10 Unexpected Wrestling Origins That'll Blow Your Mind
7. The Shocking Origins Of The Mandible Claw
On the subject of the unexpected origins of some of wrestling's most iconic finishing moves, they don't come much more mind-blowing than the birth of the Mandible Claw eventually used by the likes of Mick Foley and the late Bray Wyatt.
Though the bloke behind the Mankind mask is perhaps the most well-known user of the sickening submission move, Foley is quick to note how he didn't actually create this hold. Instead, as he'd note on his Foley is Pod podcast (via ITR Wrestling), that move was given to Foley by Jim Cornette in the early '90s, with the latter figure soon revealing the history of Dr. Sam Sheppard to Mick.
Back in the '50s, Sheppard was convicted of the murder of his wife, but that decision was eventually overturned in 1966, with a Sheppard serving a life sentence being found not guilty and released from prison. Along with his story inspiring the TV show and movie versions of The Fugitive, a free Sheppard also ended up stepping into the world of pro-wrestling in the years post-release after starting a relationship with the daughter of wrestler George Strickland.
The doctor, known as "Killer" Sam Sheppard between the ropes, became quite the attraction due to his notoriety and even went on to create a vicious submission known as the Mandibular Nerve Pinch - a move that ultimately inspired Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy's own claw of doom.