John Cena vs. Rusev: Last-Second Booking Options for WWE Payback 2015

One of the most talked-about matches on the 2015 Payback card is the United States Championship bout between John Cena and Rusev.

The two men have fought against each other in each of the last three pay-per-views, and Cena has taken two victories thus far. Conventional booking suggests Rusev should walk out of this match with the win, but it's hard to imagine Cena saying "I Quit," as the stipulation depicts.

Here are the most intriguing booking options for the United States Championship match at the 2015 edition of WWE's Payback PPV.

John Cena Simply Wins Clean

The most likely outcome Sunday is Cena simply walking into the ring, putting on an elite performance with a skilled performer like Rusev and making him quit in the STF submission move.

As seen in the past with talented stars like Bray Wyatt, Cena and WWE Creative do not subscribe to conventional booking for the 15-time world champion. Burying Rusev after building him into an unstoppable force is par for the course.

Coming into the feud with Cena, Rusev had never been pinned or submitted in his WWE career and was arguably the second-strongest heel in the company behind Brock Lesnar. In just a few short months with Cena, he has lost all momentum he has built.

Cena winning clean should not be a shock to any member of the WWE Universe, but the company's decision to build him strong for a year only to feed him to Cena is one of the main reasons the WWE has trouble building stars for the future.

Lana Throws in the White Towel for Rusev

There has been far too much emphasis on Lana in the build to this match for her to not play any role in the outcome. Instead of her helping Cena, she may be throwing the white towel in for Rusev so he doesn't have to say the words.

With WWE allowing the white towel to act as someone saying "I Quit" in the past—see Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio—this would be an easy way to give Cena the win without actually forcing the challenger to say the words.

The outcome would also lead to Rusev flipping out on Lana and likely firing her. There is little doubt that WWE has been positioning Lana to get cheers from the crowd, and throwing in the white towel could be the last straw for the breakup angle.

Rusev Wins with an Assist from Lana

As intriguing as the angle with Lana throwing in the white towel could be, the most interesting possibility for Sunday is Lana getting sent to the back mid-match and helping Rusev as part of a huge ruse.

In the midst of the battle between Cena and Rusev, Lana will get cheers from the crowd, and he will send his valet to the back. While in the backstage area, Lana can set up the audio gear needed to pull off the ultimate swerve.

When Rusev gets Cena in the Accolade finisher and eventually makes him pass out, Rusev will put the mic next to his mouth, and Lana in the back can hit play on a audio clip of Cena saying "I Quit," just as the duo did this week on SmackDown.

As an ode to The Rock and Mankind from 1999, this would be the ultimate swerve. The caveat of this being the last match in the feud also adds fuel to the possibility of a dirty finish using some sort of heel tactic.

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