WWE in Danger of Depleting Rusev's Momentum at Payback

WWE will be hacking a monster at the knees if it pins another loss on Rusev at Payback.

Rather than portray Rusev as a formidable force going forward, the company has set itself up to derail the bruiser's journey. A potentially momentum-erasing loss awaits him in an "I Quit" match at the upcoming pay-per-view.

Wins and losses, of course, don't tell the entire story in pro wrestling. The timing and quality of those victories and defeats are important to consider as well.   

Both of these elements are working against Rusev here.

At Extreme Rules, he hit the canvas courtesy of an Attitude Adjustment, and then Cena touched the fourth corner of the ring. That slap of the turnbuckle set off a green light at the ring post, allowing Cena to retain as Rusev fell once more.

Credit: WWE.com

That result, taken out of context, is not all that bad. Rusev was in control for much of the night and didn't fall via submission or pinfall. Look deeper, however, and it's hard to not see Rusev's trajectory pointing downward.

This was supposed to be his specialty matchup. It was a Russian Chain match, not a West Newbury Chain match.

But more importantly, this came just one event after Rusev's first definitive loss. The Bulgarian Brute had gone over a year without suffering a pinfall or submission. Cena changed that at WrestleMania with an AA. 

Rusev wasn't pinned here, but two pay-per-view losses in a row certainly don't paint him as an unstoppable beast.

Rather than stop the story there and allow Rusev to collect wins elsewhere, WWE has him in line to face Cena in an "I Quit" match. Jason Solomon of PWMania is among those who are dubious about the idea:

If Rusev loses that night, he'll suddenly have a third straight pay-per-view loss on his resume and a 1-3 record against Cena. 

That does not sound like the work of a monster; it sounds like what so many men have done before Rusev. Ryback, Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt are among the recent heels to stumble once they started to tango with Cena.

If no one ever topples Superman, it's the hero who will be remembered most, not all the villains who fell at his feet.

This match type is the last thing Rusev wants. Cena's character revolves around never giving up. For him to actually give up in a match would be like gravity suddenly remembering Neville or Sheamus becoming disinterested in fighting.

It's no surprise then that Cena has yet to lose one of these bouts:

Event	Opponent	Result
Judgment Day 2005	John "Bradshaw" Layfield	Cena wins.
Breaking Point 2009	Randy Orton	Cena wins.
Over the Limit 2010	Batista	Cena wins.
Over the Limit 2011	The Miz	Cena wins.

Batista was on the way out when he said, "I quit." As for The Miz, his story post-quitting is one Rusev fans won't want to hear.

The Miz's WWE title hopes ended when he lost at Over the Limit. He moved on from feuding with Cena to tangling with Alex Riley. Miz found himself losing to his former protege several times over before moving on to team with R-Truth and then perpetually hang around the Intercontinental Championship picture.

Losing to Cena alone didn't send The Miz down that path. It's hard, though, to see a heel as a serious threat right after he whines "I quit"  into a microphone. That is, of course, unless his name is Terry Funk and he's a bona fide legend by the time he loses to Rick Flair in this type of matchup.

There is no protecting this loser in an "I Quit" match. It results in a hugely powerful win for one man and an especially damaging loss for the other. This clash involves of one man overpowering another. A Rusev loss will mean that Cena broke his will.

It will be a sight reminiscent of Cena's manhandling of Rusev back in March:

After already losing to Cena at WrestleMania and Extreme Rules, that is far from what Rusev needs right now.

Cena is so established that he could bounce back from that loss and still be highly relevant. Rusev hasn't yet fully made his impression on WWE fans. Having him surrender is the opposite of showing him to be someone worth fearing.

Like WWE had to do with Wyatt after he fell to Cena time and time again, it will have to do some major image repair for Rusev should he fall at Payback.

Just a few months ago, he was a bulldozer tearing through walls. At May's pay-per-view, he stands to become another of Cena's victims, one of the villains passed out in the background as Superman flexes for the cameras.