| |
|
There is a wide variety of slams and throws in pro wrestling. Many moves are known by several different names. Professional wrestlers frequently give their "finishers" (signature moves that usually result in a win) new names. Occasionally these names become popular and are used regardless of the wrestler performing the technique: one example is the tombstone piledriver, a term originally used for The Undertaker's finisher but now used to refer to any belly-to-belly piledriver.
Moves are listed under general categories whenever possible.
Arm drag
A move in which the wrestler grabs hold of his opponent's arm and pulls him down to the mat
Over-the-shoulder arm drag
Also called a shoulder throw or ipponzei. The wrestler grabs his opponent's arm, then turns to face the other direction and pulls the victim over his shoulder. It is essentially the same as the ippon seoi-nage found in Judo.
Atomic Drop
A move in which the wrestler lifts his opponent up and drops him crotch-first on the wrestler's knee.Back Breaker
A back breaker is any move in which the wrestler lifts his opponent up and jumps or drops his opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body. The basic back breaker, or pendulum back breaker, involves lifting the opponent up and dropping him back-first against the wrestler's knee.Back Drop
A back drop, or back body drop, is a move in which a wrestler bends forward or crouches in front of his opponent, grabs hold of his opponent, and stands up, lifting the victim up and over and dropping him behind the back. It is frequently applied against a charging opponent.Bodyslam
A bodyslam is any move in which a wrestler picks up his opponent and throws him down to the ground.Chokeslam
A chokeslam is any bodyslam in which the wrestler grasps his opponent's neck, lifts him up, and slams him to the mat back-first. It is very common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe yet looks powerful on camera.Brainbuster
A brainbuster is any move in which the wrestler holds his opponent's body and falls to the mat, slamming the opponent down headfirst in the process.
Death Valley Driver
A brainbuster from a position in which the victim is held across both shoulders, either in a fireman's carry (facing down) or an Argentine backbreaker rack (face up, with the neck and one leg cradled). The attacker falls to the side in which his opponent's head is pointing, driving the victim's head into the matBulldog
A bulldog, or bulldogging headlock, is any move in which the wrestler applies a head lock or face lock to his opponent and falls forward, driving the victim's head into the mat.DDT
Similar to a bulldog, a DDT is any move in which the wrestler applies a head or face lock to his opponent and falls down or backwards, driving the victim's head into the mat.Face Breaker
A face breaker is any move in which the wrestler slams his opponent's face against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee.Flap Jack
A flap jack is any move that throws the victim so that he flips over and falls on his front. The basic flap jack is similar to a back drop, but the wrestler pushes upwards so that the victim flips over onto his face instead of falling back-first.Gutbuster Drop
A gutbuster drop, also called a stomach breaker or rib breaker, is any move in which the wrestler lifts his opponent up and jumps or drops him so that the victim's stomach impacts against part of the wrestler's body. It is essentially the same as a back breaker but with the victim facing the opposite direction.Irish Whip
Also called a hammer throw. A move in which the wrestler grabs one of his opponent's arms and spins, swinging the victim into an obstacle such as the ring ropes, a turnbuckle, or the stairs leading into the ring. One popular use of the irish whip is to try to "hit for the cycle" by whipping one's opponent into each corner in turn. An irish whip into the ring ropes is usually used to set the victim up for another technique as they bounce off, such as a suplex or clothesline.Neckbreaker
There are two general categories of neckbreaker, which are related only in that they attack the victim's neck. There is no generally accepted terminology for this division, but in this document they are called "neckbreaker drops" and "neckbreaker slams".Neckbreaker Drops
A neckbreaker drop is any technique in which the back of the victim's neck is thrown against or stretched against part of the attacker's body such as the knee or shoulder. They are similar to other "breaker" techniques such as back breakers and face breakers.Shoulder Neckbreaker
Also called a Hangman's Neckbreaker. From a back-to-back position, the wrestler reaches back and pulls his opponent's head over his shoulder, then drops, causing the back of the victim's neck to hit the shoulder.Elevated Cradle Neckbreaker
Also called a muscle buster. The wrestler holds his opponent upside-down with the back of the victim's neck against his shoulder and with one or both legs hooked, and drops to a kneeling or sitting position so that the victim's neck hits against the shoulder. It is usually performed against a victim who is sitting on the top turnbuckle and facing away from the attacker.Neckbreaker Slams
A neckbreaker slam is any technique in which the attacker throws his opponent to the ground by twisting the victim's neck. Swinging Neckbreaker
The classic neckbreaker slam. The wrestler grabs his opponent in a front face lock, then twists to the side while falling to the mat, slamming the victim down and twisting his neck. A common variant is for the attacker to run at the victim, grab hold, and apply the swinging neckbreaker using the momentum generated by running. Piledriver
A piledriver is any move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the victim's head into the mat.
Texas Piledriver
Also called a belly-to-back piledriver, this is the classic piledriver technique. From a position in which the victim is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, the wrestler grabs around his opponent's midsection and lifts so that the victim is held upside down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, and drops to a sitting or kneeling position with the victim's head falling between the wrestler's thighs.
Tombstone Piledriver
Also called a belly-to-belly piledriver. The wrestler flips his opponent upside-down so that they are facing each other, and drops to a sitting or kneeling position.
Vertebreaker
Also called a reverse gory special lock piledriver. From a position in which the victim is standing behind the wrestler, the attacker places the victim's head between his legs and hooks both of the victim's arms, then turns around so the victim is in front and facing the same direction. The wrestler tucks his head between the victim's legs and stands up, lifting up his opponent into an upside-down position and suspending him by keeping the arms trapped. The attacker holds the victim's arms and grabs the victim's legsand sits down, dropping the victim onto his head.Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a move in which the victim is lifted up so that he is sitting on the attacker's shoulders then slammed down in front.
Sitout Powerbomb
Also called a sit-down powerbomb, this is a powerbomb in which the attacker drops into a sitting position as he slams his opponent down.Suplex
A suplex is any move in which a wrestler picks up his opponent and falls backwards to slam his opponent down.
Fisherman Suplex
Also known as a cradle suplex, or a "Perfect-plex" (named by Mr. Perfect as his finisher). With his opponent in a front face lock with the near arm draped over his shoulder, the wrestler hooks the victim's near leg with his free arm and falls backwards to flip the victim over onto his back. The attacker usually keeps the leg locked and bridges to get a pin, or applies a leglock submission hold.
German Suplex
A belly-to-back waistlock suplex. The attacker stands behind the victim, grabs himaround the waist, lifts up, and falls backward to slam the victim back-first. Frequently the attacker finishes in a bridging position with the waistlock still applied to try for a pin. A popular variant is to follow up a German suplex by rolling backwards over the victim with the waistlock still applied and perform another German suplex. This is called rolling Germans.
Pumphandle Suplex
The wrestler stands behind his opponent and bends him forward. One of the victim's arms is pulled back between his legs and held, while the other arm is hooked. The attacker then lifts his opponent up over his head and falls backwards to slam the victim against the mat back-first.
Snap Suplex
A belly-to-belly facelock suplex. The attacker applies a front face lock to his opponent and drapes the victim's near arm over his shoulder, then quickly falls backwards and flips the victim over to land on his back. The attacker may grab the victim's shorts for extra leverage before falling.
Super-plex
Any suplex performed by an attacker standing on the second rope against an opponent sitting on the top rope or top turnbuckle. Frequently done to prevent the victim from performing a high-flying technique.
Vertical Suplex
Set up similar to a snap suplex, except that when the victim is in position he is lifted up and held upside-down before the attacker falls backwards.