Lana Should Cost John Cena the Victory Against Rusev at WWE WrestleMania 31

The build to the battle between John Cena and Rusev for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31 has gone off the rails in recent weeks, but a major curveball from WWE Creative would make this an interesting storyline.

Despite Cena's being the heavy favorite in this matchup, it should be Lana who makes her return to WWE programming and helps Rusev steal the victory and retain the U.S. title.

It has been several weeks since Lana has been seen on television. The company couldn’t have picked a worse time to have the champion’s mouthpiece out of action, but it could all be a ruse to lull Cena into a false sense of security. As a top heel, Rusev's mind games with the babyface are perfect.

Lana's involvement makes perfect sense since it was she who finally succumbed to Cena’s demands and allowed the WrestleMania match to happen. The manager knows that she owes her client for her poor decision, and playing a part in one of the biggest WrestleMania upsets in recent memory would be the ideal way to pay him back.

It wouldn’t be the first time Rusev leaned on Lana for a victory over Cena, either. At WWE Fastlane, she distracted the referee during the bout, and the champion took advantage by hitting Cena below the belt. With the precedent set for interference in the past, it could conceivably happen again at WrestleMania.

The WWE could allow Cena to get the upper hand throughout the bout, but when it came to the end of the match, Lana's distraction of Cena or the referee would be enough to give Rusev a window of opportunity to cheat for the victory.

As one of the top heels in the company, cheating to win only reinforces his character’s willingness to take the easy way out.

If Rusev stuns the WWE Universe by not allowing the challenger to pin or submit him for the first time in his career, the Russian sympathizer will cement his spot as one of the most entertaining heels in the wrestling business today.

As hard as it is to imagine Cena taking a loss at WrestleMania this year, the stage has been set for Lana to repay Rusev by helping him pull off the shocking upset.

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