John Cena vs. Rusev: Winner and Reaction from 2015 WWE Fastlane

John Cena has overcome almost every challenge placed in front of him since entering WWE in 2002, but he hit a massive roadblock Sunday night at Fastlane as he fell to United States champion Rusev via submission.

WWE provided an image of Rusev sealing the deal:

WWE author Kevin Sullivan suggested this won't be the last time these two meet in the ring:

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That match obviously has rematch written all over it. #WWEFastlane #CenavsRusev

— Kevin Sullivan (@SullivanBooks) February 23, 2015"

WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross provided his take on the match:

RingsideXcess.com had high praise for the strong work of Rusev: 

It has long been assumed that Cena would eventually enter into a feud with The Bulgarian Brute. Rusev has smashed through the likes of Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Big Show and Sheamus during his short run on the main roster.

All of them failed to defend the United States against Rusev and his Russian valet, Lana, and while Cena stepped up at Fastlane, he joined the list of pro-American Superstars who have been crushed by the dominant titleholder.

The rivalry between Rusev and Cena started in a fairly unassuming manner when the brash rookie interrupted Cena's interview following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Rusev was furious after being the last Superstar eliminated by Roman Reigns, but Cena clearly wasn't happy with the way he went about expressing that, as seen in this photo courtesy of WWE Universe on Twitter:

The two successful Superstars proceeded to get into a shoving match, which led to The Authority announcing they would face off at Fastlane.

While the rivalry between Cena and Rusev has had something to do with the United States against Russia, it has been predicated even more on Cena wanting to prove he is still the biggest star in WWE today.

Per WWE Universe, Cena made it clear that he intended to put a stop to Rusev's impressive streak of dominance at Fastlane:

In an act of defiance, though, both Rusev and Lana brushed off Cena at times and acted as though he wasn't a legitimate threat:

Cena has never been one to take disrespect lightly, though, and he did everything possible to make Rusev view him as a worthy challenger during the lead-up to the pay-per-view.

Many assumed Rusev would come out on top at Fastlane, with Cena getting some measure of revenge at WrestleMania XXXI. The first step toward that potential result was taken Sunday night, as Cena was saddled with a rare loss.

There is still plenty of bad blood between them, and Cena will undoubtedly want an opportunity to settle the score.

Rusev's win at Fastlane adds some intrigue to the feud, assuming that it will carry over to WrestleMania. Cena doesn't lose very often on the grandest stage of them all, but after beating Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania XXX, an argument can be made that it would behoove WWE to have Cena put the rising star over this time around.

At the same time, WWE obviously loves to give their cash cow some WrestleMania moments, and it stands to reason that the company would love to make its flagship star the first guy to pin or submit Rusev.

Regardless of what happens at WrestleMania, though, beating Cena on a pay-per-view is no small feat. Rusev's victory is significant in terms of adding even more credibility to his character, and it gives him an incredible amount of momentum entering the biggest event of the year.

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