Professional wrestlers are notoriously tough. From putting their bodies through unimaginable pain to defying gravity, the performers are some of the most physically impressive athletes in the world today. To be a professional wrestler, you need to have a high tolerance for pain, considering injuries are considered to be a part and parcel of the business.
As such, the WWE superstars have a considerably high threshold for pain. Furthermore, there have been superstars who’ve become legendary figures for the battles they’ve been part of. Today, we take a look at 10 such performers, who’ve almost never tapped out throughout their WWE careers.
Yokozuna
Having a size advantage over your opponent always helps. However, when you outweigh your opponent by at least 200 pounds on a regular basis, it almost always works in your favor, considering it becomes almost impossible to lock you in a submission hold. Yokozuna will go down as one of the biggest superstars (literally) in WWE history, and it also meant that Yokozuna almost never tapped out in his WWE career!
Yokozuna is a former WWE Champion, and went up against the biggest names in the 90s, including one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time, Bret Hart. However, it was almost impossible for anyone to trap Yokozuna in their submission hold, resulting in Yokozuna largely losing his matches by either pinfall or count outs/disqualifications.
Umaga
When Fatu returned to WWE as Umaga, he was pushed as an unstoppable savage. Umaga soon found success in the company, winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Umaga was nearly unbeatable, but that was until “The face that runs the place” John Cena ran into the Samoan Bulldozer.
While Cena beat Umaga, the Samoan superstar remains as one of the very few performers to have never tapped out in the organization. Umaga won the Intercontinental Championship on two different occasions and lost to Punk in his final match in the company. However, Umaga almost never tapped out during his tenure with WWE, barring once to Cena and that too in a Last Man Standing Match that doesn’t count.
Rusev
Much like Umaga, The Bulgarian Brute was pushed as a destructive monster when he was brought up to the main roster. His first major loss came at the hands of John Cena, who defeated Rusev to become the WWE United States Champion, prior to which Rusev went undefeated for nearly a year. Rusev is a two-time and the current WWE United States Champion in the WWE.
During his run on the main roster, Rusev has been one of the very few superstars who have not lost by submission. However, Jack Swagger made Rusev tap out during an edition of Tribute to the Troops (non-canon). Rusev lost another match when Lana threw in the towel – however, that technically isn’t the same as tapping out to forfeit the bout.
Sheamus
The Irishman is one of the most decorated superstars in the company, and is a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, before eventually dropping the title to Roman Reigns. Sheamus made a huge splash on the main roster, beating the likes of John Cena and Triple H, and won the WWE Championship in just 166 days after his main roster debut – the third fastest in WWE history!
Sheamus is also one of the few active stars to have never submitted on TV/during PPVs. While Sheamus previously passed out in the Yes Lock during his match with Bryan, he hasn’t tapped out in his WWE career, except during a house show in Ireland (which we’re not taking into consideration).
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is one of the most polarizing figures in WWE history, and his meteoric rise to fame didn’t exactly go down well with the WWE Universe. Roman Reigns was seen as the least talented member of The Shield, but with Roman headlining WrestleMania 31, the WWE fans turned on the Samoan superstar.
However, Roman Reigns happens to be the only member of The Shield to have never tapped out during any bout. While both Rollins and Ambrose have submitted during their matches, Roman Reigns hasn’t lost a match via submission on the main roster.
Bret Hart
The Excellence of Execution is one of the greatest superstars in WWE history. Bret won the WWE Championship on multiple occasions and was involved in some of the greatest matches in WWE history. Bret Hart is also considered to be one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time and put on amazing matches against the likes of Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart.
While Bret made numerous other superstars submit to the Sharpshooter, Bret himself has never submitted during his illustrious WWE career. However, Bret Hart did submit to the one and only Lex Luger in WCW, when Luger put Bret in the Torture Rack. “The Hitman” did, however, tap out to the Ankle Lock in a match with Ken Shamrock while the referee was down, but since that didn’t end the bout, we won’t be taking it into consideration.
Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most intense superstars during his time with the company. Warrior was seen as the next big superstar after Hulk Hogan, and considering Warrior rose to fame at a time when Hogan’s career was winding down, Vince wanted Warrior to carry the company into the 90s. However, Warrior and Vince didn’t see eye to eye, leading to Warrior’s exodus from WWE.
Warrior also won the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Championship and was one of WWE’s biggest stars. Warrior was seen as the unstoppable force during his heyday, and The Ultimate Warrior lived up to his monicker, considering the fact that he never tapped out during his tenure with the company.
The Undertaker
The Phenom is regarded by many as the greatest WWE superstar in history! The Undertaker is also one of the legitimate tough guys in the industry, and is respected by his peers. The Undertaker has also been a cornerstone of the company and is a multiple time WWE/World Champion. Although his WrestleMania streak was ‘conquered’ by Lesnar, he still boasts of the greatest record in sports entertainment history.
The Undertaker has also been one of the very few performers to have never lost a match due to submission. While The Undertaker did tap out against Kurt Angle, the bout was declared a draw, with Kurt getting pinned at the same time. On record, CM Punk does have a victory over The Undertaker via submission, but that was the result of a screw job finish.
Even in a match against Brock Lesnat at Summerslam 2015, Undertaker did tap out, but still won the match in a controversial manner, making Lesnar pass out.
Sting
The Stinger was for WCW what The Undertaker has been for WWE. After the company folded, the fans wanted to see The Stinger in WWE; it took over a decade for the former WCW Heavyweight Champion to sign up with Vince McMahon’s organization. While Sting did compete on “the grandest stage of them all”, he had to retire from the business after suffering a neck injury during his match with Seth Rollins.
While Sting wrestled only a handful of matches in WWE, he never tapped out during his run with the organization. In fact, even in WCW, The Stinger tapped out only on one occasion – against Bret Hart at WCW Mayhem in 1999.
Goldberg
At number one is someone who you’d think would be an obvious pick – Bill Goldberg. Goldberg was WCW’s trump card – their biggest draw in the late 90s. Goldberg’s undefeated streak in the company is a stuff of legends, and the former WCW Heavyweight Champion eventually lost to Kevin Nash, bringing his streak to a halt.
Goldberg signed with WWE in 2003 and immediately made an impact by defeating The Rock. Goldberg won the World Heavyweight Championship in the organization, and with both the parties uninterested in signing an extension, Goldberg’s last match with WWE came against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 20. During his year-long run, Goldberg never tapped out, and the same can be said about his run in WCW, putting him in the number one spot on our list.
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