5 WWE Superstars you did not expect would ever tap out

2: John Cena

Several circumstances had led to WWE rehashing its content into a more palatable, family-oriented product towards the beginning of 2008. Turning the right corners, WWE was able to fashion a brand which appealed to a larger, more conscious demographic by not only toning down the violence and coarseness of the previous Eras but also centering this newfound PG ethos around one immensely cherished Superstar. On the back of John Cena, WWE soared into mainstream popularity. The character created was larger than life, fearless and morally inspiring. As a result, the face of the company that Cena came to be, went undefeated in clean matches irrespective of pinfalls or submissions. Brandishing the phrase “Never Give Up”, Cena was able to withstand, reverse and escape almost all submission moves attempted on him. A few years back, though, this was not the case.

Yet to becomeWWE’s franchise player, Cena’s defeats through tapping out came twice at the hands of Kurt Angle, once from Chris Benoit and once from Chris Jericho. Eric Bischoff’s screwjob finish to the Angle versus Cena match on October 25, 2005’s Monday Night Raw, obviously does not count.

The first of these seized the Doctor of Thuganomics by the leg in a Triple Threat Match at No Way Out, 2004. The match was for the number one contender’s spot for the WWE Championship to be fought at Wrestlemania XX. Pitted against the gargantuan Big Show who used his size advantage against both Cena and Angle, the men fought hard to resist the 500 pounder in a squash fest. However, Cena was able to slam the Big Show in an F.U, following which Angle dumped him outside the ring using an Angle Slam. Facing off against his first ever WWE opponent, Cena fell prey to Angle’s damaging Ankle Lock, finally resorting to a tap out to end his anguish.

One year prior to this, Cena and Angle had been engaged in a war of blows and words(rap battles) in equal measure. Their feud enabled Cena, an apparent upstart, to display his feathers in full glory, as the relatively green performer put up one entertaining segment after another with the veteran both inside and outside the ring. At No Mercy in October 2003, Cena and Angle squared it off in an 18-minute long standard wrestling match. Kicking out of an Angle Slam, Cena went for the F.U but the Olympic hero reversed it into an Ankle Lock. Despite resisting the hurt for a good length of time, Cena finally caved.

Chris Benoit and John Cena faced each other on the December 4, 2003, edition of Smackdown! in a match to determine the number one contender for Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship. Both men had ended the previous week’s Battle Royal in an inconclusive finish. This match was a direct fallout of that stalemate and no performer wasted time once inside the ring. Cena teetered on the edge of victory when he pinned Benoit whose foot had, unfortunately, found the bottom rope before the referee could finish his count. However, the official did not notice this and awarded Cena the victory. Immediately, a second official interfered and reversed the decision, restarting the match. Making the most of this, Benoit charged at Cena with full momentum, eventually locking him in a sharpshooter which the latter successfully crawled out of. Fortune did not favour Cena the second time as Benoit locked him in a Crippler Crossface, making him tap out clean and in the most urgent fashion.