10 WWE Wrestlers Who Never Tapped Out

Submissions are a part of pro wrestling, and have only become more prominent with the passage of time. WWE in particular seemed to avoid most submission finishes for a time, for fear of making wrestlers—particularly faces—look weak. The popularization of MMA has helped to set more realistic expectations, however, about performers tapping before bones break or they’re choked out, let alone when a hold simply hurts a lot.

There remain WWE Superstars from the past or present, though, who never did tap out in a WWE ring. This article takes a look at ten particularly noteworthy figures who fit this description.

Related: The 10 Deadliest Submission Moves In WWE History, Ranked

10 10. Yokozuna

Yokozuna spent most of 1993 on top of WWE, reigning as world champion, and was a featured performer on and off for the surrounding years. For all of his high profile bouts, and despite having lost a number of times, he did not succumb to defeat via submission in his time with WWE.

The closest call was probably WrestleMania 9, when Bret Hart did beat the odds to trap the big man in the Sharpshooter. Mr. Fuji infamously threw salt in the Hitman’s eyes to temporarily blind him and break the hold, setting up Yokozuna for the tainted victory.

9 9. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is often as not booked as the top face in WWE today, and as such it’s little surprise that the company would protect him from a submission loss that might weaken his image. However, Reigns also debuted as a heel part of the Shield faction and, even in that stretch, managed to avoid having to tap out.

Having survived rivalries with Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and a number of other performers known for submission holds, Reigns avoiding the tap out is noteworthy. By all indications, he has a long career ahead of him, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain this record.

Related: Roman Reigns: 5 Reasons Why Fans Have Come Around On Him (& 5 Why They Haven’t)

8 8. Scott Steiner

Scott Steiner had two separate tenures with WWE, first as half of a tag team with his brother Rick in the early 1990s, then in a mostly singles run a decade later. Steiner avoiding submissions during his original run may have been equally a sign of the times, with relatively little in the way of submission wrestling happening at the time. It’s more of a testament to his tough guy character, and WWE showing proper respect to his amateur credentials that he never submitted in the 2000s in a WWE ring.

Steiner did rack up his share of submission victories using his Steiner Recliner hold. The technically savvy powerhouse could never be trapped for a tap out himself, though.

7 7. Alundra Blayze

Alundra Blayze was not only a part of WWE’s women’s division in the mid-1990s, but it’s quite reasonable to argue that she single-handedly defined the division in that era. Blayze held the Women’s Championship for most of her run, and was in contention for it most of the rest of the time, feuding with the likes of Bull Nakano, Bertha Faye, and others.

Nakano in particular did break out some intense submission holds, including a hold very similar to the one Paige would use for her PTO finisher decades later. Blayze never gave up, though, only suffering pin fall losses.

6 6. Goldberg

Even in an era when submission wrestling was relatively prominent, with talents like Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Chris Benoit in featured roles, Goldberg survived his one year run at the top of Raw without ever having to tap out. The man known for undefeated streaks has carried on as a part time performer from late 2016 on without submitting, including working two high profile bouts with Brock Lesnar.

Goldberg is such a powerhouse that it would be hard to believe him being convincingly trapped in a submission hold. It also wouldn’t fit his character, known for short, explosive, dominant performances rathe than drawn out technical matches.

5 5. Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has won quite a bit more than he has lost in his WWE tenure. That’s to be expected for a man of his sheer size and strength, understandably booked as a monster whether he’s a face or heel.

Strowman has suffered losses at the hands of talents like Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. His closest call wit ha submission likely came opposite Brock Lesnar, who did lock on his kimura hold at No Mercy 2017 for a close call, before ultimately winning via an F-5.

4 4. The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior was known for his high octane performances—specializing in short matches that showcased his powerhouse offense and that more often than not ended with him winning in dominant fashion.

Particularly given Warrior’s place as a top tier face who peaked in the early 1990s, it’s sensible enough that he never suffered a submission loss. Indeed, his losses in general were few and far between, and typically involved outside interference incapacitating Warrior just long enough for him to be pinned.

3 3. Andre The Giant

Andre the Giant is one of the biggest legends in wrestling history on a number of levels. Particularly in WWE, he was cast as a near unbeatable monster whom only the best of the best super heroes of the day could defeat.

It would be tough to believe anyone making an athlete of the sheer size of Andre submit, but particularly given that WWE most featured him during his run from the late 1980s to early 1990s, there was little chance of anyone making him give up to lose a match.

Related: 5 Reasons André The Giant Is The Best Giant In Wrestling History (& 5 Why It's The Big Show)

2 2. Roddy Piper

Roddy Piper may be best remembered as one of the best talkers in wrestling history. In an era when WWE shifted gears to focus much of its attention on giants and muscle men, Piper didn’t exactly fit that mold. Nonetheless, his near unparalleled ability to talk people into the building and get heat on the mic placed him as an irresistible main event attraction.

While wrestling logic might suggest that Piper would get his comeuppance by getting humiliated in the ring, Hot Rod was notoriously protective of his character, which included losing via pin fall or submission very, very sparingly. Even in the twilight of his prime, including putting over Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship, Piper would only take losses via a pinning combination and not the Sharpshooter.

1 1. Jim Duggan

Jim Duggan is a legend of the wrestling business today for this longevity and the memorability of his brawling character throughout his WWE run. While he arguably did stronger work before singing with WWE in the Mid-South territory, and he would go on to have a multi-year run in WCW, he’s best remembered as a face who carried a two-by-four, and later an American flag.

Hacksaw was largely featured in an era of TV squash matches, and consequently lost a lot fewer matches than a star of his ilk might today. Even so, when he did wind up dropping matches, it was only by pin fall, count out, or disqualification, and never submission.

Next: Top 10 Least Believable Submission Holds In WWE History