WWE: 10 Submissions We've All Tried (That Really Hurt!)

1. Crossface

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIsSk4JYn8o One of the most painful holds I can ever remember being in, the Crossface. All I can say is "Ow!" The Crossface attacks various parts of the body, notably the arm, the back, the face and most importantly, the neck. First of all, let's focus on the arm. Now the pain on here varies, depending on the hold. Chris Benoit's version was more or less a straight armbar, whereas Daniel Bryan's LeBell Lock (or Yes Lock, or No Lock, whatever the damn thing's called these days) utilises an Omoplata, which puts pressure on the shoulder in much the same way that a Kimura does. As such, the pain can either be great or negligible. But the arm isn't the main focus, it's just a tool of the hold. If someone is leaning on your back, crossing their hands over your face and yanking back, your instinct would be to use your hands to remove theirs. With two hands, piece of cake. But one arm is trapped in the Crossface, so you only have use of one. And if you attempt to use that, the pain instantly intensifies. Why? Because now you can't brace yourself to relieve the pain, and the only thing preventing your weight from falling forwards is your opponent's knuckles right on the bridge of your nose. The main target in the Crossface is the neck. You're cranking your opponent's head back as far as that sucker will go and then some. Their muscles will work to prevent the head from moving that far back, but you're using the muscles in your entire upper body, their neck is not going to win. If held in the Crossface for long enough, the muscles in your opponent's neck will rip and tear. After that, there is nothing to defend the vertebrae, the smallest and most vulnerable of which are located in - you guessed it - the neck. The hold can cause herniated disks, and from there broken vertebrae. And just to remind you of the biology you might have forgotten from school, the vertebrae's job is to protect your spinal cord, the intricate system of nerves that run through your entire body into the brain. A broken vertebra can sever nerves in the spinal cord, causing you to lose control of bodily functions and even total paralysis. And let's not forget that if you crank the neck back hard enough, you can break it, resulting in death. Any of these moves seen in a wrestling ring are normally altered so as to appear as painful as possible, when in actuality trying to do the opposite. The superstars of the WWE are trained performers who have learned their craft for years, and whenever people attempt to copy them, things can and frequently do go wrong, resulting in death or serious injury. Yes, we've all played around as kids, trying to imitate our heroes, but with the benefit of hindsight, we see just how wrong things could go. So once and for all, please, PLEASE..... don't try this at home. Thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts in the comments!