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 remove Lana from his corner and sit her in a chair at ringside, returning throughout the match to admonish her.

See photos from the brutal match |  Full Payback results

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 his 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 The Russian Tank into the steel steps with a thunderous Attitude Adjustment.

Rusev refused to quit, even after Cena picked up the heavy steel steps and tossed them at him. Even after Cena promised that he would send Rusev crashing through the ringside barricade, Rusev would not relent and Cena kept his vow.

With the brawl spreading like wildfire away from the ringside area, Cena grabbed anything at his disposal to clobber the Russian Tank, including monitors, computers and tables. However, the unstoppable Rusev would not give in.

The Hero of the Russian Federation, desperate to put The Champ down, began to mash on the buttons of the pyrotechnics control board, setting off a dazzling display of fireworks. Seeing his opportunity, Rusev tried to slam Cena into the explosives, only for Cena to reverse it, sending Rusev into the fireworks, giving the WWE Universe an unexpected light show. Despite the searing pain after the pyro went off against his skin, Rusev still would not quit.

Crawling back to the ring, Rusev regained his composure as Cena set up a steel barricade against the ring, making his move and slamming The Champ through it. Rusev emerged from the mangled steel and locked Cena in his devastating Accolade. Cena refused to quit and passed out in the hold. Rusev poured cold water on Cena to revive him and get him to say the words “I quit,” the only way to win the match.

A desperate Rusev removed the top turnbuckle and charged at Cena with it, only to end up trapped in the STF. Cena wrenched back even further in the hold, using the ring rope across his opponent’s nose for extra leverage. Rusev’s painful screaming echoed throughout the sold-out Royal Farms Arena as Lana jumped out of her seat. Increasingly distraught with every scream Rusev let out in his native language, The Ravishing Russian got into the ring and quit for her charge, putting an end to the carnage once and for all.

The final chapter in the devastating rivalry between John Cena and Rusev was written at WWE Payback, with Cena standing tall as the American flag flew high in Baltimore. However, there are still questions that the WWE Universe will want answered. Did Rusev actually say “I quit” in Bulgarian, or did the official, not wanting to see a career-ending injury, take Lana’s word for it? Also, what toll will this brutal bout take on John Cena? Will the United States Champion continue with his U.S. Open Challenge on Raw or take time to recover from one of the most physical bouts of his storied career?