10 Insane Wrestling Moves Created By Women

Also known as: The Burning Hammer, The Inverted Death Valley Driver

Created by: Kyoko Inoue

When wrestling fans hear the words ‘burning hammer’, one of two images comes to mind. One is the finisher that Tyler Reks used during his brief run in WWE that he got heat for because it was said to be too similar to John Cena’s Attitude Adjustment.

The second is the original Burning Hammer, a wrestling move so dangerous that it’s most prolific user, Kenta Kobashi, only used it seven times in nine years. In the latter case, most people associate the move with Kobashi because he used it in some of his biggest matches, and so fans who loved to watch the more brutal side of pro wrestling could look up Kobashi and see him using this ultra-dangerous move.

However, even though Kobashi’s the maneuver’s most prolific user, he didn’t create it. A woman named Kyoko Inoue did in the early 1990s.

Inoue would lift her poor victim onto her shoulders into a backbreaker rack, and then she’d fall sideways, driving her opponent head and neck-first into the mat. This was one of the most extreme and dangerous moves seen in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, and was guaranteed to garner Inoue a 3-count.

These days, Kobashi's Burning Hammer is one of the most popular and memorable finishers ever, but we mustn't forget that it was created by one of the strongest women in wrestling history.