10 Wrestlers Who REFUSED To Win

6. David Sammartino Does A Reverse Montreal (House Show In Philadelphia)

In the mid ‘80s David Sammartino was a talent the WWF used high on the card whenever he was involved in an angle with his legendary father Bruno. When he wasn’t he would soon drop to the bottom end of the card in forgettable appearances. David started noticing this, quitting the WWF on numerous occasions only to be convinced to return later.

In 1985 David Sammartino took on Big Ron Shaw at a house show for the WWF. David was booked to get a quick victory over Ron at the show but this didn’t happen. David was angry with the company at the time, knowing they creatively had nothing for him. So he made a point of going against instructions and refused to lose, wanting to make a joke out of the outcome. In the match Ron locked in a bearhug (Bruno’s finisher) on David and he immediately tapped out. The commentators were taken aback and even tried to cover it up.

The moment was christened ‘The Phantom Submission Match’ in wrestling folklore. David has admitted he was immature and young doing it, but ultimately frustrated at being solely used by the WWF to entice Bruno to come back.