Pro Wrestling in the 1990s was a turbulent decade that started bleak with the sport in a scandal-ridden slump and ended in one of the most profitably hot eras in the history of the industry. In between the dawn and dusk of the time, submission wrestling was a rather lost art. Powerbombs, Suplexes and Piledrivers were the moves of the day during this period, as fans were more conditioned to respond the immediate impact and powerful blows of the mighty big men, and little room was made for two skilled, fit athletes to duel in a battle of "I Quit", save for an exceptionally talented few who broke the mold and were able to make opponents cry "uncle" in an era when they would be more likely taking a fall. In a time of clobbering juggernauts, the following wrestlers were able to successfully slap on their submissions against all odds in a business not accustomed to it at the time. Here are the Top 5 Submissions of the 1990s....
5. Ankle Lock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FNAMz4IqBE Straight from the Octagon, Ken Shamrock entered the WWF in spring of 1997, and with him, a hard-knuckled, shoot-oriented style. In his debut against Vader, Shamrock used his striking and ground-and-pound to overcome his much larger foe. Shamrock put the Man Beast away by making him tap to his trusted UFC-style Ankle Lock submission, the same move he would use to later gain the Intercontinental title Kurt Angle would come into the WWF shortly after in the fall of 1999, and not before long was using Shamrock's Ankle Lock submission as an alternative finish when his patented Olympic Slam wasn't enough. Angle would later implement a kneeling and standing version for total control over his assured soon-to-tap opponent.