The 411 Wrestling Top 5 9.09.09: Week 39 – Submission Finishers

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people’s list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. The scoring is very similar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one item is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.

So, on to this week’s topic…

THE TOP 5 SUBMISSION FINISHERS
Submission wrestling has been a bit of a lost art in recent years, but the WWE has come up this weekend with a Submission Only Pay per View. With this in mind, I asked the writers of 411 to give me their top 5 Submission Finishers. Because as cool as a Figure Four on the ring post is, it isn’t exactly a finisher and would never end one of the matches this weekend. (This excludes the Submissions Count Anywhere and the I Quit Match.) There is a lot of history and narrowing to a Top 5 is quite tricky.

So what did our group of writers select? Let’s find out…

Shawn S. Lealos

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Chris Jericho’s Armbar – There is not a move more respected than ARMBAR!

Chikara Special – I have only seen this move on YouTube but read a lot about its inception and usage and it sounds like a pretty cool move, so it gets a spot here.

Chris Jericho’s Walls of Jericho – Just because I like it… almost as much as ARMBAR!!!!!

5.Ric Flair: Figure Four – The move is not that devastating anymore so I am dropping it to #5 but the move defined the career of Ric Flair. He even used it as a finisher in recent years despite the fact that it didn’t work for anyone else in wrestling. However, the move was used for many years in Flair’s numerous title reigns and has to be respected here.

4.The Cobra Clutch/Million Dollar Dream – Whether it was Sgt. Slaughter or Ted DiBiase, this move was a variation of the sleeper but looked much more painful. The wrestler stands behind the opponent and uses one arm to place him in a half nelson and uses his free arm to take the same arm that the half nelson is applied to and pull it across the opponent’s neck to cut off the carotid artery, causing either a submission or loss of consciousness. I give it credit for the advent of many other chokes including the numerous versions of the rear naked choke hold.

3.Bryan Danielson: Cattle Mutilation – I’ve always been a fan of moves that look practically impossible to get out of. Bryan Danielson’s Cattle Mutilation is one of those moves. The move is technically a bridging grounded double chickenwing and is applied when the opponent is seated or lying face down on the mat and Danielson locks in a double chickenwing on their arms and then performs a forward roll into a bridging position further stressing the hold.

2.Sharpshooter/Scorpion Deathlock – Bret Hart used the move to beat every comer during his WWF title reigns and Sting ended up using it to become the greatest face in WCW. In both instances, the best wrestlers in the two federations made the move the greatest submission hold of the nineties. Hart said in his autobiography that Konnan taught him how to apply the move and Hart used various methods of applying it himself. It is the move that was the catalyst for the Montreal Screwjob. Since then it has been used by people such as Edge, The Rock and Natalya Neidhart. It’s use is also a great way to make Canadian fans hate you.

1.Ankle Lock – The move is thanks in large part to the MMA but whether it was Ken Shamrock applying it or Kurt Angle carrying on the tradition, it is a devastating move that threatens to snap the ankle of the opponent if they don’t give up. There are ways to roll out of it but if the wrestler wears down his opponent enough, it is obvious he won’t have the strength to continue to fight it. The fact it is used in the real sport of MMA gives it even more credibility.

Aaron Hubbard

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Cobra Clutch – I’ve always had a soft spot for this hold, but that might have something to do with being a big fan of Ted DiBiase, who called it the Million Dollar Dream.

Ankle Lock – Great hold, but man, has Kurt devalued this as a finisher or what? You didn’t see Bret apply Sharpshooters four-five times in a match.

Gory Special – As contrived a hold as you’ll see on my list, but still, I love putting this hold on my cousins at family get-togethers, so I had to include it.

5.Texas Cloverleaf – The Texas Cloverleaf is awesome. It’s a Sharpshooter than actually works! Most famously used by Dean Malenko, and used by about thirty others since he retired, the hold is a mixture of a Boston Crab and a figure four leglock. Honestly, if you aren’t right next to the ropes, this hold should finish you. It’s that awesome.

4.Walls of Jericho – I’m talking the OLD SCHOOL Walls, not the Boston Crab Jericho uses now. There’s nothing wrong with the crab: if you’ve ever put it on or been put in one, you know that it could FUBAR your spine. But the Walls is a Boston Crab with extra crank, and it looks SICK. Shame this one fell out of favor, because I love it.

3.Figure-Four Leglock – The classic submission finisher. While I personally prefer the Complete Indian Deathlock (Triple H’s version) because it’s harder to escape, the figure-four is iconic. While it’s changed from “certain match-ender” to “anyone can turn it over” in the last 60 or so years, it’s a great hold. It is perma-over and will always be able to create drama. The Figure Four is as ingrained in wrestling as steel chairs and sleeper holds, and I don’t think it will go anywhere anytime soon.

2.Crippler Crossface – BLAH BLAH BLAH HE MURDERED HIS WIFE AND CHILD BLAH BLAH BLAH YOU BASTERD BLAH BLAH BLAH DISGUSTING BLAH BLAH BLAH! I think I speak for the majority of the IWC here: I’m sick of the Benoit argument. Whatever your views are, they are probably set in stone and nobody in the “respect Benoit’s accomplishments” or the “look at the whole picture” camps are trying to convince you otherwise. If you can’t handle seeing Crippler without an asterisk, life’s tough, get a helmet. Now, as for the hold itself, when applied properly, the hold works over the neck, shoulders, and arm of the opponent. It’s a highly aesthetic hold because it can be applied in two seconds and allows you to see the faces both the guy using the hold and the guy trapped in the hold, creating genuine emotion.

1.Sharpshooter – Let’s get this out of the way: the hold sucks. It’s a Boston Crab that doesn’t allow you to lean as far back and keep the hold on, which means you can’t hurt the back as much as you could in a Crab. Second, two legs can easily overpower one arm and thus the hold is easily broken. Not to mention that it’s almost impossible to apply. But this is pro wrestling, and holds don’t have to work in real life. The Sharpshooter is the submission hold of choice for Bret Hart and Sting, two of the all time greats. It is synonymous with the Hart family and Canada: Owen Hart and Natalya used this hold, as did dungeon graduate Chris Benoit. Despite not being Hart-trained, Trish Stratus used the hold in her last singles match to one of the loudest pops ever. Edge has been using the hold as of late as well. Let’s not forget The Rock, who used the hold first as a reference to the most famous moment in submission history (more on that in a second), used it later as a tribute to Owen, and used it throughout the rest of his career as his pet submission hold. Austin’s career moment came at the hands of this hold, as he passed out from the pain, his head resting in a pool of his own blood. And less we forget, the Sharpshooter is a central part of wrestling’s greatest in-ring controversy: The Montreal Screwjob. Because of the multitude of famous users and the great moments associated with it, the Sharpshooter gets my #1 pick.

Julian Bond

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Crossface Chickenwing – Another damn hard Top 5 to pick from. I wanted to mention holds like the Texas Cloverleaf, Million Dollar Dream/Cobra Clutch, Dragon Sleeper, STF, Anaconda Vice, …the “Rings of Saturn”!…the list would go on and on. But I sadly had to omit these great moves and start off with horribly sick looking Crossface Chickenwing. Bob Backlund was the man who made it look like a million bucks with his insane-looking use of it and from my personal experience of having it put on me in real life…that shit really hurts.

The Devil’s Gate (“Gogoplata”) – This move has been only really been heavily used by the Undertaker in the last year or so, but the way that it has been built up (particularly with the sick visual of his opponents bleeding from the mouth as a result of the hold) makes it easily a new classic.

The Liontamer (not the “Walls of Jericho”) – Now the “normal” way of doing the plain old Boston Crab, aka the way that Chris Jericho does his “Walls of Jericho” today, isn’t really all that great in my opinion, but I will always have a deep place in my wrestling heart for the old school “Liontamer” way that Jericho did it so painfully on tiny little cruiserweights. He looked like he seriously almost broke the guys in half every time.

5.Ankle Lock – On the surface to the naked eye, the Ankle Lock really looks like a pathetic move with one just lifting their opponent’s leg and shaking it all around. But due to the awesome work done by both Ken Shamrock initially and then mastered beautifully by Kurt Angle, the move looks like it could break someone’s ankle. When a wrestler is locked into this move and you see someone like Angle look totally possessed like they want to inflict as much pain as possible, you feel totally scared for the victim in pain.

4.Cattle Mutilation – Simply put, this move is sick…just plain sick. This submission move used brutally perfectly by ROH (soon to be WWE-bound) mainstay Brian Danielson is honestly too crazy-looking to fully describe without giving it full justice. The hold looks like it could kill someone if done improperly. I was seriously tempted to put it towards the top of this list, but it simply hasn’t been used as prominently as the other choices here. Still a f’n awesome move…that’s named for killing a damn cow.

3.Figure Four Leglock – I personally think that the Figure Four move has been used by SO many various wrestlers so many times that I feel that it doesn’t look feel like the greatest submission hold in the world. BUT every single time I do see it, it always seems to make everyone in the arena go “WOOOOOO!!!” in dedication to the move’s significant use with the great Ric Flair. Flair has always absolutely killed with this move and is really, in my opinion, one of the very few that is able to make the move look like it would seriously take someone out. And with the great visuals of seeing Flair take down all of his opponents with this move is what makes it one of the best.

2.Crippler Crossface – What trumps this move over the also brutal looking “Cattle Mutilation” is the fact that the Crippler Crossface move has been done in so many insane-looking and diverse ways. The way that the man who made it infamous, Chris Benoit, would hit the move on people was in a way a bit crazier than the move itself. From powerbombs to clotheslines to freaking chokeslams, all a wrestler would have to do is give Benoit a quarter-inch of their arms and he would make them tap like a little baby. HHH and HBK on occasion pull out the move to pretty good effect, but Benoit will always be the one to truly own it.

1.The Sharpshooter – The Ankle Lock looks sometimes way too fake. The Figure Four Leglock gets reversed way too many times. And it only take one person’s arm in the wrong location to make the Crossface not look so killer. But with the Sharpshooter, it always looks like it’s game over when it’s applied. Sting, Owen Hart, and many others have done the same move to very good success, but Bret Hart is without a shadow of a doubt the king of the hold. Hart has done the move to plenty of people, but the best visual I’ve seen of any wrestler “submitting” in any match was with Stone Cold passing out to the move during their infamous “I Quit” match. No other move is not only recognizable by every single wrestling fan, but always ends up presenting a picture-perfect visual of someone tapping their heart out.

Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Barely Legal – This isn’t really a famous submission hold, but it’s an obscure personal favorite of mine used by Barry Darsow during his time in WCW. Essentially, Darsow folded his opponent’s arm back at the elbow and then pushed backwards on the joint, forcing the other wrestler’s arm in to his chest, palm first. Because the forearm had no place to go, it looked like it could snap radius or the ulna fairly quickly.

Stump Puller – Speaking of obscure personal favorites . . . the stump puller was a hold used by Big Bully Busick in the WWF and also for a period of time by one of the men who played Doink the Clown. Sit on your seated opponent’s shoulders, grab one of his legs, and pull up. You’ll never see it in UFC, but it was the perfect combination of painful and wacky looking for pro wrestling.

Heavenly Lock – When I see this hold used in indy wrestling today, commentators usually refer to it as a “Japanese stranglehold.” However, in my mind, it always has been and always will be the Heavenly Lock, which is the name used by Jinsei “Hakushi” Shinzaki, the first man who I ever saw apply the hold. Sit on a man’s back, cross his arms over his throat, and yank back on them. How is that not completely ruthless and awesome all at the same time?

5.Stretch Muffler – I’m BEGGING for this hold to get more attention in the United States. Brock Lensar began to use it towards the end of his WWE run, but we all know why he won’t be back to use it there anytime soon. (Hint: He’s making eleventy kajillion dollars more than WWE would ever pay him.) In any event, when you’ve got the right combination of attacker and attackee, this hold looks absolutely murderous. Sit on your opponent’s back and act as though you’re going to put him in a half Boston crab, only to take his leg and drape the back of his knee over the back of your neck. It looks like it simultaneously puts pressure on the leg, the lower back, and, in certain instances, even the neck. It’s absolutely torturous, and somebody needs to bring it back.

4.Cross-Face Chicken Wing – This hold mainly makes my list because of one man: Bob Backlund. Most others who have tried to use this hold as a submission finish just haven’t gotten it, but Bobby, particularly in his psycho days, made this appear significantly more deadly than it probably would be in a real life situation. When the former NCAA Champion slapped on the hold, most figured that the match was going to be over soon. When veins started bulging out of his head, his skin started turning purple, inhuman screams stated coming from his mouth, and spittle started covering his lips, you began to wonder if maybe Bob hadn’t legitimately “snapped” and forgotten that wrestling was a work. Top that off with the man staring at his hands for a good five minutes after the hold was broken as though he had just strangled a newborn to death, and you had all the makings of a move that turned the guy who vaguely looked like your grandfather in to a natural born killer.

3.Spinning Toe Hold – So I’m a Funk mark. Sue me. Dory Jr. and Terry, the brothers from the Double Cross ranch, learned this move from their father Dory Sr., which means that it dates back almost seventy years. The venerable finishing hold looks a little bit archaic by today’s standards, as the wrestler applying the hold stands at the feet of his fallen opponent, grabs the downed man by his ankle, and literally spins around in a circle while twisting the limb. Antiquated though it may be, back when people actually believed in wrestling it was fun to pretend that this hold hurt more than any other because the person applying it was involving his ENTIRE body in putting torque on the opponent’s lower extremities. Besides, even if you saw through the hokeyness of the hold, it was still a major factor in both Brothers Funk winning and retaining their NWA World Heavyweight Titles, which was a great accomplishment for the little leglock that could.

2.The STF – A lot of people are probably cringing at the inclusion of this hold on my list because of its association with John Cena. However, give me a second to explain myself. First of all, whether you think he is deserving or not, Cena legitimately is the biggest star in WWE over the course of the last five years, so any hold associated with him should receive some consideration for this list. Furthermore, the hold had a long and storied history even before it became the property of the Doctor of Thuganomics. The popularization of the step-over toehold facelock (as it is known by those who abhor abbreviations) is actually credited to none other than Lou Thesz. Thesz, the most recognizable wrestler of the 1950’s and also a major star in the 1940’s and 1960’s, applied the hold to many different men in his quest to become the first unified World Heavyweight Champion. Upon retiring as an in-ring performer, he taught the hold to his Japanese protege Masahiro Chono, who would go on to become one of the most popular performers in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling and a regular holder of that company’s World Heavyweight Title. For being a favored hold of three dominant World Champions in three different eras, the STF has earned its place on this list.

1.The Sharpshooter/Scorpion Deathlock/Sasori-Gatame – I fully admit that I’ve populated the majority of my list with holds that are some of my favorites to watch as opposed to holds that are particularly iconic or effective in getting a reaction from the crowd. However, there is one hold that is SO iconic that I cannot avoid putting it at the top of my list, even if my list does consist primarily of my own faves. Of course, I’m talking about the move most commonly referred to as the Sharpshooter. The first man known to have used the hold on a regular basis was Riki Choshu, one of the most popular wrestlers in the history of Japan. Choshu popularized the hold to the point that it was transported to America, with Ronnie Garvin doing an early version before Sting became the first top star in North America to apply the hold on a regular basis. Then, of course, the move spread to the WWF when, according to Bret Hart’s book, Pat Patterson suggested that he use it as a singles finisher and Konnan taught him how to apply the hold. The rest, as they say, is history. The hold would warrant consideration for this list based solely on the fact that it was used by Hart, Sting, and Choshu to win some of their most legendary matches. However, it becomes a clear cut number one when you consider perhaps the two most memorable finishes in recent professional wrestling history both came as a result of the Sharpshooter. The first, of course, was Steve Austin, with his face caked in blood, passing out to Hart’s version of the hold at Wrestlemania XIII in the moment that absolutely cemented Stone Cold as a top babyface. For better or for worse, the move then became more famous (or infamous) still as a result of 1997’s Montreal Screwjob, in which Shawn Michaels applied the hold to Hart only for the bell to ring and a title change to be announced without the Hitman actually submitting. That incident changed wrestling in many ways, but one of the more subtle changes that it brought on was the fact that the Sharpshooter was now going to be a regular “go to” hold for wrestlers looking to force their opponents to tap out. Michaels has been able to use the move in years since to garner immediate heel heat, the Rock adopted a version of the move as his regular submission hold, and even Bret’s niece Nattie Neidhart keeps the hold in the family by using it when she can in WWE today. For being used repeatedly by some of the largest stars in professional wrestling history and for being involved in some of the industry’s most memorable moments, the Sharpshooter is far and away the top submission finish in wrestling history.

Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Crippler Crossface – It was, and still is, a great submission hold, even if it spells CONTOVERSY~! now.

Spinning Toe Hold – Byers isn’t the only Funk mark here. I used to love seeing him put this on, and it was the hold I tried when wrestling with my friends more often than anything.

Gogoplata – You have to love the visuals that Taker got using this hold. It was made to seem like a million bucks the way the Dead Man’s feuds were booked.

5.STF – I always loved this hold, and my respect for Cena actually grew when he started using it. This is a hold which looks like it is legitimately agonizing and has been used to great effect by a lot of great wrestlers. If the only place you’ve seen it is as the STFU, then you’re really missing out. Cena does it all right, but I always thought Chono did it way better. Well-deserving of being on this list, without a doubt.

4.Ankle Lock – The ankle lock was another one which looked legitimately painful, and for good reason. The only thing that keeps it out of the top three is that it has lost so much luster for being easily escaped from under Kurt Angle’s tenure as master of the hold. I remember Angle, and particularly Ken Shamrock, looking like they were literally about to snap someone’s ankle right in two, and the positioning of both wrestlers in this hold made for perfect visuals. To add to the bonuses, it’s a hold that you can do without actually hurting someone, it relies entirely on the wrestler’s reactions whereas with some holds it will cause some pain unless you really want to make it look fake.

3.Mandible claw – No love for the claw? Man, I loved this move. Not so much when it became inapplicable without one of Foley’s socks wrapped around it, but during the early Mankind days. I love that Foley actually determined a legitimate reason why it would work, and explained to Vince McMahon the physics behind it and how you can’t bite down because of the nerve holds. This was a hold that could be applied at almost any time, and that was what made it so dangerous as a submission finisher.

2.Sharpshooter – Probably the most controversial submission hold of all-time, thanks to a little city called Montreal. The Sharpshooter became infamous because of there, but even before that it was a masterful submission hold that had a reputation for infamy. Three icons became very well-known for this hold in Sting, Bret Hart and the Rock–although the Rock never did manage to apply it quite right. This was a hold I always marked out for whenever someone applied it, because despite the improbable physics it looked painful and there was just enough time in the set-up to know that it was coming. There’s no question that this is the most iconic submission finisher in professional wrestling.

1.Dragon Sleeper – This is pure personal preference. I love this freaking hold. I can’t even tell you why. It looks painful as hell and it allows all sorts of cool moves to counter if the person in the hold is flexible enough, but those aren’t really it. Maybe it has something to do with my love for Ultimo Dragon, who used this as his finisher. Maybe it’s several people I’ve seen use it in matches to great effect and provided some great visuals. Whatever the reason, this is my list and dammit, this right here is my number one.

Scott Rutherford

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Texas Cloverleaf – This is more a personal choice because I always liked the badass way Dean Melanko applied this like he had no regard for his opponent and was trying to break his back. Which I guess was the point…

Cattle Mutilation – I like this move and it looks funky but it looks horribly contrived to apply but I like the fact it looks legimatly hard to escape once it’s applied which should the goal of any submission finisher, We’ll see how the WWE faithful take to it.

Gogoplata – Crap name, but when a guy like The Undertaker uses it, with is long legs and height, it’s pretty cool. If you’re not the UT, it would look pretty lame.

5.Cobra Clutch/Million Dollar Dream – These days the sleeper hold is pretty naff, although back “in the day” it was a super effective submission hold. Today it just looks like you’re hugging someone’s head and is about as threatening. This variation is a much better visual because it uses the opponents arm as part of the hold making it look more uncomfortable and somewhat legit and threatening. While you could list a bunch of modern submission holds that people go gaga over, this simplest ones are always the most effective in part of the storytelling of a match and this hold ranks right up there.

4.The Torture Rack – It astounds me that a guy like The Big Show hasn’t stolen this move. It’s so basic….place someone over your shoulders and try to bend him in half THE WRONG WAY. While it would be stupid for someone like Rey Mysterio to use it, on a huge specimen like TBS, it would be hugely effective and completely an utterly believable that someone would submit to it. I always believed Snitsky should have used this more because it helps the bigger guys with limited moveset build up a believable match…work the back until your opponent is sufficiently hurt then try to snap him in half. It’s been nearly a decade since Lex Luger was using this on TV and its BEGGING from some WWE monster to pick up.

3.Figure Four Leglock – Their seems to be a prevailing tide of opinion that this hold has reached it’s used by date but I still believe it’s an effective and believable finisher. Anytime that a wrestler gets his knee worked on in a match and this hold gets applied everyone and I mean EVERYONE knows what the fuck is going on and if you have the crowd involved the heat starts going off the charts. Factor in the battles within the hold (avoiding being small packaged when trying to apply it, your opponent trying to reach the ropes, reversing the hold and having it go against you) and you have a great way to either end a match or create ever evolving drama but using it. Masters like Ric Flair would build whole matches around the very use of the hold and fans were with him every step of the way. A hugely effective and simple hold that has great visuals and an instant understanding from those watching.

2.STFU – Much like my number one pick I like this hold because it’s visually great in a way that casual fans and hardcore fans alike get it. It doesn’t get top props because you lose some of the impact when you view it head on because you can’t see the leg work but a guy like John Cena knows how to really sell the application and you know this bad boy works because Edge has said he was legitimately knocked out by the hold in his TLC match with Cena.

1.Cripppler Cross Face – Read Hubbards disclaimer and times ten for me. I’ve long ago stated I can separate the man from his work so anyone looking to make hate comments my way you are wasting you energy in an epic way. And not to make, ya know, a valid point….other people than Benoit use the hold and really that’s what we’re talking about A WRESTLING HOLD, NOT THE WRESTLER. To the hold…this works so brilliantly because it looks fantastic and it’s easy for the applier to show he’s putting everything into it because he literally has to use his whole body to apply it and the recipient gets equal chance to show he’s suffering greatly because their head is almost in a vice and the shoulder is being ripped out of its socket. It’s simple enough that the lay fan gets it without knowing just what the holds supposed to do and it’s complex enough that us marks appreciate how it works in context. Just a great submission hold and the best ever.

Chris Lansdell

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Edge-cator – This is one nasty-looking hold that only got used briefly during Edge’s initial push after winning King of the Ring, I believe. The fact that it was hardly used prevents it from being any higher.

Million $ Dream – You don’t need a clip for this one, everyone knows what it looks like. I’ve chosen to do this top 5 on the holds I always bought as legit match-winners because they looked awesome, and the Dream fits those criteria. It is held out of the top 5 only because the ones above it look even better.

5. Cattle Mutilation: With any luck we’ll be seeing this on ECW or Smackdown very soon. It looks remarkably simple yet incredibly painful at the same time. The first time I saw Ring of Honor and this hold, I loved it. It also doesn’t look like it’s easy to escape, which is essential. It legitimately looks like it could fuck you up.

4. Last Chancery: Take everything I just said and apply it to the Chancery in triplicate.Similar to the Mutilation it is a bridging hold, only this
looks like it could kill a man. Twice. The only thing keeping this hold back from a higher spot is that it seems fairly easy to just poke Aries in the face as he is applying it.

3. LionTamer: As Bond stated above, NOT the Walls of Jericho. When Jericho would fold up his opponents with this vicious little number and seemingly try to crack them in half, I marked. Apparently it legitimately hurt like a bitch too if you weren’t flexible, hence the reason he uses a Boston Crab now. Oh well, we’ll always have YouTube Jericho. We’ll always have YouTube.

2. Dragon Clutch: Low Ki’s finisher is one that I really miss. I’m fairly sure he won’t be allowed to use it in WWE in the event he gets called up, but it’s another move that really looks like he’s trying to snap someone in two. A dragon sleeper is nice enough to see, but when you step over and straddle in a camel clutch? Damn.

1. Rings of Saturn: I can’t even tell you why I love this hold so much. I’ve always had a weakness for armlocks, and this is possibly the best of them. I used to use it as the finisher for my submission-specialist CAWs in Smackdown vs Raw, even though the damage on it sucked. It’s not that visually impressive under normal circumstances, or in the only video clip I could find, but after seeing Saturn use it so often, and Dan Severn rip D’Lo’s pectoral with a variant, I will always mark out for this move.