to win than by pinning Randy Orton clean for the United States Championship.

“The Lion of Bulgaria” faced Orton and John Cena in PPV matches in 2017, which might look like high-profile encounters on paper. In execution, however, there was nothing at stake in any of the matches and Rusev was made to look weak in all three defeats against the WWE veterans (Orton x2, Cena x1).

Fast forward to 2018 and Rusev is in a position now where he is legitimately one of the best characters WWE has – something he has never been before – and he can solidify his status as a major player going forward if he picks up a statement victory over “The Viper”.