I think you should look into what starting point means.
historical data of a hypothetical modern day RSV that doesn’t exist? that must be some pretty wild data
No, the data of RSV when it did exist and data of MSV. The player count absolutely tanked when survival went melee and it has never recovered.
BM/MM also do not bring anything other ranged don’t, so by your logic it seems like the entire class should be binned.
BM is the most mobile rdps in the game, they have misdirect, traps, feign death etc. Plus they are the only 2 physical rdps in the game. And while yes, MSV has some of the same tools, the fact that melee is a much more crowded space means that melee need more in order to stand out. Other melee can do similar damage, bring similar utility and can take way more hits than MSV.