United States Champion John Cena def. Rusev ("I Quit" Match)
BALTIMORE — In the final chapter of a brutal rivalry, John Cena not only had to overcome the devastating force of Rusev to retain his United States Championship at WWE Payback, but also the language barrier. Fortunately for Cena, Lana’s conscience could not let her stand idly by as her charge screamed in agony in his native Bulgarian while locked in the STF, leading her to leap in the ring and put an end to the barbaric bout.
Before the bell even rang, Rusev grabbed the microphone and urged Cena to “swallow his American pride” and quit. The brave United States Champion never seemed to entertain the idea, instead leaping at Rusev in a flurry of offense that was quickly cut short by The Russian Tank.
Lana proved to be a distraction for The Hero of the Russian Federation. Following an opening salvo that left Cena stunned, Rusev was perturbed at the WWE Universe’s adoration of The Ravishing Russian, leaving the ring to removeLana from his corner and sit her in a chair at ringside, returning throughout the match to admonish her.
Rusev went right back on the attack, stunning Cena with an onslaught of devastating kicks that would leave a normal man begging for mercy. The Russian Tank even took a few moments to stand over Cena while holding the colors of mother Russia. Unfortunately for the Russian beast, Cena has an unmatched resolve and battled back to his feet, stunning Rusev with a series of shoulder tackles and the Five Knuckle Shuffle.
Every time Cena looked to be gaining the upper hand, however, Rusev found a brutal way to halt him momentum. The recipient of the Gold Star medal hurled Cena shoulder first into the unforgiving steel ring steps, repeatedly ordering the official to ask Cena if he wanted to say “I quit," only for Cena to shove the microphone away.
Things only got worse for Cena, as Rusev brought the steel steps into the ring, tossing Cena into them repeatedly. But after every devastating slam, Cena refused to give up, frustrating the Russian monster to no end. Rusev went to stomp on Cena’s back, setting up for his trademark Accolade, only for Cena to move out of the way and Rusev to drive his foot into the steps. Having weakened Rusev, Cena drove Cena into the steel steps with a thunderous Attitude Adjustment.
