Wrestling Submissions That Are Hard To Escape From

In the world of professional wrestling, mastery of submission holds is often the mark of a truly skilled grappler. Look no further than the likes of Bryan Danielson, Kurt Angle, and Bret Hart. These techniques that they apply are designed to immobilize opponents and force them into submission. Among the myriad of submissions in wrestling, there are a few that are renowned for their near-impossibility to escape.

From intricate leg locks to bone-crushing holds, these submissions stand as testament to the ingenuity and dominance of their practitioners. If a wrestler locked in these moves, escape was almost beyond reach.

Bull Nakano’s Scorpion Crosslock

The Newest WWE Hall Of Famer’s Deadliest Hold

• Bull Nakano was brought stateside to feud with Alundra Blayze.
• Their battles carried over from WWE to WCW.
• Nakano defeated Alundra in the Egg Dome for the Women’s title.

When WWE wanted to revamp its women’s division in the mid-90s, they hired the best in the business at that time – Alundra Blayze. ‘Deuce suggested plenty of future competitors. None more fierce and capable than Bull Nakano. Her big finish was so unique that only one other woman (Saraya) has used it. The Scorpion Crosslock is part inverted Sharpshooter, part Surfboard, and all sorts of painful. Once Bull Nakano cinched it in, you had one recourse – beg for mercy.

Bret Hart’s Ring Post Figure Four

It Won’t Win Matches, But It Might Break Legs

• For a time through marriage, Bret was cousins with The Dynamite Kid.
• Every brother-in-law of Bret’s was a wrestler.
• The Hitman is a two-time Hall Of Fame inductee.

The Hitman won’t win any matches using it – but when you absolutely have to cripple a man, accept no substitutes. First utilized against bitter rivals like Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin, the Ring Post Figure Four left them both and others in agonizing, screaming pain.

In order to do it properly, Bret needs his opponent to prop him up to not crack his own skull on the floor – one more thing Goldberg didn’t for Bret.

Doink’s Stump Puller

A Bully Move For A Bully Clown

• As Maniac Matt Borne, Doink was part of the inaugural WrestleMania.
• He has one of the longest gaps between Mania appearances.
• In WCW, Borne was Big Josh and carried two big bears to the ring.

Underneath the grease paint and the personal demons, Matt Borne was a pretty good second-generation superstar. The evil clown, Doink, was his greatest character and perhaps the best The New Generation had to offer.

The reason it worked so well was, besides the character, Borne had the technical prowess to work with anyone. He would also on occasion use a nasty submission hold called the Stump Puller. Sitting on his opponent’s shoulders, Doink would then grab a leg and pull up as hard as he could.

Mercedes Martinez’s Surfboard Dragon Sleeper

Human Bodies Aren’t Meant To Bend Like This

• Several superstars have utilized this version of The Dragon Sleeper.
• Until she signed with NXT and later AEW, Mercedes Martinez was one of the most successful Indy stars in the world.
• Japanese legend Tatsumi Fujinami is credited with invented the move.

Several superstars have used the Surfboard Dragon Sleeper over the years. But the most recent superstar to try and cripple folks with it is Mercedes Martinez. The Indy legend has been a paragon of Women’s wrestling since her debut way back in 2000 and has been plying her trade in AEW / ROH for the past few years. Her version of the Dragon Sleeper also locks the legs into position as well. For anyone that’s ever bent backwards, it’s hard enough to breathe in that position. Try it with the sadistic Martinez wrenching back on your neck and lower extremities as you try and fail to breathe.

Bryan Danielson’s Cattle Mutilation

Vegan Mutilating Cattle Just Seems Wrong

• After high school, Danielson aimed to train with the Malenkos, but the school was shut down.
• Reckless Youth was the one who actually told Bryan about the name of the move.
• The Great Muta had popularized the move a decade before The American Dragon had.

As a fan of submission wrestling and of legends like Dean Malenko and William Regal, The American Dragon Bryan Danielson knows a lot of ways to stretch you. In a Hart Dungeon kind of way, he gets a real kick out of it, too.

The finish he used on the Indies and in AEW is the kind of beautiful violence Bryan and the BCC like to inflict on opponents. Cattle Mutilation is a double chicken wing with a bridge that leaves little to no room for escape, lest you risk breaking an arm, or both.

Brock Lesnar’s Kimura Lock

If He Wants To Hook You, You’ll Be Hooked

• Brock Lesnar was first brought to the WWE by Jesse Ventura at SummerSlam 1999.
• Jim Ross had an agreement with the University Of Minnesota that WWE would wait until Lesnar graduated before signing him.
• Brock started using the move when he came back from the UFC.

To be fair, with a specimen like Brock Lesnar, just about any hold he snatches you in there is no escape from. But when he came back from the UFC, he came back utilizing The Kimura Lock. The armlock is designed to hyper-extend joints and if an opponent tries to wriggle out of it, it is when maximum pressure can be applied and damage can happen. In WWE, Brock usually adds a body scissor to the vice grip he already has on you and seldom few have been able to break free of the hold.

Tajiri’s Tarantula

Arachnophobia Comes To The WWE

• Tajiri first appeared in WWE against Taka Michinoku during the Light Heavyweight Tournament.
• His last run with WWE was also part of the Light Heavyweight Cruiserweight Classic.
• Along with Mikey Whipwreck, Tajiri is a former ECW tag team champion.

You don’t always have to defeat your opponent with a submission. Sometimes stretching them to soften them up to do more damage later. That’s where The Japanese Buzzsaw Tajiri operates best. After a few quick kicks and chops to an opponent, they often find themselves hanging on the ropes. Which is the perfect place for Tajiri to dive over the ropes and grab opponents legs and arms to tie them up in The Tarantula. The only reason you can escape it is because Tajiri loses the match if he doesn’t let go.

Bob Backlund’s Cross Face Chicken Wing

A Ten Year Grudge Is Unearthed

• Backlund once tried to run for Congress in 2000.
• He is one of the few wrestlers who lasted over an hour in The Royal Rumble.
• Backlund was part of the early 70s training class of the AWA that included Flair and Steamboat.

After his manager, Arnold Skaaland heaved the towel in, costing him the WWE title, Bob Backlund took nearly a decade off. But he was festering and fostering a major grudge for that entire time. When he returned, Backlund snapped and learned how to snap others using the Cross Face Chicken Wing. The move was good enough to lead Backlund back to the WWE title.

Britt Baker’s Lock Jaw

The Doctor Is Performing Malpractice

• Britt Baker was the first female wrestler signed to AEW.
• She was trained by Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.
• The doctor’s office is located in Winter Park, Florida.

The Rings Of Saturn is painful enough. So is the Mandible Claw. Toss them together with the powerful legs of Dr. Britt Baker holding on to an opponent for dear life and you get Lock Jaw.

If she ever pulled this in her dental practice, there would be malpractice suits for years. However, in the wrestling ring, Lock Jaw takes the good dentist to the pay window every time.

The Undertaker’s Hell’s Gate

The Grip Of Death Takes You

• One of The Undertaker’s first matches was against Bruiser Brody. He was managed by Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer).
• The move is based off of the MMA Gogoplata.
• He currently has his own show, Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway.

When you’re an undead wrestler from beyond the grave, chances are you’re the most terrifying wrestler on the roster – which is who The Undertaker was for decades. Then he actually added more wrestling moves to his arsenal. That included the Gogoplata that he referred to as “Hell’s Gate.” Maybe you’d be able to escape or counter a smaller superstar using it. But in the hands of The Deadman, you’re done.