10 Deadliest Wrestling Submission Holds Ever

By Chris Quicksilver /

5. Crossface

Greatest Practitioner: Chris Benoit. Also Used By: Daniel Bryan, Bobby Roode. The €˜Crippler Crossface€™ €“ as the move is never, ever called on WWE TV anymore, is a type of €˜neck crank€™ that is comparable to similar moves found throughout traditional martial arts, MMA and shoot wrestling. Chris Benoit is the wrestler that most modern fans associate with the crossface. His €˜Crippler€™ variety of crossface was hugely over at the height of €˜The Canadian Crippler€™s€™ career €“ and probably still would be if he hadn€™t died under such awful and tragic circumstances. Still, the move has continued to enjoy a high profile since Benoit€™s death and famous wrestlers use variations on it to this day. Daniel Bryan has a brilliant take on this hold in his moveset. The €˜Yes Lock€™ used by Bryan is actually an omoplata crossface or coil lock €“ a hold commonly found in the arsenal of any accomplished judo or ju jitsu practitioner. The same also goes for Bobby Roode, who employs a more traditional variety of pro wrestling crossface in his matches. A different type of crossface, the Crossface Chickenwing, was also used to great effect by former WWF World Champion Bob Backlund throughout his career.