In the world of professional wrestling, the wrestlers who rely on technical mat-based wrestling skills and overall grappling proficiency are known as the technicians of the sport, like Kurt Angle. While high-flying wrestlers win matches through risks and aerial moves and power wrestlers rely predominantly on unmatched strength and force, technicians earn victories through their mastery of holds, intricate counters, takedowns, and painful submission maneuvers.
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Their deep arsenal of wrestling moves and ability to implement them with expert precision and execution is what makes them such dangerous opponents between the ropes. Here are 8 of the most commonly used, famous wrestling finishing moves and submissions that the best technical wrestlers have long utilized to win championships and defeat foes:
8 Small Package
The small package is a unique surprise pinning combination in which a wrestler will quickly roll up an opponent into a makeshift pinfall out of nowhere, hooking their legs tightly, ensuring they remain pinned on their shoulders to the mat for the three-count victory. Smaller technicians like Daniel Bryan and Zack Sabre Jr. have long utilized the lightning-quick small package pin to steal many shocking victories over the years against opponents who were caught completely off guard.
7 German Suplex
The German suplex is an explosive bridging backdrop suplex maneuver that sees a wrestler grab an opponent from behind before launching them overhead and directly on the top of their head and neck region. Perfected by legendary technicians like Kurt Angle and current stars such as Chad Gable, the devastating impact of a perfectly executed German suplex makes it an extremely hard wrestling move for an opponent to ever realistically kick out of following a pinfall attempt.
6 Full Nelson
By fully locking together both hands behind the neck of an opponent, a powerful technician is able to trap them firmly in place before squeezing down with immense pressure using a full nelson submission hold.
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Masters like Brock Lesnar, Bob Backlund, and Bobby Lashley have all long used the inescapable clutches of the full nelson to squeeze the life out of opponents – leaving them with no choice but to tap out or pass out from the immense pressure on their spinal column.
5 Boston Crab
The notoriously painful Boston crab submission hold involves a wrestler hooking both of the opponent's legs under his arms before then bending the opponent's back and entire body backward in the opposite direction into an agonizing arch. The move stretches the opponent's spine and entire core region past its breaking limits if applied fully. When locked in tightly by an expert technician, the Boston crab is generally an unbearable hold that leaves the opponent no choice but to give up before serious long term damage is inflicted on their back. Users of the Boston crab and its variations include Chris Jericho, Rick Martel, and Bret Hart.
4 Figure Four Leg Lock
Synonymous with 16-time World Champion Ric Flair, the figure four leg lock is one of the most famous submission holds ever, which involves the attacking wrestler wrapping the opponent's legs in the shape of the number 4 before applying excruciating pressure and torque on the opponent's knee joint. When clinched in deeply, the figure four twists and pulls the knee in directions it is not supposed to bend, essentially making it feel like the knee ligaments will snap at any moment, forcing the opponent to quit. Even today, Flair's daughter Charlotte continues the family legacy by utilizing her own variation of her father's tried and tested figure four finishing move.
3 Armbar
An armbar is a submission maneuver that sees a wrestler isolate and grab hold of just one of the opponent's arms before then bending it backward and hyperextending the elbow joint into a sickening angle. An armbar applied by high-level technicians like Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Zack Sabre Jr. stretches the arm past its breaking point and places immense pressure on the joints and ligaments of the elbow. Once applied, a properly executed armbar by a skilled wrestler is virtually impossible for most opponents to ever escape from.
2 Ankle Lock
The ankle lock is a move that involves a wrestler grapevining the opponent's ankle joint into unnatural angles while stretching the achilles tendon, with many technicians also bending the opponent's knee outward for added excruciating torque on the ankle. When sunk in, the ankle lock is an extremely painful submission hold that can quickly force even the toughest wrestlers to frantically tap out.
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All-time greats like former UFC Champion Ken Shamrock and multiple-time WWE Champion Kurt Angle have forced countless wrestlers throughout their careers to submit in agony courtesy of their nearly inescapable ankle locks.
1 Crossface
The crossface is a devastating submission maneuver in which the attacking wrestler locks his hands together while applying intense pressure downward across the opponent's facial region. The move also often includes the wrestler stretching the opponent's neck and head backward in order to hyper-extend the neck fully. Past technical masters like Daniel Bryan, Edge, and Drew Gulak have long utilized the excruciating crossface to pick up many victories over the years, making opponents submit desperately due to the sheer pain and neck strain caused by the hold.
While other wrestling styles rely heavily on risks, strength, or striking – true technical wrestlers win by showcasing their unparalleled expertise and execution applying holds, counters, takedowns, and submissions. Their deep knowledge of moves and human anatomy allow them to implement finishing holds like these with unmatched precision that can disable any opponent and win matches for them. These agonizing finishers perfectly demonstrate why the elite technicians thrive based predominantly on their flawless mat wrestling alone.
