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Pro-Wres Lab: Basic Finishing Sequences

Lou Thesz, Billy Robinson (I think), and Lord Blears (pretty sure) congratulating Takada Nobuhiko on winning the UWFi title
Lou Thesz, Billy Robinson (I think), and Lord Blears (pretty sure) congratulating Takada Nobuhiko on winning the UWFi title

Welcome to the Pro-Wres Lab! I always kinda struggle trying to lay out what I’d like to see in pro wrestling, so this is another attempt to do that. My strategy is to try and go slow, step by step, building out ideas that would make my ideal style come together. Hopefully as I keep writing, both with these articles and with other pieces on the blog (and elsewhere??), my perspective will start to come into focus. But I’m also not someone who likes to “start small”, so it’s not always easy for me to introduce a new idea.

All that’s to say that if this idea seems pretty big to be starting off with, I get it and I agree, but I’m doing it anyway.

What I want to do with this edition of the Pro-Wres Lab is start to re-think how finishing sequences are constructed. Obviously, pro wrestling is not real life, but I personally like a pretty realistic style. As I’ve said repeatedly, and which will probably draw groans from a lot of people, my all-time favorite promotion is UWFi, and the UWFi era specifically: Gary Albright, Takada Nobuhiko1, Tamura Kiyoshi, the man Billy Scott, the big dog Gene Lydick, the great one Kakihara Masahito, and Big Van Vader. I’m not going for a copycat of the UWFi style, but if you enjoy it – realism with big throws! and fuck you the points are cool! – then you might enjoy the style I want to sketch out here.

But to do that, we first have to think about how matches end. Right now, in modern pro wrestling, matches typically work on fighting game logic, with an asterisk. Essentially, you just drain your opponent’s life meter until they have nothing left, then you win. The asterisk is “finishing moves”, which allows a match to be ended at virtually any moment regardless of how much real sense it makes. This is really not how matches end in sport wrestling of any kind: Olympic-style, judo, catch, submission, etc. It is almost never a sheer battle of attrition, and there has never been a single move that always defeats every opponent (unless you count “punch” as a specific move in boxing, every boxer does lose to being punched). Even in mixed martial arts, it’s much less about being worn down than it is about being caught. That’s the element that I want to focus on.

We need to start from a position where we aren’t attempting to beat an opponent into submission through pain. This is the problem with submission wrestling: a sufficiently determined opponent will not be deterred by pain alone even if they are defeated. Wrestling has the advantage here because the point is to mechanically maneuver your opponent into a position where it is agreed that a defeat has taken place. What is important here is not toughness so much as skill. Toughness is still important, of course, but simply being tough is not the main defense against losing.

If we’re doing that, the best base we can find is Olympic wrestling (as a genre, opposed to professional/show wrestling). What is important is not fatigue or pain but control: one has to be able to pin an opponent’s shoulders, keeping them from getting up, and also control the arms and legs in such a way that the opponent can’t get out. This doesn’t always mean locking every body part, but the opponent’s body parts must be neutralized or compromised enough that the pin can be completed. Fatigue and pain can lead to control, but they aren’t the same thing.

Why do I say this? As the Myth of Pain Compliance source points out, someone who is determined can often push through pain2. As Gantumur Bayanduuren proved when his leg was destroyed by Mikey Musumeci (don’t look it up if twisted legs upset you), you can train yourself or be gifted or however else possess the ability to endure a great amount of pain3. Simply hurting an opponent is not a guarantee that you can control them. Similarly, from what I saw both in the Wrestling Mindset video and in other places I looked, fatigue is treated primarily as a mental hurdle, not a physical one4. By this I mean that while it is true that fatigue does affect strength and response time and so on, the focus of most material I could find on fatigue and wrestling suggested that the primary thing was the mental toll of fatigue5. This suggests that even when one is tired, one is still physically capable of putting up a reasonable struggle; being tired is itself not the chief danger.

My point here is that I think basing wrestling technique on “laying out your opponent” is a kind of original sin that ends up adding a level of corniness to the rest of the action, and even the presentation in broad. This isn’t how wrestling matches are won. People are affected by being thrown, but they are not wiped out by the throw; the wrestler doing the throw still has to finish by pinning someone who is active, not someone who is basically dead. Obviously, I accept that there is a level of showmanship necessary to wrestling, but a more interesting style to me is one that is focused on being a mirror of real competition.

What I want to do is look at some Olympic wrestling pins and then brainstorm some moves or sequences that would lead into these pins. The point of this is something that I’m sure I’ll expand on later, but here’s the gist: I think a good idea would be to stop using “finishers” and just go to “favored moves”.

What’s the difference? A finisher finishes the match, obviously, but it’s more than that. In modern pro wrestling especially, a finishing move is a kind of magic move. You can hit it right in the beginning of a match and people think you’re about to win, but if you hit an equivalent move – say, if your finish is a tombstone piledriver but you hit a regular piledriver – people don’t give a shit. It’s ridiculous.

Instead, I think wrestlers should be essentially setting up to get into a finishing sequence which is proven. Perhaps they do have a favorite move that they think will get them into a big position, but the point is, that’s not the only move that they could use and we wouldn’t treat them as such. If a wrestler was to continuously use the same finishing sequence match after match, the proper thing would not be to have counter sequences, the proper thing would be to have someone beat them for being predictable. That kind of result would keep the company’s credibility as a whole high. And plus, like I said, “finishing moves” effectively work like magic and they only really make sense if we assume that either pain or fatigue would end a match, and they would usually not.

Though we are going to base this on Olympic/”amateur” wrestling pinning techniques, we are not going to be going through a typical breakdown sequence (I was not an Olympic-style wrestler; I’ve trained in pro wrestling and I’ve done 2 years as a white belt in BJJ, so I can decipher footage but I can’t pretend I know all the ins and outs). Instead, we’re going to assume that we’ll get to these positions with pro wrestling style sequences.

Pinning Predicaments

Lateral press: In Olympic wrestling, this is often entered using a half-nelson from back mount6. I’m not sure if the “lateral press” terminology is common in Olympic wrestling but for certain positions, there doesn’t seem to be a wealth of specific verbiage, it feels like some things are just things that happen in matches which everyone knows about.

  1. Attacker does a side belly-to-belly suplex on defender and holds it for the pin.
  2. Attacker does a facebuster of any kind on the defender, leaving the defender on their stomach. This leaves them open for the Olympic-style half nelson pin described above.
  3. Attacker does a powerslam on defender and holds it for the pin.

North-south press: Jordan Burroughs demonstrates an entry into this position out of a hammerlock from back mount, turning his opponent over into the pinning move7.

  1. Attacker does an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on defender, turning mid-move so they land in a north-south press position on the opponent.
  2. Attacker does a snap/flying mare on defender, then catches them in the north-south press.
  3. Attacker holds defender “tombstone-style” (belly-to-belly, opponent upside down), then falls forward for a mat slam, being in a perfect position for the north-south press.

Outside cradle: Jordan Burroughs demonstrates entering this pin using a tilt from back mount8. In my opinion, what differentiates a cradle from a press is leg control: cradles control legs, presses don’t. The outside cradle that Burroughs demonstrates is not a typical pro wrestling position. Also, because pro wrestling isn’t as concerned with tight and consistent control, forcing wrestlers to perform this type of cradle would be limiting. Instead, for the moment at least, let’s expand the idea of what an outside cradle can be.

  1. Attacker does a German suplex on defender but doesn’t release, bridging their back and holding the pin. This would be a “bridging cradle”. I was never limber enough to do this myself and I can’t nail down the mechanics, but it’s possible that a more realistic cradle involves the attacker being chest-to-back with the defender as much as possible during the bridge, for a similar reason as Burroughs had his hips in close to his opponent’s: to control the lower body.
  2. Attacker does a schoolboy roll-up on defender and pins. Despite the move’s name, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in a high school or collegiate wrestling match.
  3. Attacker does a powerbomb on defender and holds, usually squatting down low to put pressure down and keep the opponent “folded up”. Often called a prawn hold in wrestling circles (at least wrestling viddy game circles).

Inside cradle: When doing this from back mount, this usually involves hooking the opponent’s neck and one leg, pulling them together, then rolling the opponent into a pinning predicament9. Inside cradles seem to involve explicit leg-hooks, especially behind the knee, whereas outside cradles rely more on position and pressure control.

  1. Attacker does a small package to defender.
  2. Attacker does a fisherman’s suplex to defender and holds on while bridging.
  3. Attacker does a dragon screw to defender but does not let go of the leg, then stands up and moves in, hooking the neck as they adopt a fisherman’s-style pin.

If I was going to start developing a new style, the first thing I would do is sit everybody down and tell them that these are the basic sequences that matches will end with. Submissions are of course on the table, but that will be for later. At the very basics, this is pro wrestling, which means that pins are the main way that matches are expected to end.

What is important for this kind of style is the moment and the strength of the pin. Pins must be treated as difficult to escape if applied correctly. A simple and quick kickout can’t always do it; if that was the case, then wrestlers should always cradle the legs. In actual wrestling, it is possible to score a pin without completely bundling up the opponent10. Let’s make the same assumption here. At the same time, pins can be broken if they are not completely secure11. What is key for us is not totally wiping your opponent out but putting them in a predicament where they can’t escape the pin. Fatigue and pain can help create that predicament, but they wouldn’t be the only story in an actual competition and shouldn’t be here.

The point of this is not to restrict creativity totally but to direct it. Other “basic” sequences would be possible as well, but I would vet them. They’d need to be worked out in the gym to my satisfaction, then they could be added in. Otherwise, it would be a case by case basis, keeping these principles in mind.

As for “favored moves”, unless the move fell into one of these sequences neatly, such moves should be placed before the finishing sequence. The role of such moves would be to provide major turning points in matches rather than ending them. They should be constructed to be important but not like the only really effective weapon. What makes them favored is that they are interesting moves, they are used often, and they help the wrestler, not just that they are an instant KO.

Ultimately, I think the result of this kind of shift could be more dynamic matches where results hinge less on specific moves being executed. By also varying when matches end, using more frequent short matches in unexpected places, a sense that matches could end at any time and thus require constant attention can be cultivated. As some have noted, right now many wrestling crowds are primed to pop for the entrances, the taunts, and the finishes. I think that sometimes, these focuses detract from attention to the match itself rather than add to it. As seems to have been shown by ratings, fans are always much more interested in matches than they are in everything else on the show. If that is the case, it makes sense to make the matches as exciting and engaging as possible.

  1. I’m going to make an effort to write surname-first names (like Japanese names) surname first. For Japanese especially, it’s usual in English to flip the surname and given-name so that it’s in English name order. tldr: most English places would say Hiroshi Tanahashi, I’m going to say Tanahashi Hiroshi. ↩︎
  2. The Myth of Pain Compliance — CalibrePress.com :: https://calibrepress.com/2018/10/the-myth-of-pain-compliance/ ↩︎
  3. Legs are NOT Supposed to Bend That Way 😱 Mikey Musumeci vs. Gantumur Bayanduuren — ONE Championship :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DroK_yRvLH8 ↩︎
  4. What if you get tired during your match? — Wrestling Mindset :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI9B84Dynw4 ↩︎
  5. Pushing Past the Burn in Wrestling — GetPhysical.com :: https://www.getphysical.com/blog/%2Fwrestling-strategies-overcome-fatigue ↩︎
  6. Wrestling Basics with Jordan Burroughs Pins — Bob ONeil :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZnkTxiUT1k ↩︎
  7. Wrestling Basics with Jordan Burroughs Pins — Bob ONeil :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZnkTxiUT1k ↩︎
  8. Wrestling Basics with Jordan Burroughs Pins — Bob ONeil :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZnkTxiUT1k ↩︎
  9. INSIDE CRADLE – MARK ELLIS & DOM BRADLEY | FCA Wrestling TECHNIQUE — FCA Wrestling :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It8hXmqmY4I ↩︎
  10. Pinning Combinations — Andrew Pickett (North Salem Grappler) :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YatSMOGZAkw ↩︎
  11. How to get off your back (when you are in a half nelson [for beginners]) — WrestlingTournaments.com :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBkkmZmBEA ↩︎