Should Rusev Be Named to WWE SmackDown Survivor Series Team over AJ Styles?

Rusev is a win away from making Nov. 19 Rusev Day. A victory next week would propel the powerhouse into the final spot for SmackDown's WWE Survivor Series team.

But he will enter the qualifying match as a major long shot. 

The man he has to beat next Tuesday is AJ Styles. And The Phenomenal One stands on a far higher rung than Rusev. Styles is a former WWE champion and perennial headliner. The Bulgarian Brute is more of a midcarder, someone the company hasn't consistently backed.  

Rusev earned some momentum on Tuesday by knocking off Big E. The win inspired SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon to put him in a qualifying match.

Now Rusev and Styles are set to collide on next week's SmackDown for a berth on the brand's Survivor Series team.

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There's little reason to believe Rusev will win, but the move would be a smart one. First off, Styles doesn't need this match the way Rusev does. The Phenomenal One is a bigger name. Any bout he had on the card would be huge.

Were he to have a rematch with Raw's Finn Balor, for example, it would feel like a co-main event.

Rusev, on the other hand, is in need of a huge match like Raw vs. SmackDown. He's been in and out of the spotlight. He hasn't had much to sink his teeth into booking-wise. Making noise in that brand battle would be a major boost for him.

Plus, a Rusev victory over Styles would give Team SmackDown a singing mascot in the form of Aiden English.

Those two heels have formed quite the entertaining duo. Their comic chemistry has been quite good. Fellow SmackDown star James Ellsworth, for one, is a fan of the Rusev-English pairing:

WWE can highlight this new two-man act by having Rusev do the dirty work in the ring and letting English belt out a ballad about it.

Styles beating Rusev would be par for the course. He's the expected last addition to a crew that consists of McMahon, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura. 

For Rusev, getting past Styles would be a result that gets everyone talking. It would be a shocker.

And currently, every member of the SmackDown squad is a babyface. WWE would do well to mix things up a bit and throw in the villainous Rusev. The team is going to need all the aggression and underhanded tactics it can get.

Styles can find an alternative spot on the stage come Survivor Series as The Bulgarian Brute defends Team Blue's honor one superkick at a time.