Randy Orton's RKO out of Nowhere Secures Win vs. Rusev at WWE Hell in a Cell

Randy Orton further bolstered his success against Rusev on Sunday at Hell in a Cell, as he defeated The Bulgarian Brute for the second consecutive pay-per-view.

With Orton lining up for an RKO, Rusev nearly locked in the Accolade out of nowhere, mimicking what is often the nature of his opponent's wins. Instead, Orton countered out and hit Rusev with the RKO for the victory.

ESPN 980's Aaron Oster was disappointed to see Rusev lose:

Wrestling Inc was also somewhat underwhelmed with the result but enjoyed the match otherwise:

Orton dealt Rusev the ultimate embarrassment at SummerSlam, as he hit an RKO out of nowhere to beat The Super Athlete in mere seconds.

That win got The Viper back on track after he lost a previous feud over the WWE Championship to Jinder Mahal, but it resulted in Rusev dropping further down the totem pole.

In response, Rusev challenged Orton to an impromptu match weeks later after The Apex Predator had just beaten Aiden English.

Due to some interference from English, Rusev returned the favor by beating Orton in seconds and evening the score.

That led to a massive celebration that Rusev dubbed "Rusev Day," complete with a song crafted by English.

The celebration didn't last long, however, as Orton crashed the party by hitting English and Rusev with RKOs from out of nowhere.

Orton's attack infuriated Rusev and added significantly more heat to a rivalry that was decidedly lacking it in the weeks prior.

Ever since he joined The Wyatt Family last year, Orton has been at the forefront on the blue brand. He won the Royal Rumble, beat Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania and had a lengthy feud with Mahal over the title as well.

While it can be argued that feuding with Rusev has been a step down, it is also a step up for Rusev, considering he was injured for months before debuting on SmackDown and losing a flag match to John Cena.

Sunday's match was a big one for Rusev with regard to where he stands, and although he came up short once again, SmackDown's lack of top heels could still put him in an advantageous position moving forward.

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