WWE News: Randy Orton attacked as SmackDown Live goes off the air

What's the story?

The 8th July episode of SmackDown Live was an entertaining one, if not a very eventful one, leading up to SummerSlam in Brooklyn. The main event saw Randy Orton take on his arch nemesis Jinder Mahal in a grudge match. As Orton celebrated his victory and walked up the ramp, he was blindsided by a kick to the head from Rusev. Here is a video of the incident:

In case you didn't know...

Rusev worked a match with Chad Gable last week, and after he picked up the victory, he challenged someone from the back to wrestle him at SummerSlam. The Viper responded to the challenge and the match was made official for the biggest show of the Summer in Brooklyn.

The heart of the matter

Orton concluded this long rivalry at long last, by picking up the win and cementing himself as the winner of the feud, albeit in a grudge match in this case. As he walked up the ramp and SmackDown Live was getting ready to go off the air, Rusev blindsided Orton and kicked him in the head, leaving him sprawled on the ramp. This was Rusev's only appearance during the show and it sent a chilling message to Orton, ahead of their big match.

What's next?

With one week to go before SummerSlam in Brooklyn, we wonder what tricks Orton has up his sleeve. Knowing him, he won't take the attack lying down.

Author's take

This was a nice way to cap off what was otherwise an uneventful show. It got us excited for the match at SummerSlam and made the battle feel important, even though there is no belt on the line. I think that Orton's winning this one, considering just how many matches he's lost recently.

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