Worst Wrestling Submission Moves
Mia Russell In a pro wrestling match, victory can be claimed by making an opponent tap out to an excruciating hold. Wrestlers like Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and Bryan Danielson have made their bread and butter through sweet submission victories.
10 Active Wrestlers With The Most Submission Wins (According To ProFightDb)
There are several submission specialists in today's wrestling landscape who have gotten several wins by making their opponent tap out.But the reality is, not every submission move is a Sharpshooter or a LeBell Lock. Instead of looking like a devastating maneuver that inflicts significant damage on a competitor, some holds appear to be risky, ineffective, or just downright silly.
10 The Torture Rack Is Unintentionally Silly
Lex Luger Did His Best, But It Still Looked A Bit Funny
- The Torture Rack Was Used By Lex Luger As A Finishing Move
- Evidently, This Move Was Meant To Showcase Luger's Incredible Physique
- As Great As Luger Looked, This Move Did Look A Little Silly
It’s been said before, and you can say it again here: The torture rack looks like an exotic type of massage for chronic back pain. While it was mesmerizing to see the likes of Lex Luger hoist their adversary in the air, one can’t help but smirk at the sight of said adversary flailing wildly on Luger’s shoulders.
The move doesn’t look cost-effective, either. No matter the size of a competitor’s biceps, they inevitably get strained from having to carry an adult’s body for an extended period of time. All that muscle fatigue just to supposedly ‘torture’ an opponent? No thanks.
9 The Black Widow Would Have Been Great If The Execution Had Been More Consistent
There’s No Denying, Though, That AJ Lee Chose A Nice-Looking Submission
- The Black Widow Was The Name Of AJ Lee's Finisher
- Technically, It Was Called An Octopus Hold
- Unfortunately, Lee Was Inconsistent In Her Execution Of The Hold
Without a doubt, AJ Lee was a pioneer in the women’s division. But if there was one nitpick on her remarkable career, it was the inconsistency of her submission finisher.
On paper, the Black Widow is a devastating hold that gives the opponent little wiggle room and plenty of reasons to tap. The problem is, Lee’s execution of this move wildly varies from match to match. At times, she looks like she barely has any balance or control of her opponent’s body. There are even instances in which Lee doesn’t appear to be applying pressure on her adversary’s arm at all.
8 There Are More Impressive Submission Holds Than The Cobra Clutch
How Many Wrestlers Have Added This To Their Arsenal?
- The Cobra Clutch Was Made Famous By Sgt. Slaughter
- This Move Includes A Half Nelson And A Cross-Arm Lock
- Visually, It Wasn't The Most Impressive Submission Hold In History
‘80s wrestling fans remember that Sgt. Slaughter put away many adversaries with the Cobra Clutch. While the Sarge’s physique must have made this move devastating, something about the Cobra Clutch just seems off.
Maybe it’s the silliness of using the opponent’s own arm to choke them, or the way Sarge has to sneak his own arm behind the opponent’s neck (a difficult task, by the looks of it). Either way, it’s not exactly a surprise that very few WWE Superstars added the Cobra Clutch to their arsenal in the decades after Sarge’s retirement.
10 Worst Things About Wrestling In The 1980s
While the 1980s featured many legendary wrestlers and moments, things were far from perfect.7 Doink’s Stump Puller Had Potential, But It Often Looked Like A Joke
The Clown Gimmick Took Away From The Seriousness Of His Maneuvers
- The Stump Puller Was A Signature Move Of Doink The Clown
- To Pull Off This Move, Doink Basically Sits On His Opponent's Shoulders And Tugs On Their Leg
- The Problem Was, Doink Didn't Look Like He Was Applying So Much Pressure On The Leg Lock
The name Doink the Clown usually conjures images of hilarity, but fans ought to remember that he garnered submission victories with a hold called the Stump Puller. Did this move make him look like a lethal competitor? Not exactly.
It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to picture Doink’s opponent madly scrambling and freeing himself from the clown’s grasp. That’s because, more often than not, Doink doesn’t look like he’s putting any heart into the leg lock he’s applying.
6 The Code Of Silence Will Leave You Dumbstruck For The Wrong Reasons
Carmella Appears To Be Hurting Herself In More Ways Than One When She Executes This
- "Code Of Silence" Sounds Really Nice As A Finishing Maneuver
- However, Carmella Looks Like She's Straining Herself As Much As She's Hurting Her Foe
- Plus, It Doesn't Appear Like It's All That Hard To Get Out Of This Hold
When you think about it, “Code of Silence” is actually a pretty good name for a submission hold and finisher. This name, however, doesn’t mask the fact that Carmella’s signature maneuver is rather impractical.
Look at the move carefully, and you’ll see that the opponent can simply maneuver their legs and core to regain a standing position. And let’s not forget the strain that Carmella is putting on her legs just to sustain this hold.
5 Look At The Armpit Claw And Realize The Many Ways To Handle It
The Move Doesn’t Exactly Trap Any Limbs
- In The 1980s, Kamala Was A Terrifying Sight To Behold
- Every Now And Then, He'd Lock The Armpit Claw On His Opponents
- Kamala Would Put His Huge Hands On His Opponents' Armpits, Then Twist And Crank
Remember the armpit claw that Kamala used to pull off? It looks exactly as it sounds: The Ugandan terror puts his hands on an opponent’s pits and apparently twists and cranks with maximum effort.
While the sight of Kamala in the ring must have caused his in-ring rivals to second-guess their game plan, all they had to do was shake off the cobwebs and realize the myriad of ways they could combat the armpit claw. Maybe they could swing some haymakers at the big man, kick his arms or belly, or do several other maneuvers with all their free limbs.
4 There’s One Word To Describe The Sleeper: Diluted
It’s Gone The Same Way As Wrestling Moves Like The DDT And The Superkick
- The Sleeper Hold Has Been Around For Decades
- A Wide Variety Of Wrestlers, From Roddy Piper To Dolph Ziggler, Used This Move Frequently
- Due To Its Overuse, The Sleeper Has Become Just Another Move
Wrestling history is filled with examples of gimmicks, stipulations, and moves that lost their luster after being repeated to death. Case in point: After decades of overuse, the sleeper has just about lost all credibility.
For what seems like a thousand times, we’ve seen this move applied with both wrestlers in a standing position (even if a grounded, UFC-style rear naked choke is more believable). Invariably, the opponent gets down on their knees, looks out of it for a little while, then somehow musters the strength to power out of the hold. In other words, the sleeper has become utterly predictable and diluted.
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A wrestler's finisher is supposed to be unique and exciting. But these moves (or variations of them) have been overused in the business.3 If You Wanted To Seize Control Of Your Foe, The Stomach Claw Wasn’t The Way To Go
Opponents Had Many Ways To Counter This
- Killer Kowalski Was The Trailblazer Who Trained Wrestlers Like Triple H, Matt Bloom, And Perry Saturn
- Kowalski Was A Gigantic Figure Who Struck Fear In His Opponents' Hearts
- His Stomach Claw, However, Wasn't The Most Credible Tool In His Arsenal
From the ‘50s to the ‘70s, Killer Kowalski was one of the most intimidating performers in the NWA and WWWF. His imposing height and terrifying demeanor inflicted damage on his opponents’ psyche before the bell even rang. Kowalski was a fearsome sight to behold, but his aura took a minor step back every time he executed a certain maneuver.
It’s hard to laugh at anything Kowalski did, but fans can’t be blamed if the stomach claw tickled their funny bone. Claw holds to the head always looked excruciating, but Kowalski’s belly crank looked like it could be easily countered by a swinging fist, elbow or headbutt. In short, you didn’t have to be Bruno Sammartino to get out of this hold.
2 Erick Rowan Used To Do A Mean Noogie
A Technically Sound Submission Move, It Was Not
- During His WWE Career, Erick Rowan Got Involved In A Number Of High-Profile Angles
- These Included His Run With The Wyatt Family, His Partnership With Daniel Bryan, And A WrestleMania Match With The Rock
- Rowan Was An Impressive Athlete, But One Of His Submission Moves Looked Really Funny
Every fan with a working knowledge of the business understands that not every hold can potentially lead to a tapout. There are certain maneuvers that are simply intended to weaken the opponent. Unfortunately, Erick Rowan’s temple massage doesn’t appear to fit into either category.
Sure, it must be painful to have a giant of a man pressing his knuckles against your head. But this is the intense sport of pro wrestling, and a glorified noogie looks really out of place here.
1 The Surfboard Might Be The Most Inefficient Submission Move Of All Time
So Much Strain On Your Own Anatomy For A Few Seconds Of Tormenting Your Opponent
- The Surfboard Is A Highly Intricate Wrestling Submission
- It Takes Quite A Long Time To Apply To An Opponent
- Invariably, The Referee Starts A Three-Count Because The Wrestler Applying The Surfboard Has Both Shoulders Flat On The Mat
Where to begin with the surfboard? For starters, it takes an awfully long time to set up. If you don’t lock your opponent’s limbs exactly the right way, you can’t perform this maneuver. (Good luck doing that to a competitor that’s not even close to unconscious.)
On top of that (no pun intended), you then lie on your back and support your opponent’s weight as you stretch their core above your body. While you strain your arms and legs doing this, you also have to ensure that your own shoulders aren’t flat on the mat. A mental lapse could cause the referee to count to three as you pin yourself. Next submission, please?
