Best Possible Outcomes for John Cena vs. Rusev at WWE Extreme Rules 2015

The only match confirmed for the 2015 edition of Extreme Rules is the WrestleMania 31 rematch for the United States Championship between John Cena and Rusev.

After watching Rusev win the first bout at WWE Fastlane and seeing Cena even the odds at WrestleMania, the rubber match between the two men should be one of the best matchups at the April pay-per-view.

Here are the best possible outcomes for Cena vs. Rusev at Extreme Rules.

Lana Redeems Herself

Ever since Lana agreed to give Cena the match at WrestleMania 31, the relationship between Rusev and his manager has been strained. At Extreme Rules, she should help the Russian sympathizer regain the United States Championship.

While it likely won’t be with her shoe and shouldn’t be how she interfered at Fastlane, Lana has shown the ability to help Rusev win by distracting the referee. Just as she has done in the past, her distraction should cost Cena the victory.

Cena does not need to come out on top in this feud, but the majority of the WWE Universe understands that clean wins over Cena are not easy to come by. Instead, Lana throwing Rusev brass knuckles behind the referee’s back (or something along those lines) is a much more likely scenario.

Regardless of how it happens, Rusev deserves to win the match at Extreme Rules, and he has proved in this feud with Cena that he has earned the right to become the ultimate victor in the rivalry. Rusev must walk out of the PPV with the U.S. title.

Cena Loses Due to Interference and Sets the Stage

One of the most intriguing possibilities is to have Rusev win the match after another wrestler gets involved and brutally attacks Cena. It would give Rusev the United States Championship and shift Cena to a new singles feud.

There are several possible options for the star who gets involved to cost Cena the match, but the most likely options are Sheamus or Dean Ambrose.

Sheamus came back with a vengeance as a heel last Monday on Raw, and he could run to the ring and hit a Brogue Kick on Cena at Extreme Rules, handing Rusev the easy win. A Cena vs. Sheamus program would be interesting and a solid upper-midcard storyline.

On the other hand, Ambrose has been slowly teasing a heel turn, and coming out to beat down Cena would cement the turn. Ambrose and Cena would have a great feud on the mic and in the ring, and this would be the ideal usage of the Lunatic Fringe if he’s not in the world title scene.

The Franchise Player Takes a Clean Pinfall

I know. This, of all the possible outcomes, is clearly the least likely, but after Cena won at WrestleMania, there is no way Vince McMahon and company can believe the Cenation leader taking a clean loss at Extreme Rules would harm him in any form or fashion.

Add in the fact that a clean win over Cena would give Rusev instant credibility as a top heel and cement his status as one of the cornerstones of the future, and a straight-up clean loss for the United States champion would be the best possible booking.

As seen from Cena’s track record over the last decade, though, he will not lose without some sort of dirty finish, if he even loses at all. For once, Cena should put someone over 100 percent clean and help build a heel for the future.

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