WWE Submissions: The 20 Most Painful-Looking Submission Finishers in WWE History

Submission holds are a key component in the world of wrestling, used not only to wear opponents down but also to finish matches emphatically in making an opponent physically "tap out."

While there have been many holds used over the years, many sharing similar origins, some look absolutely horrific, and this list will countdown the top 20 most painful-looking submission finishers used in wrestling.

The list will be comprised of predominantly WWE (past and/or present) superstars (if you want crazy Japanese holds you'll just have to YouTube it—there's loads!) with the only real criterion being the pain involved in being trapped in the manoeuvre.

20. Bear Hug

A move as old as time, the bear hug has been used over the years by countless superstars in order to squeeze the life out of opponents.

A move best typically suited for imposing heels, the manoeuvre can be a great storytelling device (as seen in the above clip) and provide dramatic tension lived through the victim's plight (normally painted as a brave and unwavering face character).

When performed by a particularly large man (Andre, Big John Studd, Bam Bam etc.) the move can look agonising, but created far more tension when matches could be won if a wrestler was unable to answer the traditional three-raised-arm count.

19. Cattle Mutilation

Let me start by saying that I am not a Daniel Bryan fan. I didn't find him convincing as a face, and I see him as an even less convincing heel.

But damn, this montage is impressive!

Take your pick of Bryan Danielson's submission armoury, any of which could quite easily make this list.

Because he has used it to finish a semi-decent opponent in the Miz, though, the Cattle Mutilation hold gets the nod from me on this occasion.

18. Cobra Clutch

No, this is not a Santino Marella variation of the Cobra; it is in fact an old-school wrasslin' move made infamous by the legendary Sgt. Slaughter.

In essence, the move is a half nelson combined with a choke, which cuts off circulation to an opponent's carotid artery, resulting in either submission or loss of consciousness.

The move is underutilised in today's WWE but it would be nice to see it reintroduced into the repertoire of a current superstar such as Dolph Ziggler, whose revival of the sleeper hold I have been a great fan of.

17. Mandible Claw

The Mandible Claw became somewhat of a comedy move during the career of Mick Foley (the attitude era's Cobra, if you will).

It is purported that, if applied correctly, the Mandible Claw can cause a great amount of intense, legitimate pain to those unlucky enough to receive it.

During the move, the middle and ring fingers are placed under the tongue of an opponent, attacking the soft tissue at the bottom of the mouth.

Mr. Socko definitely bought humour to the move, but as seen in the accompanying clip, with barbed wire it doesn't look nearly as adorable.

16. Torture Rack

The Torture Rack looks absolutely horrific.

Performed best by a bigger guy, it involves basically draping someone across your lats and pulling down on both ends so they bow in the middle over your shoulder blades...crunchy!

The backbreaker submission is now used by Ezekiel Jackson as his legitimate finishing manoeuvre, and to be perfectly honest, it's probably the only thing the big man has going for him.

Unfortunately for Jackson, he will need to add more moves like this to his current repertoire of power slams and clotheslines.

15. Tazzmission

Similar to a Cobra Clutch, the modified sleeper hold was at first thought to be more of a choke than an actual submission (check out the commentary on this clip).

Tazz got off to a flying start in the WWE (then-WWF), however, by submitting the previously undefeated Kurt Angle at the 2000 Royal Rumble with the Tazzmission.

The TNA commentator was known for the vigour with which he put into the move, which looked particularly aggressive, and near-on impossible to escape.

14. Edgecator

It is a great shame Edge used this so little in his WWE career.

The kneeling, inverted Sharpshooter put great pressure on both the legs and lower back of opponents, with the positioning of the move being as such that Edge could apply more or less pressure as required.

When the spear was outlawed by Vickie Guerrero during Edge's storyline with Dolph Ziggler in early 2011, I fully expected the Ultimate Opportunist to use the move on a far more consistent basis—unfortunately, it was not to be.

The influence of Stu Hart's Dungeon has been felt so widely in wrestling, and this move is a classic example of the great innovation that was produced through his teachings.

13. Rings of Saturn

This variation of a scissored armbar was used by Perry Saturn during successful runs in both the WCW and subsequently in the WWF/E.

Placing pressure on both shoulder joints, and limiting an opponent's capacity to breathe, the Rings of Saturn proved a devastating finisher for the Iron Horseman.

Whilst many variations of this finisher have been featured in move sets of other superstars, Saturn's version was truly memorable for the awkward contortion of opponents, such as Eddie Guerrero in the clip.

12. STF

The Stepover Toehold Facelock (or STF, as it is more commonly known) has become a staple of John Cena's (limited) move set since he began using it during a triple-threat-only submission match on Raw in 2006.

The STF(U) has subsequently been used successfully on behemoths such as the Big Show and Batista, and more recently utilized in the defeat of Miz in an "I Quit" match at 2011's Over The Limit PPV.

Now I don't particularly care for Cena, but nor am I hear to bury him. In all fairness, the STF is by far and away his best finisher, dwarfing both the Attitude Adjustment (AA/FU/Fireman Carry Slam), and the unbearable Five Knuckle Shuffle.

If Cena were to use this hold on a more regular basis (as opposed to the dreaded five moves of doom), I am near certain that fans would be less critical of The Champ.

11. The Lion Tamer

Jericho's first entry on this list, the Lion Tamer is one of Y2J's least used, yet painful-looking submission holds.

Similar to a traditional Boston Crab, this variation uses the knee in order to force into an opponent's neck/back, subsequently applying a great deal of added pressure to the move.

The video makes the move look horrendously painful.

10. Batista Bite

Sharing many of the same attributes as the Rings of Saturn, the Batista Bite is a combination of two submssions: the Crossface and a scissored armbar.

Due to the Animal's unbelievable size and strength, this move looks like it could tear you in half. 

Being such an intense competitor, Batista's hold, for me, is a great example of the sadistic nature of heel finishers—inflicting suffering on a much-beloved face whilst subsequently drawing great crowd heat.

9. Anaconda Vise

CM Punk's secondary finisher (behind the GTS) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu compression choke hold (not the only one we will see on this list...) also known as an arm trap triangle choke.

Wrapping his arms around the head and one bent arm of an opponent, Punk effectively suffocates his victims with the hold.

The current WWE champion has used the submission extremely effectively during his tenure with the company, and when delivered with anger and voracity, looks well and truly agonising.

8. Rolling Cross Armbreaker

Upon debuting with the company, Alberto Del Rio utilised his rolling cross armbreaker submission to kayfabe-injure three established superstars (and write one off television permanently).

With an established grounding in MMA, the flying cross armbar looks particularly painful in hyperextending both the shoulder and elbow of an opponent through viciously yanking the arm.

Del Rio established the move through shelving Rey Mysterio, Matt Hardy and Christian during his initial run with the company, and this submission has subsequently become one of the most feared and deadly moves in the WWE.

7. Figure Four

Woooooooo!

Undoubtedly, the man who truly made this move was none other than the "Nature Boy" himself, Ric Flair.

The grappling joint lock is named due to the positioning of the intertwined legs in the manoeuvre resembling the No. 4, and became both a devastatingly painful and wildly entertaining move.

With fantastic, over-the-top selling of the move by both Flair (even more so when the move was reversed, and he really cranked out his horrified "I've just had an unexpected enema" look) and his opponents.

6. The Walls of Jericho

Effectively an elevated Boston Crab, Jericho's primary finisher allows for more pressure to be applied than in the traditional move.

Synonymous with Y2J, the Walls of Jericho looks excruciating for opponents through almost sitting on the lower back of his prey to inflict increasing punishment.

Strangely enough, in Japan a variation of the hold is used to test young and inexperienced wrestlers, with the ability to overcome it considered a great sign of growth.

5. LeBell Lock

"Everyone taps," apparently...World heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan claims so, anyway.

The Weasly World champ's reign has seen the former ROH star transition from a face who no one really cared about (sorry, hardcore IWC fans!), to a cowardly, vegan heat-magnet.

Bryan's T-shirt slogan hasn't been particularly accurate over recent months, but in all fairness this hasn't been helped by being stuck in a three-way feud with monsters Mark Henry and the Big Show, wherein both have appeared insusceptible to the move.

The LeBell Lock is far more feasible on opponents of a similar or smaller size, and it is in this area where the American Dragon has found most success.

A variation on the classic crossface manoeuvre, Bryan's torque of the neck looks nearly as painful as his "Necktie Strangle" submission. 

4. Sharpshooter/Scorpion Death Lock

Somewhat controversially, I have merged two moves into one slide on this occasion, but there is a good reason for this.

The Sharpshooter is probably the most famous submission hold ever, and has been copied/developed/borrowed by many WWE superstars.

Developed within the infamous Hart Dungeon, the variation on the standing reverse figure-four leg lock looks both meticulous and ruthless in equal measure, and has been used by the likes of The Rock, Owen Hart, Edge and Chris Benoit.

Somewhat unfortunately, the move will be forever known in infamy, in connection with the Montreal Screwjob—a moment where Bret Hart was deemed to have submitted to his own finisher administered by Shawn Michaels, even though a) he hadn't, and b) the match was not choreographed to end at this point, and the Hitman hadn't been told.

The Scorpion Deathlock, on the other hand, is another name by which the move has come to be known, and was made famous by former WCW legend Sting.

The reason Sting's version of the move has not made this list, however, is due to the fact that he has never actually competed for the company (yet!).

3. Ankle Lock

If you're wondering why the ankle lock is so high on this list, it's because I have been in one, and it bloody hurts!

At school, my mates and I had our own version of the WWF. We would basically beat the hell out of each other and then finish our opponents with a popular Attitude Era finisher (quite impressive for 10-year-olds, I'd say!)

Anyway, once my mate Jonno put the ankle lock on me (the Ken Shamrock version), and it was the most painful thing I have ever felt—and that's coming from someone who's also been Stunnered, Pedigreed and Banzai Dropped.

Suffice to say, the ankle lock looks (and is) horrific.

Ken Shamrock was an absolute animal. Then Kurt Angle took the move to the next level as a psychopathic heel and it is just a shame that today's generation of fans are subject to their first experience of the move through Jack Swagger—even more of a tragedy if someone's first experience may have come through Michael Cole's version in his feud with Jerry Lawler/J.R. last year.

This move looks at its most devastating when both superstars fully sell the pain of the ankle positioning.  

Thinking of how well The Rock can sell the AA, just imagine the kind of work he did with this move!

I'd like to think that at age 10 I may have pulled a similar gawking expression when put in the hold.

2. Crippler Crossface

Fun fact: Chris Benoit once made John Cena physically tap out to the Crossface.

While Chris Benoit may never be fully credited by the WWE for his in-ring achievements, the Canadian was undoubtedly one of the greatest performers of the Attitude Era (and probably of all time).

His finisher, the Crippler Crossface, is an absolute beast!

A more vicious version of the LeBell Lock, Benoit was able to encapsulate his rage through the move, and truly live up to the moniker of the Rabid Wolverine.

It is a crying shame that Benoit's legacy has effectively been shunned by the WWE, but thankfully his memory will always live on through the legacy and impact left on current superstars such as Daniel Bryan and CM Punk.

1. Hell's Gate

The Hell's Gate (or Gogoplata) has become a highly effective finishing manoeuvre for The Undertaker since its debut in 2008.

The move was kayfabe "banned" within WWE storylines up until 2009 by SmackDown  GM Vickie Guerrero, with Undertaker stripped of his World heavyweight title for its use (an unprecedented event at the time—more recently though, in 2011, this storyline was rehashed with Edge's spear).

Thankfully the move is now a regular part of Big Evil's repertoire.

Quick and easy to apply, the modified jiu-jitsu choke hold has become a great means of salvation for the Deadman (now less physically able), as proven by its use in the final stages of last year's WrestleMania match with Triple H.

Just as it looked as though The Game would end the streak with his patented sledgehammer at WrestleMania XXVII, 'Taker was able to lock in the move and quite literally make Triple H choke and extend "The Streak" to 19-0.

Please feel free to leave your comments or thoughts in the comments section below, and I fully welcome any additions/alterations.

Thanks for reading!