John Cena vs. Rusev: 'I Quit' Match Winner and Reaction from WWE Payback 2015

John Cena's impressive run as United States champion continued Sunday at WWE Payback as he defeated Rusev in an "I Quit" match to retain the title.

It was Lana who said "I quit" for Rusev, as WWE shows us:

WWE Universe hints that this may trigger a feud between Rusev and Lana:

Rusev was not pleased with Lana after the match:

Both WWE accounts provided some of the highlights of the match: 

Former WWE Superstar Lance Storm credited Cena's performance: 

WrestleZone.com and WrestlingINC.com weren't huge fans of the ending: 

Cena has added a great deal of prestige to the U.S. title since winning it from Rusev at WrestleMania. He has held U.S. open challenges on a show-by-show basis, which has led to some excellent matches. With that said, the Bulgarian Brute aimed to take back what he felt was rightfully his.

Prior to dropping the United States Championship to Cena on the Grandest Stage of Them All, the Super Athlete actually defeated the leader of the Cenation at WWE Fastlane. He needed some help in the form of interference from Lana, but it was a huge victory nonetheless.

After that, though, Rusev wasn't so fortunate. He fell to Cena at the Showcase of the Immortals and followed that up with another loss in a Russian Chain match at Extreme Rules.

Despite his string of losses, Rusev entered Payback with the utmost confidence that he would take down his nemesis:

"

Americans are quitters. At #WWEPayback I will prove that Cena is a false hero when he say #IQuit #AmericasChampion

— Rusev (@RusevBUL) April 28, 2015"

In addition to that, the Russian sympathizer promised an entertaining match, which is something many who purchased the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao don't believe they witnessed:

If nothing else, Rusev and Cena threw everything they possibly could at one another. It was a departure from their previous encounters due to the hardcore element, and while it wasn't a technical masterpiece by any means, they worked hard in an effort to put on a memorable encounter.

There were two schools of thought entering the match regarding who should walk out as champion and why. Some believed that Cena should keep the belt since he has made it feel important again, while others wanted Rusev to regain it since it is so vital to his character.

Also, with Rusev in danger of losing the feud to Cena decisively, a portion of the WWE Universe viewed it as a must-win match for the up-and-comer. Unfortunately for those fans, the creative team thought differently.

Now that Rusev has lost to Cena for a third consecutive time, WWE has to do something drastic in order to re-establish him. Perhaps removing him from television for the time being is the best way to do that.

As for Cena, this win ensures that he will remain in the midcard for now, which is a positive move in many ways.

Even though it can be argued that Cena was used to chop down another rising talent, the fact that he is being kept away from the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is a breath of fresh air.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.