5 things that should’ve happened on SmackDown Live this week 

#3 Randy Orton vs Bobby Roode starts off with a bang

Roode vs Orton is a WrestleMania worthy caliber feud and deserves a WrestleMania worthy caliber build

When Bobby Roode finally debuted on SmackDown Live, many wrestling fans were excited to finally see him bring his strong heelwork to Tuesday nights. Even though being oddly booked as a face, the prospect of Roode’s plethora of dream feuds awaiting him on the blue brand was exciting enough to main event any Smackdown Live exclusive pay-per-view.

Feuds such as AJ Styles vs Bobby Roode could interest a lot of fans, while a revisit to the Nakamura vs Roode feud would have resulted in a classic encounter, and a programme with John Cena could make Roode an instant main eventer.

And now WWE is giving fans one of the rivalries not mentioned above: a United States Championship match between Roode and Randy Orton at Fastlane. Although their match will result in some solid work from both competitors, the set up to the fresh encounter was extremely underwhelming. What is most baffling about the match between Orton and Roode is the fact that it was based on one sole factor - the Smackdown top 10 list.

While WWE’s idea for igniting feuds using the list is commendable, the execution of the angle was utterly poor. This needed to go from a mid-card placeholder rivalry to the blockbuster main event potential it truly has

That could’ve been accomplished if WWE took the time to start building this feud on a weekly basis, and this week they should’ve focused on the main reason why rivalries exist, character motivation. As both Roode and Orton are babyfaces, one of them should’ve established themselves as the heel in the narrative and that Superstar needed to be Orton.

Orton is one of the last veterans on the WWE roster and the only problem facing Orton is that his babyface persona has become stale and uninteresting over time.

Orton is at his peak when portraying himself as a heel -- the same gimmick that launched his career into the stratosphere. The reasoning for a Randy Orton heel turn is staring WWE in the face.

As Randy’s career winds down, logic dictates that he would want to go out as one of the greatest of all time and the US Title is that last pitstop in his 18-year career. Orton being a desperate but calculating heel opposing a somewhat convincing babyface in Roode would instantly elevate the US Title, Roode’s star power, and most importantly, it will give Orton a solid direction after wallowing in the mid-card for years now.

That would’ve been a better way to build towards Orton vs Roode rather than have Jinder Mahal ignite this rivalry with a meaningless list.