'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A decade is a long time for any individual to stay in a single role. For a WWE Superstar, though, it is a particularly impressive feat.
The sheer amount of television and live events that WWE produces during a typical year means that their performers are faced with a considerable workload - particularly when you take into account commitments outside the ring - such as promotional appearances and interviews.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that Superstars have been known to get burned out, with some opting to leave the company to pursue outside interests over the years.
The likes of Jeff Hardy and Chris Jericho have left WWE in the past to work on musical projects, while current SmackDown Superstar John Morrison recently confirmed that he chose to depart the promotion in 2011 to focus on producing a movie.
Releases are also a fact of life in WWE. Whether a Superstar is released for budgetary reasons or to clear space on the roster for new talent, it is very rare that a WWE performer clocks up ten years of service on the company's main roster.
By way of illustration, both Drew McIntyre and MVP are prominently featured on the RAW brand at present. Both were also under WWE contract this time ten years ago. However, the pair were let go by WWE and returned as stronger performers, having benefitted from the chance to gain new experiences elsewhere.
There are a select few, though, who have remained a part of the WWE main roster for more than a decade and we will look at a number of them here.
Now, this article will not deal with the likes of Randy Orton, The Miz, or Kofi Kingston. Although all of the above have been with WWE for a considerable time, they have all also challenged for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania - meaning that they are not really suitable candidates for this list.
With that said, here are five WWE Superstars that you might not realize have been with the company for ten years.
#5 Sheamus
Sheamus made his official WWE debut in 2009 as part of the ECW brand. It took him less than six months, however, to defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship.
The Irishman's victory in a Tables Match at TLC 2009 came as quite a shock at the time - and indicated that WWE had plans for Sheamus as a major player going forward.
Sheamus' impressive WWE resume
In the almost 11 years that have followed, Sheamus has certainly accomplished plenty. A further three world title reigns followed his upset win over Cena, as well as two United States Championship runs. Sheamus' link-up with Cesaro as The Bar also saw him win no less than five Tag Team Championships. In fact, the only title that Sheamus has not won at the time of writing is the Intercontinental Championship.
The 42-year-old's achievements do not end with his haul of championships either. Sheamus won the King of the Ring tournament in 2010, the Royal Rumble match in 2012, and the Money in the Bank Ladder match in 2015.
Despite these accolades, though, Sheamus has never truly felt like a marquee Superstar throughout his time with WWE. Injuries, together with some questionable creative at times (The League of Nations, anyone?), have kept Sheamus from regular headline act status.
Currently a solid heel member of the upper-midcard on SmackDown, Sheamus continues to be a valuable presence on WWE television.
#4 Tamina
While far from a regular fixture on WWE television during her tenure, Tamina has now clocked up more than ten years on the main roster. The daughter of Hall of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka debuted on the May 24, 2010 edition of RAW and is still going strong today.
Injuries have regularly seen Tamina sidelined from action during her career, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why she has never held a WWE female-division title despite her long run with the promotion.
Curiously, though, Tamina does have a sole WWE 24/7 Championship reign to her credit, having defeated Carmella for the title at Hell in a Cell 2019, before promptly dropping it to R-Truth later that same evening.
Multiple-time WWE Women's Championship Challenger
Although Tamina has never tasted success as a Women's Champion in WWE, she has challenged for female championship gold on a large number of pay-per-view events throughout her career.
Indeed, Tamina has competed for titles at the last two WrestleMania events. At WrestleMania 35, she teamed with Nia Jax as part of a Fatal Four-Way bout for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (a match won by The IIconics).
Tamina then challenged for Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 36 earlier this year in a Fatal Five-Way Elimination match - where she was the first Superstar to be defeated.
Money In The Bank 2020 saw Tamina's most recent attempt at SmackDown Women's Championship glory as she was, once again, bested by Bayley.
In an era where female Superstars have more titles open to them than at any time in history, it would be great to see Tamina finally get some kind of title run before she brings her in-ring career to a close.
#3 Dolph Ziggler
The long-term WWE future of Nic "Dolph Ziggler" Nemeth did not look bright after his run as Nicky of The Spirit Squad ended in November 2006.
The male cheerleader group were written off television after being loaded into a crate by Triple H and Shawn Michaels marked for "OVW" (the then-WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling). Given the nature of the departure, it is fair to say that WWE did not have major confidence in members of the group.
Return to OVW Nemeth did, though. He would stay in the WWE developmental system until he re-debuted on RAW in September 2008 - under the name Dolph Ziggler.
Ziggler was largely treated as a comedy character during his first few months back on the main roster, highlighted by his elimination from the 2009 Royal Rumble match at the hands of Kane in just 21 seconds.
A move to SmackDown a few months later saw Ziggler treated far more seriously. He would win his first singles title the following year when he defeated Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship. "The Show Off" has gone on to hold the belt a total of six times during his WWE run.
Ziggler would go one better in February 2011, when he was awarded the first of his World Heavyweight Championship reigns. The circumstances were anything but glorious, though. Vickie Guerrero - acting as the General Manager of SmackDown - awarded Ziggler the title as a result of Edge having used his "banned" spear during a Championship match between the pair.
Edge then immediately beat Ziggler on the same night to regain the Championship. Ziggler's reign amounted to little more than an angle, but is still acknowledged by WWE as having occurred.
Ziggler's second (and, for now, final) World Heavyweight Championship victory is remembered far more fondly. Having won the 2012 SmackDown Money in the Bank match, Ziggler famously cashed in the briefcase against Alberto Del Rio on the RAW after WrestleMania 29. The reaction to Ziggler's victory was thunderous and remains one of the most well-received cash-ins in WWE history.
One of the most versatile Superstars in WWE
Ziggler's second World Heavyweight Championship run lasted just 69 days. In truth, though, he is not a man who particularly needs to be in title contention to contribute.
Although he has feuded with both Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre over the WWE Championship in the fairly recent past, Ziggler has other talents which he can bring to enhance WWE television.
His rivalry with Otis over the affections of Mandy Rose was one of WWE's more compelling storylines heading into this year's Wrestlemania. Ziggler has also lately been a part of the RAW commentary team, as well as a competitor on RAW Underground.
It might be approaching 15 years since the man known as Dolph Ziggler first appeared on our television screens, but we have far from seen the last of him.
#2 Natalya
Whilst Natalya has rarely been the focal point of the WWE women's division during her time with the company, she has had plenty of success.
Since debuting on the main roster 12 years ago, back in April 2008, Natalya has won over 600 matches - making her the most prolific female Superstar in terms of wins in WWE history.
One of the most respected veterans in the WWE locker room, Natalya has played in key role in helping train and develop many up-and-coming performers. Indeed, when Ronda Rousey became a regular part of the RAW roster in 2018, Natalya was moved over from SmackDown in order to assist Rousey in making the transition from mixed martial arts to professional wrestling.
Natalya has had only two title reigns in WWE
For all of her victories, the 38-year-old Canadian has only held WWE gold on two occasions - once holding the now-retired Divas Championship, before reigning as SmackDown Women's Champion in 2017.
It is perhaps this lack of championship glory that makes Natalya feel less prominent than the likes of Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks when it comes to top WWE female Superstars.
However, a tenure as long as Natalya's is quite the achievement - and has not been without its history-making moments. Just last year, Natalya was one-half of the first-ever women's match to take place in Saudi Arabia, when she faced Lacey Evans at Crown Jewel. The bout was heralded as a landmark moment in the WWE's Women's Evolution.
Still a regular fixture on RAW alongside Lana, "The Queen of Harts" has plenty to offer - both in and out of the ring - and it would be no surprise to see her association with WWE extend for years to come.
#1 The Usos
Jimmy and Jey Uso made their WWE television debuts back in May 2010 alongside (another entry on this list) Tamina. Since that night on RAW, the twin sons of WWE legend Rikishi have had no less than six reigns as Tag Team Champions.
However, their pair have never featured more prominently in WWE than they do at present.
A family feud over the WWE Universal Championship
Although Jimmy suffered a knee injury at WrestleMania 36, his brother Jey has ascended to the very top of the card as a singles competitor - recently headlining the Clash of Champions pay-per-view opposite the pair's real-life cousin Roman Reigns.
While Jey was unsuccessful in dethroning the "Tribal Chief" for the Universal Championship, the match itself was one of the most emotional main events in WWE history.
The finish of the bout came when Jimmy hobbled out to ringside and threw the towel in for his brother - who would not quit despite the sustained beating he had received at the hands of Reigns.
The story will not end there, either, as Jey will once again challenge Reigns for his title at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
The Usos recent exposure - after such a long period as lower card tag team - suggests the opportunity can present itself at any time in WWE.
