4 Times John Cena tapped-out to his opponents

John Cena is arguably the biggest WWE Superstar of this generation, not only in terms of his achievements but also his popularity. The leader of Cenation, as we all know, is a role model for many kids and adults, who look up to his spirit to keep fighting and never give up!

We've seen him pull out a towel with the words "Never Give Up" written on it during his entrance and show it to the camera, giving all the viewers sitting at home watching him a huge life lesson.

But do you know the guy who many think never gives up has actually tapped-out to his opponents a few times in his career? If you became a WWE fan after the PG era, you would remember John Cena as a guy who overcomes all the odds put against him, and defeats every opponent, no matter how big and strong he might be.

While in recent years, we've seen Cena starting to take quite a few pinfalls in his matches to put over younger superstars, previously it was a very rare occasion to see anyone keep him down on the mat for a 3-count. While tapping out? That just isn't an option for Cena.

But the fact is, John Cena has tapped out a few times in his career, that too clean. WWE might not want its fans to remember this, but I've got you covered.

In this article, let's take a look at 3 instances when the Champ, John Cena submitted to his opponents inside the ring. Feel free to share your thoughts and views in the comments section below.

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#4 vs Chris Jericho (SmackDown, 2002)

This was the first instance of Mr Hustle Loyalty Respect tapping out in the middle of the ring to his opponent. During a match against Y2J Chris Jericho on an episode of SmackDown in 2002, John Cena tapped out after Jericho caught him in the Walls of Jericho.

While this loss came before Cena had adopted his Never Give Up gimmick, it still counts as the first instance of SuperCena tapping out to his opponent.

#3 vs Chris Benoit (SmackDown - December 2003)

John Cena once tapped clean to Chris Benoit!

Due to obvious reasons (due to the wrestler involved), this match is something WWE might not even acknowledge ever happening. But the fact remains that John Cena tapped out to Chris Benoit during a #1 contender's match for the WWE title during an episode of SmackDown in December 2003.

A match that was meant to decide the then WWE Champion Brock Lesnar's opponent after a messy Battle Royal finish the previous week, John Cena and Chris Benoit put on a solid match with Cena battling an injured right arm.

The ending of the match saw Big Show cause a distraction that led to Benoit applying his famous Crippler Crossface on Cena, who immediately tapped-out, making Chris the #1 contender for the WWE title.

Cena then went on to have a program with the Big Show for the United States Championship that culminated at WrestleMania 20, with Cena winning his first title in WWE.

#2 and #1 vs Kurt Angle (No Mercy 2003 and No Way Out 2004)

Kurt Angle is the only superstar in this list who have made John Cena tap out not once, but twice in his career. We all remember the kid with "Ruthless Aggression" stepping up to Kurt Angle during his debut.

Cena and Angle had a match at No Mercy 2003, with Cena playing the heel "Thuganomics" gimmick. Angle ended up humbling Cena in the match after he countered the F-U into an Ankle Lock, forcing Cena to tap out.

The second time Kurt made Cena tap was at the No Way Out PPV in 2004 in a triple threat match also involving Big Show. In what was a highly exciting match, Kurt angle-slammed Big Show out of the ring and then caught Cena in the Angle lock in the middle of the ring. This left Cena helpless and forced him to tap for the second time to the Olympic Gold-Medalist.

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How many of these did you remember? If Cena were to tap to someone now, which finishing move and superstar could have handed him a tap-out defeat? Do let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.