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174-541: The attacking wrestler places an opponent in an Argentine backbreaker rack, where the opponent is held face-up across both the shoulders of the wrestler. From here the wrestler falls sideways (towards the side where the opponent's head is held) while still holding the opponent's head with one arm and flipping the opponent's legs over with the other, driving them down to the mat face-first.  WWE  wrestler  Bianca Belair  uses this move and calls it K.O.D (Kiss Of Death) . Former WWE wrestler Tyler Reks used

348-409: A body scissors to immobilize them. The normal Full Nelson hold was also used by the late WWF superstar Hercules . An old catch wrestling hold made somewhat famous by Stu Hart , this variation of a nelson hold involves the wrestler applying the hold forces the opponent prone on the mat and drives their knees into the opponent's upper back. STF is short for "Stepover Toehold Facelock". This hold

522-626: A double underhook on the opponent. The wrestler performs a kneeling or sitout facebuster . Andre the Giant is credited for inventing the move, but is perhaps better known as the Pedigree , the name Triple H gave to the kneeling version of the move as his finisher. Chyna later adopted the move from Triple H and began using it as a finisher. Another similar version of the Pedigree was used by Seth Rollins , where he would release his opponent during

696-402: A sleeper hold instead of pulling back on the head of the opponent. Popularised by Masahiro Chono . Essentially a reverse crucifix armbar with neck submission. The opponent is on their stomach with the attacker to their side, grabbing the near arm and pulling the opponent on their side before stepping over their head with the same leg (if the attacker grabbed the right arm, he'll step over with

870-464: A stomach vise, just like the original clawhold, the attacker applies a painful nerve hold to the adversary's abdomen, forcing them to submit or pass out. The stomach claw was most famously used by Killer Kowalski , naming it the Kowalski claw . This neck crank sees the wrestler wrap both hands around the opponent's face and pull back, which applies pressure to the neck and shoulder area. The move

1044-500: A "European headlock", due to its prominence in European wrestling. The two-handed version sees the wrestler use both hands and is sometimes referred to as a "¾ chancery", "side head chancery" and, most often, a "cravate". This hold is a staple of European style wrestling and technical wrestling influenced by European wrestling. An inverted version of the cravate is used by Chris Hero as part of his "Hangman's Clutch" submissions in which

1218-462: A "Muta lock". The wrestler first takes the opponent's legs then, bends them at the knees, and crosses them, placing one ankle in the other leg's knee-pit before then turning around so that they are facing away from the opponent and places one of their feet into the triangle created by the opponent's crossed legs. The wrestler then places the opponent's free ankle under their knee-pit and bridges backwards to reach over their head and locks their arms around

1392-467: A Canadian backbreaker rack, also known as the overhead gutwrench backbreaker rack, and transitions it into a sitout facebuster. Popularized by Daisuke Sasaki . Also known as a tornado facebuster, this variation sees the attacker grabbing hold of the opponent by their hair and then spinning in the air, landing in a kneeling position and driving the opponent's face into the mat. This maneuver was popularized by Melina . It's also used by Shotzi Blackheart as

1566-467: A crossface, this move sees a wrestler standing above a face-down opponent. The wrestler then crosses their opponent's arms, keeping them in place with the legs before applying the crossface. The wrestler bends one of their fingers into a hook and uses it to stretch the opponent's mouth or nose. An illegal hold under usual rules. Austin Aries uses a half surfboard variation, called Fish Hook of Doom , where

1740-404: A crossface. This move can also be known by the underrepresented term coil lock in catch wrestling . This move is notably used by Axiom during his time as A-Kid. Also known as a spinning armlock. The standing attacking wrestler grabs the wrist of a face down opponent, pulling it towards themselves, then steps over the opponent's outstretched arm, placing one leg to either side. From this point,

1914-462: A crucifix variation calling it Feel the Glow . The wrestler tucks a bent-over opponent's head in between their legs or thighs. In professional wrestling this move is used to set up powerbombs or piledrivers. A couple of variants are often to be seen. In the first, having the opponent's head tuck between the attacker's knees, the latter leaps up and releases the hold while landing, causing a whiplash on

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2088-417: A deal with Endeavor Group Holdings, under which it would merge with Zuffa , the parent company of mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to form TKO Group Holdings, a new public company majority-owned by Endeavor, with McMahon serving as executive chairman of the new entity, and Nick Khan becoming president. The merger was completed on September 12, 2023. In 2024, McMahon, who

2262-596: A deal with UPN, McMahon shut down the XFL. WWE maintained control of the XFL trademark before McMahon reclaimed the XFL brand, this time under a separate shell company from WWE, in 2017 with intent to relaunch the XFL in 2020 . On June 24, 2002, episode of Raw , Vince McMahon officially referred to the start of the next era, called the "Ruthless Aggression" era. On May 6, 2002, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) changed both its company name and

2436-415: A face-down opponent. The wrestler reaches down to pull the opposing wrestler up slightly, sits on the opponent's back, and places both of the opponent's arms across their thighs, usually locking at least one by placing the arm in the crook of their knee. The wrestler then reaches forward, cups their hands with their fingers interlocking, grab the opponent's chin in their cupped hands, and lean back, pulling on

2610-551: A fallen opponent and places the opponent's nearest arm over the wrestler's nearest shoulder before applying the crossface, where the attacking wrestler locks their hands around the opponent's chin (or lower face), then pulls back, stretching the opponent's neck and shoulder. Former NXT wrestler Johnny Gargano uses this hold as a finishing submission move, calling it the Garga-No-Escape . Drew McIntyre briefly used it in TNA as

2784-460: A finisher. A wrestler pushes their opponent upward by reaching under their legs and lifting them into the air. While retaining the hold on the opponent's leg, the wrestler falls backwards, dropping the opponent front-first into the canvas. It is commonly used when an opponent is charging. The move is similar to a back body drop , but the wrestler pushes upwards so that their opponent falls on to their face instead of falling back-first. Also known as

2958-427: A hangman's facebuster or cravate facebuster, this facebuster is performed when an attacking wrestler, who is standing in a back-to-back position with an opponent, reaches back to pull the opponent's head over their shoulder before (while keeping a hold of the opponent's head) falling forwards to twist the opponent's head over so they slam face first into the mat. This move was the finisher of Curtis Axel , which he called

3132-517: A harder effect when the opponent's face is driven into the mat. This was popularized by Sean Waltman , Ivory (ivory uses this variation as well as the kneeling one both known as ‘poison ivory') and The Bella Twins , which was dubbed the X-Factor and the Bella Buster respectively. Billy Kidman would utilized the move to counter an opponent's powerbomb attempt. Io Shirai/Iyo Sky also uses

3306-608: A heel champion in the WWF. Jinder Mahal also uses this move called the Punjabi Clutch . Miro performs a variation he calls Game Over , where he stomps on his opponent's back before applying the hold, this move was previously called The Accolade when Miro was Rusev in the WWE. A standing variation of the camel clutch is also used, with this variation popularized by Scott Steiner in the late 1990s as he used it as his finisher, dubbed

3480-599: A monopoly on the world title. In a now infamous situation, the NWA sent former five-time world champion and legitimate wrestler Lou Thesz to Toronto to face Rogers on January 24, 1963. Thesz recalls this was not planned and prior to the match remembered telling Buddy "we can do this the easy way or the hard way." Rogers agreed to lose the fall and title in a one fall match versus the traditional two out of three fall matchup that most world title matches were defended. Once word reached back to Mondt and McMahon, at first they simply ignored

3654-511: A number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission . This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use these holds as their finishing maneuvers, often nicknaming them to reflect their character or persona. Moves are listed under general categories whenever possible. An element borrowed from professional wrestling's catch wrestling origins, stretches (or submission holds) are techniques in which

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3828-532: A pay cut, and the company has also suspended construction on its new headquarters for at least six months. The firings caused significant backlash by fans; with Business Insider calling them "livid." Both fans and several media outlets pointed out that while WWE claimed that these actions were "necessary due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic", the WWE also claimed to have "substantial financial resources. Available cash and debt capacity currently total approximately $ 0.5 billion". DeSantis's claimed WWE

4002-399: A physician who, in 1966, took up professional wrestling and was said to have derived the move from his knowledge of human anatomy. Under the advice of Paul Heyman and with Foley's blessing, Bray Wyatt also used the hold as part of his " The Fiend " persona. Similar to a clawhold, the attacking wrestler applies a nerve lock onto the opponent's shoulder(s) using their hands and fingers for

4176-401: A pre-recorded format. NXT continued to air from Full Sail University, but under similar restrictions. Live broadcasts returned on April 13, with the existing arrangements continuing; WWE stated to ESPN.com that "we believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times", and that the company's programming "bring[s] families together and deliver

4350-734: A publicly traded company, trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the issuance of stock then valued at $ 172.5 million. The company is traded on the NYSE under ticker symbol WWE. By the fall of 1999, the Attitude Era had turned the tide of the Monday Night War into WWF's favor. After Time Warner merged with America Online (AOL), Ted Turner 's control over WCW was considerably reduced. The newly merged company lacked interest in professional wrestling as

4524-545: A seated position, while planting the opponent's face into the canvas between the wrestler's legs. This was popularized by Beth Phoenix , who calls it the Glam Slam . The move was only ever been kicked out of once by Natalya a month before Phoenix's departure from WWE. Jon Moxley used this during the indies in the 2000s as the Hook and Ladder before signing with WWE in 2011. NJPW wrestler Ryusuke Taguchi used this move called

4698-496: A sense of hope, determination and perseverance". It was subsequently reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had deemed WWE a business critical to the state's economy, and had added an exception under the state's stay-at-home order for employees of a "professional sports and media production" that is closed to the public and has a national audience. The decision was met with criticism from media outlets, with several media outlets pointing out that DeSantis's actions happened on

4872-419: A setup for her signature or finisher. Also called a front suplex or a gourdbuster, this move sees attacker apply a front facelock to the opponent and drape the opponent's near arm over their shoulder. The attacker lifts the opponent into a vertical position, then falls forward, driving the opponent's face into the ground. Invented by Arn Anderson , while Jeff Hardy used a sitout version. This facebuster sees

5046-464: A sitout or kneeling facebuster. A variation where a wrestler puts the opponent's between their legs as they performs push-ups , causing the opponent's face to be slammed into the canvas a number of times. Often instead of straight push ups, the attacking wrestler just bounces their legs up and down to create the effect. Madison Rayne uses this as one of her signature moves. The attacking wrestler grabs hold of an opponent's neck with both hands, one on

5220-424: A sitting opponent and wrap around one arm under the opponent's chin and lock their hands. As with a sleeper hold, this move can also be performed from a standing position. Another variation of this hold, referred to as a bridging reverse chinlock, sees the attacking wrestler crouch before a face-down opponent and wrap around one arm under the opponent's chin and lock their hands before applying a bridge. Also known as

5394-497: A submission attempt. It is also called a Trapezius Claw due to the muscle group targeted. One variant may see the wrestler instead lock their hands on the opponent's neck. It is the finishing hold of African wrestler Shaun Koen of the Africa Wrestling Alliance . This is also known as a Nerve hold , due to its association with The Great Khali and was formerly used by Classy Freddie Blassie . Also known as

Facebuster - Misplaced Pages Continue

5568-473: A third brand on May 26, 2006. Two years later, WWE adapted a more family-friendly format and their programming received a TV-PG rating . The final ECW program aired on February 16, 2010, after which it was replaced with NXT . During this time many new and young wrestlers would join the company, many which would become household names for the next years to come such as John Cena , Randy Orton , Brock Lesnar , and Batista . On April 7, 2011, WWE, via

5742-407: A time of record low revenues. This helped drive many WWF wrestlers over to rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), including 1980s babyface hero Hulk Hogan. During this period, the WWF promoted wrestlers of a younger age comprising "The New Generation", featuring Bret Hart , Shawn Michaels , Diesel , Razor Ramon and The Undertaker among others in an effort to promote new talent into

5916-515: A whole and decided to sell WCW in its entirety. Although Eric Bischoff , whom Time Warner fired as WCW president in October 1999, was nearing a deal to purchase the company, in March 2001 McMahon acquired the rights to WCW's trademarks, tape library, contracts, and other properties from AOL Time Warner for a number reported to be around $ 7 million. Shortly after WrestleMania X-Seven , the WWF launched

6090-449: A wrestler holds another in a position that puts stress on the opponent's body. Stretches are usually employed to weaken an opponent or to force them to submit , either vocally or by tapping out : slapping the mat, floor, or opponent with a free hand three times. Many of these holds, when applied vigorously, stretch the opponent's muscles or twist their joints uncomfortably, hence the name. Chokes, although not in general stress positions like

6264-539: A wrestling supercard was nothing new in North America; the NWA had begun running Starrcade a few years prior. In McMahon's eyes, however, what separated WrestleMania from other supercards was that it was intended to be accessible to those who did not watch wrestling. He invited celebrities such as Mr. T , Muhammad Ali , and Cyndi Lauper to participate in the event, as well as securing a deal with MTV to provide coverage. The event and hype surrounding it led to

6438-710: Is additionally involved in licensing its intellectual property to other companies to produce video games and action figures . The promotion was founded in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), a Northeastern territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Following a dispute, CWC left the NWA and became the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in April 1963. After rejoining

6612-952: Is based at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida . Overall, WWE programming is available in more than one billion homes worldwide in 30 languages. The company's global headquarters is located in Stamford, Connecticut , with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, and Munich. As in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE shows are not true contests but entertainment-based performance theater, featuring storyline -driven, scripted , and partially choreographed matches; however, matches often include moves that can put performers at risk of injury, even death, if not performed correctly. The pre-determined aspect of professional wrestling

6786-422: Is bent over. The attacking wrestler tucks the opponent's head underneath their armpit and wraps their arm around the head so that the forearm is pressed against the face. From this point on the wrestler can either grab the opponent's wrist with the free hand and tucks their own head beneath the opponent's armpit and stand upright, locking in the hold, or simply throw the opponent's arm over their own shoulder and grab

6960-513: Is illegal in amateur wrestling, is often used as a submission maneuver by certain wrestlers, such as Chris Masters , as shown in the accompanying picture. Ken Patera performed a variation he called the Swinging Neckbreaker (not to be confused with the neckbreaker variation), where he would lock the hold on and lift the opponent off the ground, then spin them in the air. There is also an inverted version where instead of performing

7134-592: Is performed in a bridging position where the wrestler wraps both hands around the opponent's neck and pulls back, which applies pressure to the neck and bridges on the opponent's back for added leverage. This variation is used as a submission finisher by Sasha Banks as the Bank Statement and by Taka Michinoku as the Just Facelock . Used by Chris Benoit as the Crippler Crossface ; in

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7308-508: Is performed in several ways, usually from a prone position involving the wrestler trapping one of the opponent's arms. Chris Benoit 's Crippler Crossface was a variation that involved the arm trap. Bobby Roode used the same move in TNA , but not in the WWE since 2016. Edge 's variation is where he used a metal bar on the opponent's mouth as the Glasgow Grin . A variation is performed from

7482-473: Is performed on an opponent who is lying face down on the mat. The wrestler grabs one of the opponent's legs and places the opponent's ankle between their thighs. The wrestler then lies on top of the opponent's back and locks their arms around the opponent's head. The wrestler then pulls back, stretching the opponent's back, neck, and knee. The move was popularised by Lou Thesz , albeit it is a traditional catch wrestling move pre-dating Lou Thesz by many decades; it

7656-417: Is purported to cause intense, legitimate pain. The hold is applied when the aggressor places their middle and ring fingers into the opponent's mouth, sliding them under the tongue and jabbing into the soft tissue found at the bottom of the mouth. The thumb (and sometimes palm) of the same hand is placed under the jaw, and pressure is applied downward by the middle and ring fingers while the thumb/palm forces

7830-527: Is targeted at career and athletic development for the company's wrestlers. Full Sail is also home base to WWE's NXT brand, which served as a developmental territory for WWE. On February 24, 2014, WWE launched WWE Network , an over-the-top streaming service that would feature archive content from WWE and its predecessors, all pay-per-views, (which would continue to be sold through television providers as well), and original programming. Beginning in 2015 WWE started to push Roman Reigns as their face of

8004-466: The Axehole . This is the most common variation of the standard facebuster in which the attacker grabs hold of the opponent by their head then jumps in the air, lifting the opponent and landing with their legs spread apart, driving the opponent's face into the mat. Another variation of this move is to grab the opponent by the hair, perform the same jump and landing but lift only the opponent's head, giving

8178-657: The Batista Bite and PAC uses this as The Brutalizer (formerly known as the Rings of Saturn during his time in WWE as Neville). Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D uses this move with a mandible claw hold named the Lockjaw . Bryan Danielson recently will sometimes transition into this move while already having applied the LeBell Lock effectively making this version of the move a Scissored armbar omoplata crossface . Similar to

8352-527: The Big Ending . The wrestler lifts their opponent into a Gutwrench Canadian Backbreaker Rack and transitions it into a Swinging Side-slam Face-buster. Innovated and popularized by Hirooki Goto . This variation of the facebuster sees the wrestler seating the opponent over their own shoulders, as in a powerbomb . From this point, the wrestler pushes the opponent off their shoulders, grabs the opponent's head with both hands, and drops seated or kneeled to hit

8526-737: The Dodon . Taya Valkyrie also used this move as a finisher dubbed Road To Valhalla. Jade Cargill currently used this as the Jaded . TJP also utilized the move but instead dropped his opponent onto his knees . WWE World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) is an American professional wrestling promotion . It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings , a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into fields outside of wrestling, including film , football , and various other business ventures . The company

8700-615: The Iron Maiden . This is a scissored armbar combined with a crossface. The attacking wrestler traps one of the prone opponent's arms in their legs, wraps the opponent's other arm under the attacker's shoulder, and then applies the crossface. Yuji Nagata first popularized this move named the Nagata Lock III as an evolution of his previous hold, the Nagata Lock II , a crossface submission. Batista also used this as

8874-535: The Steiner Recliner . His nephew Bron Breakker has also used the standing version as well. Another version of this move sees the wrestler standing over the opponent who's face-down reaches for and places the opponent's nearest arm around the wrestler's far waist before applying the hold. WWE wrestler Veer Mahaan uses this move as a finisher calling it the Cervical Clutch . A rolling variation of

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9048-512: The Stunner , made famous by Steve Austin . Also referred to as a neckscissors, this hold sees a wrestler approach a supine opponent and sit next to them before turning onto their side towards the opponent and wrapping their legs around either side of the opponent's head, crossing the top leg after it has gone around the opponent's chin. The wrestler then tightens their grip to choke an opponent by compressing their throat. WWE wrestler Naomi has

9222-708: The Tomikaze , it was popularized by Christian , who used this move as a finisher in WWE/TNA; it is perhaps better known as the Killswitch , but he has previously called it the Impaler (1998–1999) and the Unprettier (1999–2009). Juice Robinson uses a jumping variation, calling it Pulp Friction . Candice Michelle used this move and called it Candywrapper . Chelsea Green uses the move as her finisher, calling it

9396-522: The Un-Pretty-Her . Lio Rush uses a variation where he and the opponent spin a full 360°. Tyler Breeze is also among notable wrestlers who use the move and he refers to it as The Unprettier . Grayson Waller version sees him performing a somersault. Innovated by Gran Apache , this facebuster is performed when a wrestler bends an opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs (a standing head scissors), and hooks each of

9570-707: The WWWF World Heavyweight Championship was created, with the promotion claiming that inaugural champion Rogers had won a tournament in Rio de Janeiro on April 25, 1963, defeating long time Capitol favorite Antonino Rocca in the finals. In reality, Rocca was no longer in the area, as he was working for Jim Crockett Sr. in the Carolinas. Rogers also had already suffered what would later be a career ending heart attack on April 18 in Akron, Ohio, and

9744-470: The XFL , a new professional football league that debuted in 2001. The league had high ratings for the first few weeks, but initial interest waned and its ratings plunged to dismally low levels (one of its games was the lowest-rated prime-time show in the history of American television). NBC walked out on the venture after only one season, but McMahon intended to continue alone. However, after being unable to reach

9918-564: The omoplata position, which also puts pressure on the trapped arm but requires the wrestler to perform it from a seated position. Often referred to as the LeBell Lock, named for Gene LeBell , Daniel Bryan began popularizing the move under the name Yes! Lock when he joined WWE. It was used by Taiji Ishimori on rare occasions until he joined NJPW in 2018, where he used it frequently as the Yes Lock , named after Bryan. Another variation

10092-483: The " iron claw ", the claw involves the attacker gripping the top of the head of the opponent with one hand and squeezing the tips of their fingers into the opponent's skull, thereby applying five different points of pressure. This can be transitioned into a clawhold STO or iron claw slam . There is also double-handed version sometimes known as a head vise. The wrestler performing the hold approaches their opponent from behind and grips their head with both hands. While in

10266-486: The Invasion storyline, integrating the incoming talent roster from WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). With this purchase, WWF now became by far the sole largest wrestling promotion in North America and in the world. The assets of ECW, which had folded after filing for bankruptcy protection in April 2001, were purchased by WWE in 2003. In 2000, the WWF, in collaboration with television network NBC , launched

10440-518: The Montreal Screwjob, which took place at the 1997 Survivor Series , former WCW talent were being hired by the WWF, including Stone Cold Steve Austin , Mankind , and Vader . Austin was slowly brought in as the new face of the company despite being promoted as an antihero , starting with his " Austin 3:16 " speech shortly after defeating Jake Roberts in the tournament finals at the King of

10614-627: The NWA in 1971, the WWWF was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979 before the promotion left the NWA for good in 1983. In 2002, following a legal dispute with the World Wildlife Fund , the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In 2011, the promotion ceased branding itself as World Wrestling Entertainment and began solely branding itself with the initials WWE . Prior to September 2023,

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10788-767: The Performance Center in a similar setup dubbed the Capitol Wrestling Center. It had many of the same features as the ThunderDome, but with a small crowd of select live fans included, in addition to the virtual fans. The name is also an homage to WWE's predecessor, the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. On May 21 WWE brought back fans full time, beginning with a 25-city tour, thus ending the ThunderDome residency. The July 16 episode of SmackDown started WWE's return to

10962-485: The Performance Center with paying fans, thus being WWE's last event to have ticketed fans in attendance before the pandemic took full effect. WrestleMania 36 was scheduled to take place on April 5 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa but on March 16, was moved to Orlando to be held behind closed doors. WrestleMania, as well as Raw and SmackDown for a period before and after WrestleMania, shifted from live broadcasts to

11136-615: The Ring pay-per-view in 1996. On April 29, 1999, the WWF made its return to terrestrial television , airing a special program known as SmackDown! on the fledgling UPN network. The Thursday night show became a weekly series on August 26, 1999 – competing directly with WCW's Thursday night program titled Thunder on TBS . In the summer of 1999, Titan Sports, Inc. was renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. On October 19, 1999, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. launched an initial public offering as

11310-498: The WWE Corporate website, the company ceased using the full name World Wrestling Entertainment and henceforth referred to itself solely as WWE, making the latter an orphan initialism . This was said to reflect WWE's global entertainment expansion away from the ring with the ultimate goal of acquiring entertainment companies and putting a focus on television, live events, and film production. WWE noted that their new company model

11484-498: The WWF were former AWA or NWA talent. The WWF would tour nationally in a venture that would require a huge capital investment, one that placed the WWF on the verge of financial collapse. The future of McMahon's experiment came down to the success or failure of McMahon's groundbreaking concept, WrestleMania . WrestleMania was a major success and was (and still is) marketed as the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. The concept of

11658-640: The WrestleMania III main event between WWF champion Hulk Hogan and André the Giant took place on The Main Event I in 1988 and was seen by 33 million people, the most-watched wrestling match in North American television history. In 1983, Titan moved its offices to Stamford, Connecticut . Subsequently, a new Titan Sports, Inc. (originally WWF, Inc.) was established in Delaware in 1987 and

11832-456: The adjacent picture, he has pulled so far back that he finished the hold seated, which he did not always do. In Daniel Bryan 's variation of the move as the LeBell Lock , he takes the opponent's arm and puts it in an omoplata . From here, the wrestler puts the opponent in a crossface, wrenching the neck and shoulder. This move was also used by Kenta as the Game Over. The wrestler goes to

12006-700: The aforementioned draft), and airs live instead of the previous pre-recorded format. Due to the return of the brand split, a new World Championship , called the WWE Universal Championship was introduced at the August 21, 2016 SummerSlam event with Finn Bálor defeating Seth Rollins to become the inaugural WWE Universal Champion. On November 29, 2016, WWE introduced a new program specifically for their cruiserweight division (wrestlers 205 lbs. and under) called WWE 205 Live . The program focuses exclusively on those wrestlers who qualify for

12180-410: The air before performing a seated drop, driving their opponent's face into the canvas. A variation to the wheelbarrow facebuster which sees the attacking wrestler stand at the side of an opponent and begin to lift them as for a belly-to-back suplex . Instead of falling backwards to drop the opponent back-first, the wrestler stops after lifting the opponent, grabs a hold of their legs while still holding

12354-413: The attacking wrestler crouches down behind a sitting opponent and places their knee into the opponent's upper back, then reaches forward and grasps the opponent's chin with both hands. The attacker then either pulls straight back on the chin or wrenches it to the side. A maneuver similar to a neck wrench where the wrestler faces a bent-over opponent. The attacking wrestler tucks the opponent's top/back of

12528-453: The attacking wrestler grab a standing opponent around the waist from behind and lift them into a backdrop position before then falling to a sitting position, swinging the opponent down so that their face is driven into the ground. A variant, sees the wrestler lift the opponent's legs around their waist before placing both hands around the opponent's waist and lifting them into a wheelbarrow position . The wrestler then elevates their opponent into

12702-416: The bottom rope, if the opponent is lying against it. The omoplata (AKA ashi-sankaku-garami in judo) is an armlock that targets the shoulder. The locking mechanism is similar to the kimura lock, but instead of using a figure-four, it is applied using a leg. The omoplata can be applied from the guard, by placing one leg under the opponent's armpit and turning 180 degrees in the direction of that leg, so that

12876-493: The camel clutch is also used, with this variation popularized by Maryse Ouellet , dubbed French Pain . Big Show uses a kneeling variation of this move called the Colossal Clutch . The attacking wrestler stands over a face-down opponent, facing the same direction. The wrestler first hooks each of the opponent's legs underneath their own armpits as if performing a reverse Boston crab , then reaches down and underneath

13050-496: The company began the removal of some of the contents that were considered iconic moments of the Attitude Era that were deemed inappropriate by Peacock, these archived contents would no longer be available under any of WWE's authorized platforms. Amdist the criticisms, in April 2021 WWE executive Triple H defended WWE's move to Peacock. Professional wrestling holds#Butterfly Professional wrestling holds include

13224-523: The company since having him win the 2015 Royal rumble match , amidst mixed reception . By 2017 Roman Reigns became their highest merchandise seller. On May 25, 2016, WWE relaunched the brand split, billed as the "New Era". Subsequently, Raw and SmackDown have each featured their unique rosters, announcers, championships and ring sets/ropes. A draft took place to determine which wrestlers would appear on what show. SmackDown also moved from Thursdays to Tuesday nights, which began on July 19 (the night of

13398-530: The company's majority owner was its executive chairman, third-generation wrestling promoter Vince McMahon , who retained a 38.6% ownership of the company's outstanding stock and 81.1% of the voting power. The current entity, which was originally named Titan Sports, Inc. , was incorporated on February 21, 1980, in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts , but reincorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law in 1987. It acquired Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd.,

13572-497: The company. The actual date of sale is still unknown but the generally accepted date is June 6, 1982; however, this was likely only the date the deal was struck but not finalized. On WWF television, Capitol Wrestling Corporation maintained copyrights and ownership past the June 1982 date. The World Wrestling Federation was not solely owned by Vincent J. McMahon but also by Gorilla Monsoon , Arnold Skaaland and Phil Zacko. The deal between

13746-642: The division. The cruiserweights – who first became a fixture in WWE with the Cruiserweight Classic tournament – were originally exclusive to the Raw brand before landing their own brand . On December 15, 2016, WWE established a new WWE United Kingdom Championship , with the inaugural champion being decided by a 16-man tournament to air on WWE Network featuring wrestlers from the UK and Ireland during January 2017. WWE executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque said

13920-572: The eventual plan with the new title and tournament was to establish a UK-based brand with its own weekly television show. WWE subsequently launched its UK-based brand as an offshoot of NXT, NXT UK , in June 2018, with Johnny Saint serving as inaugural general manager. Starting in September 2019, NXT had a weekly, live, two-hour show Wednesday nights on the USA Network and WWE began promoting NXT as their "third brand". However, in 2021 NXT

14094-419: The facebuster and landing with their legs spread apart, driving the opponent's face into the mat. Velvet Sky used a variation of this move. She begins with her opponent in an inverted facelock, then grabs one of the opponents arms and pulls, rotating the opponent so that the front of the body faces the mat and is in between her legs, finally driving down to the mat and ending in a facebuster. The wrestler grabs

14268-627: The fall, while a sitout version, known as the In Yo' Face , is the name Velvet Sky gave to the move as her finisher. CM Punk used an avalanche version called the Pepsi Plunge in the independent circuit before re-using the move in AEW and uses the move which can see him drop the opponent towards the mat while facing to or away from the turnbuckle. Chyna also used this version in her feud against Chris Jericho . The wrestler stands behind and facing

14442-428: The film Rocky III . McMahon signed Roddy Piper as Hogan's rival, and then shortly afterward Jesse Ventura as an announcer. Other wrestlers joined the roster, such as The Iron Sheik , Nikolai Volkoff , Junkyard Dog , Paul Orndorff , Greg Valentine , and Ricky Steamboat , joining existing stars such as Jimmy Snuka , Don Muraco , Sgt. Slaughter and André the Giant . Many of the wrestlers who would later join

14616-560: The first time that professional wrestling had been broadcast on network television since the 1950s when the now-defunct DuMont Television Network broadcast matches of Vincent J. McMahon's Capitol Wrestling Corporation. The 1980s "Wrestling Boom" peaked with the WrestleMania III pay-per-view at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1987, which set an attendance record of 93,173 for the WWF for 29 years until 2016 . A rematch of

14790-571: The flying variant, see below) and Ronda Rousey perform this move a finisher. Bryan Danielson popularized and invented a variation, dubbed the Danielson Special , where he would flip his opponent with a butterfly suplex before locking in the cross armbar. This variation begins with the wrestler standing on either side of the bent-over opponent. The wrestler then steps over one of the opponent's arms while holding that arm's wrist, and then rolls or twists their body in mid-air while holding

14964-500: The founder of the CWC was. Some sources state that it was Vincent J. McMahon , while other sources cite McMahon's father Jess McMahon as founder of CWC. The CWC later joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and famous New York promoter Toots Mondt soon joined the promotion. Vincent J. McMahon and Toots Mondt were very successful and soon controlled approximately 70% of the NWA's booking power, largely due to their dominance in

15138-405: The four major sports leagues closed locker rooms to the media as a precautionary measure. As other sports cancellations and postponements were being introduced, WWE began to film its weekly programs at the Performance Center without spectators and with only essential staff present, beginning with the March 13 episode of SmackDown  – the March 11 episode of NXT had been recorded at

15312-404: The front, and one on the back. The arm that has the hand on the back of the neck may hook the opponent's arm. The wrestler then lifts the opponent up, releases the hand holding the front of the opponent's neck, and pushes forward to slam the opponent to the mat face-first with the other hand. Braun Strowman occasionally uses this move as his finisher. Former NXT Rookie Eli Cottonwood used this as

15486-419: The half nelson the attacker slips one arm under the opponent's armpit and places it on the neck. The three-quarter nelson is done by performing a half nelson using one hand and passing the other hand underneath the opponent from the same side. The passing hand goes under the opponent's neck and around the far side to the top of the neck, where it is locked with the other hand around the neck. The full nelson, which

15660-435: The hand positioning is the same as a normal cravate but the facelock is connected around the face of the opponent, not from behind the opponent's head, thus pulling the opponent's head backwards rather than forwards, putting significant pressure on the neck by stretching it backwards and in other directions toward which the neck would not normally bend. This can also be a setup move for the 3/4 Facelock Jawbreaker , also known as

15834-415: The head into their own chest and wraps an arm around the opponent's neck so that their forearm is pressed against the opponent's throat. The wrestler then places their own spare arm under the other hand and over the opponent's back to lock in the hold, compressing the opponent's neck. The attacking wrestler can then arch backwards, pulling the opponent's head downward. This move sees the attacker kneel behind

16008-583: The heavily populated Northeastern United States . In 1963, McMahon and Mondt had a dispute with the NWA over "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers being booked to hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . Mondt and McMahon were not only promoters but also acted as his manager and were accused by other NWA promoters of withholding Rogers making defenses in their cities versus only defending in Mondt and McMahon's own cities thus maintaining

16182-417: The holding company for the WWF, in 1982. Titan was renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. in 1999, and then World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. in 2002. In 2023, its legal name was changed to World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC . WWE is the largest wrestling promotion in the world. Its main roster is divided into two touring brands , Raw and SmackDown . Its developmental brand , NXT ,

16356-410: The jaw upwards, which is purported to compress the nerves in the jaw and thus render the opponent's jaw paralyzed; this, therefore, prevents the opponent from breaking the hold by biting the wrestler's fingers, as Mick Foley explained to Vince McMahon when questioned about it during his interviews prior to joining the WWF in 1996. Although Foley popularized the move, it was invented by Sam Sheppard ,

16530-401: The left arm, they will use their left leg) around the back of the opponent's neck (against the back of their knee) and bracing their foot against the front of the other shoulder, they steps over their opponent with their other leg, squatting down. Also known as a keylock , Top shoulder lock , Americana , and ude-garami , (a term borrowed from judo ). This armlock sees the wrestler grappling

16704-404: The leg moves over the back of the opponent and entangles the opponent's arm. By controlling the opponent's body and pushing the arm perpendicularly away from the opponent's back, pressure can be put on the opponent's shoulder. It is also possible to put pressure on the elbow joint by bending the leg entangling the arm and twisting it in a specific manner. It is usually done to set up the opponent for

16878-415: The locker room post-match. All of this would put him out of action for 6-8 months. Mike could be heard yelling "NO!" when he made a last second decision that he didn't want to take the move but was pressured throughout the process from Brandon who was then going into business for himself . This move was never used again afterwards. Like a belly-to-back suplex , the attacking wrestler wraps their arms around

17052-687: The longest world title reign in the WWE since Hulk Hogan from 1984 to 1988. WWE remained at the Amway Center up through early December before relocating the ThunderDome to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida . The ThunderDome relocated to Yuengling Center , located on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, beginning with the April 12, 2021, episode of Raw . In October 2020, NXT events were relocated from Full Sail University to

17226-522: The mat face-first. The move is named after the innovator of the original Gory special, Gory Guerrero . Chavo Guerrero utilized this move. WWE wrestler Kay Lee Ray uses this move as the KLR Bomb , now known as the Fyre Bomb ever since going under the ring name Alba Fyre . NJPW wrestler Shingo Takagi uses it as Noshigami. Also known as an inverted Alabama Slam , this move usually starts with

17400-422: The mat. The forward Russian legsweep was popularized by Jeff Jarrett , who began using the maneuver as a finisher in the late 1990s and calls it The Stroke . A slight variation of the forward Russian legsweep, the wrestler approaches the opponent from behind and places them in a full nelson before hooking their leg. The wrestler then falls forward in an almost identical way, slamming the opponent face-first into

17574-476: The mat. The most notable practitioner of this variant is The Miz , who calls the move the Skull Crushing Finale and has used it as a finisher since August 2009. The wrestler applies a front facelock to the opponent and then throws their legs out behind them, falling onto their stomach and driving the opponent's face into the mat. It is similar to a standard DDT , except it targets the face of

17748-465: The move as the Burning Hammer (not to be confused with the variation popularized by Kenta Kobashi ) on rare occasions. From a position in which the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, the wrestler grabs around the opponent's midsection and lifts so that the opponent is held upside down, facing in the same direction as the wrestler. The wrestler then hooks both arms of

17922-618: The move as the Faith Breaker . Cesaro uses a variation called the Neutralizer where he grapevines the opponent's leg with his arm similar to a cradle piledriver . A version of this move also exists which is a Moonsault Styles Clash and was innovated and used by the late indy pro wrestler Brandon Kaplan, better known under the names Spyral (or Spiral) and BKNY, which he called the Panther Bomb against Mike Sydal who

18096-519: The move as the Styles Clash . Styles performs the maneuver with a variation, as seen in the photos to the right: he does not hook the opponent's arms before performing the slam but takes two steps and moves his legs in front of the opponent's arms, enabling him to use his legs to cover the shoulders for a pin. Styles has also used this move from the second rope . This variant is later utilized by former WWE wrestler Michelle McCool , who referred to

18270-533: The move from behind the opponent, the wrestler stands in front of the opponent and uses the move in the same way as the normal full nelson. Chris Masters and Bobby Lashley uses a standing variation called the Master Lock and the Hurt Lock respectively, where they lock the nelson in and swing their opponent back and forth alternating pressure between their shoulders. Lashley sometimes locks his opponents into

18444-523: The move. Other wrestlers who've used this move and popularized it were, Torrie Wilson calling it the Nose-Job , Jazz calling it the Jazz Stinger , Ivory calling it Poison Ivory , and Jillian Hall calling it Solo . The move would also be used by Kelly Kelly , Gail Kim , Layla , Dawn Marie , Lexie Fyfe , Lana , and Brooke Tessemacher . The attacking wrestler lifts their opponent into

18618-618: The name of its wrestling promotion to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after the company lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF trademark. Although mainly caused by an unfavorable ruling in its dispute with the World Wildlife Fund regarding the "WWF" initialism, the company noted it provided an opportunity to emphasize its focus on entertainment. In March 2002, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, with each group of wrestlers appearing on one of their main programs, Raw and SmackDown! , due to

18792-400: The neck so that the forearm is pressed against the chin. The wrestler then grabs their own wrist with their free hand, crossing it underneath the opponent's armpit and chest to lock the hold in, compressing the opponent's neck. The attacking wrestler can then arch backwards, pulling the opponent's head forward and thus applying extra pressure on the neck. The wrestler faces their opponent, who

18966-568: The opponent by the head or hair and jumps in the air, landing in a kneeling position and driving the opponent's face into the mat. A slight variation of the kneeling facebuster sees a wrestler fall into the kneeling position while having the opponent's head between their legs and pushing the opponent down with their hands. Dustin Rhodes used the move in his Black Reign persona called the Blackout . Ivory used this as her finisher interchangeably with

19140-460: The opponent from behind, and lifts them onto their shoulders into a seated position, the electric chair . The wrestler then lifts the opponent up by their thighs and pushes them forward and down, slamming them down to the mat chest first. The wrestler may also sit down while slamming the opponent. Edge has used the sitout version in his WWF/E run. Used by Rhea Ripley as transition move. Also commonly referred to as an Alley Oop, this variation sees

19314-461: The opponent in a waistlock, lifts the opponent in the air, and falls forward into a facebuster. Brooke Tessmacher used this as her finisher and called it the Tess-Shocker . The opponent is lifted in sidewinder suplex position before being swung around and driven face first into the mat by the attacker. This variation sees the wrestler grab a hold over the opponent's head/hair, then climb to

19488-416: The opponent is lying face down; they grab one of the opponent's wrists with one hand and fish hooks the opponent's mouth with the other, and then places his knees against the opponent's stretched arm and pulls back with his arms. Also known as "Neck Wrench", the wrestler faces their opponent, who is bent over. The attacking wrestler tucks their opponent's head underneath their armpit and wraps their arm around

19662-416: The opponent over their head and slamming them down to the mat face-first. The attacking wrestler may also sit down while slamming the opponent. Drew McIntyre currently uses this moves as a transitional move. Hall of Famer Nikki Bella uses this move as a signature move. This version of a facebuster sees the wrestler place an opponent in an inverted facelock while holding the facelock, twisting them into

19836-402: The opponent sitting on an elevated position such as the top turnbuckle, with the attacking wrestler, standing in front of them and facing the same direction, positioning the opponent's legs over their shoulders. Then the attacking wrestler detaches from the turnbuckle, so that the opponent is held upside down in a back-to-back position. From this position the attacking wrestler bends over, flipping

20010-678: The opponent to land on their face and upper body. Popularized by Brock Lesnar as the F-5 , by Rosemary as the Red Wedding , and by Wardlow as the F-10 . Kevin Steen used the move as his signature move in Ring of Honor . The wrestler grabs the opponent by the arm and goes behind him while holding the arm and hooking the opponent's leg. The wrestler then bends the opponent's back and slams their face to

20184-570: The opponent up, and slams them face-first on to the mat. Jushin Thunder Liger is well known for using this move as a finisher, calling it the Crash Thunder Buster . The wrestler hooks both an opponent's arms in an elevated double chickenwing , lifts them up into the air from behind, then drops the opponent down onto the mat face first. There is also a sitout variation, where a wrestler hooks their opponent's legs and drops to

20358-442: The opponent using their legs and falls forward, planting the opponent's body into the mat face-first. The move often sees the wrestler keep their legs hooked under the arms of the opponent after hitting the move, using the underhooking technique to turn the opponent on to their back into a Rana style pinning position. This move was innovated by Col. DeBeers and was made famous by Diamond Dallas Page and A.J. Styles , who refers to

20532-429: The opponent's arms behind their back. The wrestler then pulls back on the opponent's arms, lifting them up so that the opponent is held upside-down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, as if the wrestler was preparing for a double underhook piledriver . The wrestler then falls forward to a kneeling position, planting the opponent's body into the mat face-first. A sit-out variation of this move exists. This maneuver

20706-413: The opponent's arms in a stepover armlock , turning 360° so the opponent's arm is bent around the leg of the attacking wrestler. The wrestler will then sandwich the arm between their own leg and the side of the opponent's body. The wrestler then reaches forwards and applies a chinlock as in a standard camel clutch, leaning backwards to apply pressure to the upper back and arm. Also known as a rear chinlock,

20880-412: The opponent's arms, locking their hands together. The attacker then drops to the side opposite that of the arm that they grabbed (if they grabbed the right arm, they will fall on their left side). The opponent will thus be on their back, with one of the attacker's legs under the victim's upper back and hooking their free arm. The attacker throws their other leg over the opponent's trapped arm and then behind

21054-542: The opponent's back and lock their arms around the opponent's face. The wrestler then pulls back, stretching the opponent's back, neck, and knees. Jungle Boy uses this as the Snare Trap , while Kazuchika Okada uses a kneeling version called the Red Ink . An arm-trap variation of this move was invented by WWE wrestler William Regal and is currently known as a Regal Stretch . The inverted Indian deathlock facelock, or

21228-487: The opponent's chin and applying pressure to their back. A camel clutch can also refer simply to a rear chinlock while seated on the back of an opponent, without placing the arms on the thighs. The move was invented by Gory Guerrero in Mexico, where it was called la de a caballo (horse-mounting choke), but got its more common name from The Sheik who used it as his finisher. The Iron Sheik also used this version while

21402-423: The opponent's chin with both hands, applying a chinlock, and finally leaning back to pull up the opponent's head and neck. Another version of the move is similar to a wheelbarrow facebuster, but instead illegally pulls the hair of the opponent while leaning back to pull up the opponent's head and neck. The attacking wrestler stands over a face-down opponent, facing the same direction. The wrestler then grabs one of

21576-419: The opponent's far leg outwards with their leg. Used by Taichi as Seteii Juhjiro. In this hold, a wrestler who is facing away from an opponent wraps their arm around the neck of an opponent. This is also called a "reverse chancery". Though this is an often-used rest hold, it is also sometimes the beginning of a standard bulldog move. The wrestler stands in front of the opponent while both people are facing

21750-458: The opponent's grappled wrist. This would result in the opponent's arm being shaped into a 4 . As the opponent's wrist is grabbed by both opponent's hands, along with the bent arm, this applies effective pressure into the opponent. The maneuver can be executed on a standing or a downed (facing upwards) opponent. This move has been used by many wrestlers for many years. The wrestler approaches an opponent lying against any set of ropes and grabs one of

21924-440: The opponent's head backwards and up, wrenching the opponent's neck. Naomichi Marufuji invented a single underhook variation, called Perfect Facelock. Also commonly known as a dragon bite, this move sees the attacking wrestler behind a standing opponent, pulling them backwards into an inverted facelock and wrapping their legs around the opponent's body with a body scissors . The attacker then arches backwards, putting pressure on

22098-402: The opponent's head. Invented by The Great Muta , this move has been adapted and performed by various wrestlers such as Melina Perez ( California Dream ) and Emma ( Emma Lock ) as finishing moves, signature moves, and setups to finishers. Short for "stepover toehold sleeper", this hold is a modified version of an STF in which the wrestler wraps their arm around the neck of the opponent in

22272-399: The opponent's neck and spine. This move is used on an opponent trapped within the ring ropes, which makes the move illegal under most match rules. The wrestler applies an inverted facelock to a seated opponent, places their far leg between the opponent's legs, and pushes their near leg's knee against the opponent's back. The wrestler then pulls the opponent's head backwards with their arms and

22446-406: The opponent's neck, pushing it forward. The attacker can now roll towards their back, creating more pressure on the neck while hyperextending the opponent's arm across their own chest. Essentially a step-over armbar with neck submission. The opponent is on their back, wrestler standing to their side and reaching down to grab the opponent's far arm, pulling up. Wrapping their same leg (if they grabbed

22620-411: The opponent's neck. Wrestlers as André the Giant or Junkyard Dog were famed for its using. In the second one and holding the opponent in the same position, the attacker twists the legs from the hip in a "Neck crank" variant. Popularized by Curt Hennig . The nelson hold in professional wrestling usually takes the form of the full nelson, half nelson, or three-quarter nelson. In all three variations,

22794-426: The opponent's thighs with the free hand. Similar in execution and function to a front chancery, this lock is often used as a setup for a suplex . The wrestler stands behind their opponent and bends the opponent backwards. The wrestler tucks the opponent's head face-up under their armpit and wraps their arm around the head, so that their forearm is pressed against the back of the opponent's neck. The wrestler then pulls

22968-410: The opponent's wrist with the similar hand (for example, if they use the right arm, they would grab the opponent's right wrist), and with the opponent's wrist still clutched, the wrestler bends the opponent's arm (of the grappled wrist) towards or behind the opponent's head. Then, the wrestler passes their other free arm through the "hole" formed by the opponent's bent arm under the biceps, and then catches

23142-477: The opponent's wrists with their similar arm. The wrestler then pins the arm with the grappled wrist against the second or top rope to the outside of the ring, passes their other arm from under the opponent's biceps, and grapples the opponent's wrist. The whole maneuver would force the opponent's arm to be bent in the number "4" shape, applying more pressure as the arm is trapped between the second or top rope. The rope-hung figure-four armlock can be also grappled through

23316-582: The organization. McMahon also worked to get WWF programming on syndicated television all across the United States. This angered other promoters and disrupted the well-established boundaries of the different wrestling promotions, eventually ending the territory system, which was in use since the founding of the NWA in the 1940s. In addition, the company used income generated by advertising, television deals, and tape sales to secure talent from rival promoters. In an interview with Sports Illustrated , McMahon

23490-399: The other stretches, are usually grouped with stretches as they serve the same tactical purposes. In public performance, for safety's sake, stretches are usually not performed to the point where the opponent must submit or risk injury. Likewise, chokes are usually not applied to the point where they cut off the oxygen supply to the opponent's brain. The wrestler begins the hold by standing over

23664-441: The other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for; the "Supershow" format would mark the end of the brand split, as all programming and live events (until July 2016) featured the full WWE roster. In 2013, the company built the sports medicine and training facility WWE Performance Center in the east Orange County, Florida in partnership with Full Sail University from Winter Park, Florida . The training facility

23838-487: The overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline and the ensuing absorption of WCW and ECW contracts. This was dubbed as the " brand extension ". Beginning in 2002 a draft lottery was held nearly every year to set the rosters, with the first draft to determine the inaugural split rosters, and subsequent drafts designed to refresh the rosters of each show. WWE expanded the brand split by relaunching ECW as

24012-569: The pandemic to have ticketed fans in attendance with a maximum of 25,000 spectators for each night with COVID-19 protocols in place. Also around this time, the WWE Network in the United States became exclusively distributed by Peacock on March 18, 2021 (ahead of Fastlane and WrestleMania 37). The merger of the WWE Network and Peacock did not affect the service outside of the United States. The move to Peacock received some criticisms from fans particularly due to Peacock's heavy censorship policy,

24186-482: The pandemic, including releasing a number of performers ( Karl Anderson , Kurt Angle , Aiden English , EC3 , Epico , Luke Gallows , Curt Hawkins , No Way Jose , Sarah Logan , Mike Kanellis , Maria Kanellis , Primo , Erick Rowan , Rusev , Lio Rush , Zack Ryder , Heath Slater , and Eric Young ), three producers ( Dave Finlay , Shane Helms and Lance Storm ), referee Mike Chioda , and multiple NXT/Performance Center trainees and staff. WWE executives also took

24360-429: The right leg). Using that leg as leverage, he'll push the opponent's head downwards and drop to their side so that the opponent must support their own body weight on their squeezed neck. The attacker then uses their free leg to complete the reverse crucifix armbar, trying to hyperextend the elbow. Essentially a scissored armbar with neck submission. The opponent is on their stomach while the attacker reaches under one of

24534-604: The road, taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. In January 2021, WWE moved WrestleMania 37 , which was originally to be held in Inglewood, California on March 28, to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida – WrestleMania 36's original location – as a two-night event on April 10 and 11, with fans in attendance, though to a limited capacity. This marked WWE's first event during

24708-520: The same day a pro- Donald Trump political action committee led by Linda McMahon , who was previously a part of Trump's cabinet, pledged to spend $ 18.5 million in advertising in Florida, and that, also on the same day, Vince McMahon was named part of an advisory group created by Trump to devise a strategy in re-launching the US economy. On April 15, WWE started a series of cuts and layoffs in response to

24882-409: The same direction, with some space in between the two. Then, the wrestler moves slightly to the left while still positioned in front of the opponent. The wrestler then uses the near hand to reach back and grab the opponent from behind the head, thus pulling the opponent's head above the wrestler's shoulder. Sometimes the free arm is placed at the top of the opponent's head. The move is also referred to as

25056-407: The same direction. Brandon then hooked both of Mike's arms his legs and performed a diving moonsault, planting Mike's body into the mat face-first. This move was extremely dangerous since Mike's arms were hooked with Brandon's legs and couldn't brace for the impact, he was knocked unconscious along with giving him a concussion as well as broken ribs, having one of wrist broken, and he had a seizure in

25230-415: The same way as their opponent and hooks both their arms. The wrestler then places their head next to the opponent's back and turns 180 degrees while twisting one of the opponent's arms over both of their heads. With the wrestler now in front of the opponent and still hooking the opponent's arms, the wrestler drops onto their back, driving the opponent down face-first into the mat. Innovated by Tommy Rogers as

25404-409: The second rope or and finally jump from there dropping to their knees or in a sitout position and planting the opponent face first to the mat. In another variation the wrestler could just jump from the turnbuckle grabbing the opponent's head/hair in the air and planting them to the mat. The wrestler bends their opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs, and then applies

25578-400: The sit out version, calling them both Poison Ivory . Also known as a powerslam facebuster, this variation sees the wrestler lifting the opponent onto their shoulders as in a front powerslam . Then as the opponent is on the shoulder, the wrestler jumps and slams the opponent face-first to the mat. A cutter variation also exists. WWE wrestler Big E uses this move as a finisher, calling it

25752-422: The spotlight. In January 1993, the WWF debuted its flagship cable program Monday Night Raw . WCW countered in September 1995 with its own Monday night program, Monday Nitro , which aired in the same time slot as Raw . The two programs would trade wins in the ensuing ratings competition (known as the " Monday Night War ") until mid-1996. At that point, Nitro began a nearly two-year ratings domination that

25926-407: The term Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection , due to the cross-promotion of popular culture and professional wrestling. The WWF business expanded significantly on the shoulders of McMahon and his babyface hero Hulk Hogan for the next several years after defeating The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984. The introduction of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC in 1985 marked

26100-471: The three business partners receiving roughly $ 815,000 among them and Vincent J. McMahon receiving roughly $ 185,000. Seeking to make the WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the country, and eventually, the world, he began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the wrestling business. At the annual meeting of the NWA in 1983, the McMahons and former Capitol employee Jim Barnett all withdrew from

26274-686: The title change. From January until April 1963, Rogers was promoted as the NWA World Champion, or simply the World Heavyweight Champion, in their area. The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was not an immediate creation after Rogers's one fall loss to Thesz. Mondt and McMahon both eventually left the NWA in protest and formed the WWWF in the process. They brought along with them Willie Gilzenberg , long time boxing and wrestling promoter in New Jersey. In April 1963,

26448-419: The two McMahons was a monthly payment basis, in which if a single payment was missed, ownership would revert to the elder McMahon and his business partners. Looking to seal the deal quickly, McMahon took several loans and deals with other promoters and the business partners (including the promise of a job for life) in order to take full ownership by May or June 1983 for an estimated total of roughly $ 1 million with

26622-477: The victim rather than the head, and the wrestler falls onto their stomach instead of falling back as they would in a DDT. A single underhook variation was used by Seth Rollins . This back-to-back release facebuster is a variation of the Gory special where a wrestler releases the arms of the opponent to take hold of the opponent's legs while dropping to a seated position, forcing the opponent to fall forward and impact

26796-554: The vise, the wrestler can control their opponent by squeezing the temples and bring them down to a seated position where more pressure can be exerted. It was invented and used by Baron von Raschke , as well as many members of the Von Erich family , and Blackjack Mulligan . The double-handed version was a signature submission of The Great Khali , dubbed the Vice Grip . A maneuver which, when applied correctly against an individual,

26970-435: The wrestler lift up their opponent in a powerbomb position, only to toss them off their shoulders backward, causing them to land face-first. This was used as a signature move by The Big Show . This facebuster variation sees a wrestler lift an opponent up in a fireman's carry across their shoulders, then throw the opponent's legs out in front of them to spin them out, while simultaneously falling backwards or forwards, causing

27144-424: The wrestler slips either one or both arms underneath the opponent's armpits from behind and locks their hands behind their neck, pushing the opponent's head forward against their chest. For a full nelson, the attacker slips both their arms under the opponent's armpits and locks their hands behind their opponent's neck. The half and three-quarter nelsons are usually transition holds, as they are in amateur wrestling. For

27318-495: The wrestler turns 360 degrees, simultaneously bending the arm of the opponent around the attacker's own leg. The wrestler can over-rotate or turn again to apply more pressure on the arm. The stepover armlock is similar in execution to the spinning toe hold , except that the wrist is held instead of the foot. The wrestler takes hold of the opponent's arm and twists it, putting pressure on the shoulder and elbow. This may sometimes be preceded by an arm wrench . The armbar's innovation

27492-461: The wrestlers' entrances on a level similar to that of pay-per-view productions pre-pandemic. Nearly 1,000 LED boards were installed to allow for rows and rows of virtual fans. It was free of charge for fans to virtually attend the events, though they had to reserve their virtual seat ahead of time. During this time, Roman Reigns began his historic world title reign with the WWE Universal Championship , which would eventually surpass 1,000 days; being

27666-446: The wrist, forcing the opponent down to their back and ending in a cross armbar . This variant has been used by Alberto Del Rio , A.J. Styles and Asuka . Kushida uses a variation, where goes on the top rope and places his opponent on the turnbuckle and delivers the move. The wrestler, situated perpendicular to and behind the opponent, holds the opponent's arm with both arms, pulling the arm across their chest. The wrestler then holds

27840-420: Was "essential", which meant that the company's revenues loss would be limited. In August 2020, WWE relocated from the Performance Center to Orlando's Amway Center for a long-term residency, broadcasting episodes of Raw , SmackDown , and pay-per-views through a virtual fan viewing experience called WWE ThunderDome . Inside the ThunderDome, drones, lasers, pyro, smoke, and projections were utilized to enhance

28014-405: Was by now no longer the majority WWE stockholder, ended his ties with the company amid a sex trafficking scandal . Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s WWE's origins can be traced back as far as the 1950s when on January 7, 1953, the first show under the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was produced. There is uncertainty as to whom

28188-551: Was consolidated with the Massachusetts entity in February 1988. The WWF was hit with allegations of steroid abuse and distribution in 1992. This was followed by allegations of sexual harassment by WWF employees the following year. McMahon was eventually exonerated, but the allegations brought bad public relations for the WWF, and an overall bad reputation. The steroid trial cost the company an estimated $ 5 million at

28362-505: Was further popularised by Masahiro Chono and John Cena , who named it the STFU . Samoa Joe , Jazz , Erik Watts and Nikki Bella have also used this move. Starting in the same position as a regular STF, the attacker takes both the opponent's legs, bends them at the knees, and crosses them, placing one ankle in the other leg's knee-pit. The wrestler then grabs the free ankle and places that ankle between their thighs. They then lie on top of

28536-545: Was his opponent at the time in an Aerial Assault Match at CZW Tangled Web 2 in 2009 in which one of the turnbuckle posts has a box mounted on top to allow a diving wrestler extra height for their moves. The initial setup for this move was complicated as it required Mike, while facing the ring, to be placed on top of the box in a sitting position. Brandon would then bend Mike forwards with a front facelock placing Mike's head between his legs, grabbing him around his midsection and then lifted him upside-down with them both facing in

28710-445: Was in an Ohio hospital during the time the alleged tournament took place. Rogers lost the championship to Bruno Sammartino a month later on May 17, with the promotion beginning to be built around Sammartino shortly after. In June 1963, Gilzenberg was named the first president of the WWWF. Mondt left the promotion in the late 1960s and although the WWWF had previously withdrawn from the NWA, McMahon quietly re-joined in 1971. The WWWF

28884-587: Was largely fueled by the introduction of the New World Order (nWo), a stable led by former WWF performers Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall (the former Razor Ramon), and Kevin Nash (the former Diesel). As the Monday Night War continued between Raw Is War and WCW's Nitro , the WWF would transform itself from a family-friendly product into a more adult-oriented product, known as the Attitude Era . The era

29058-581: Was moved to Tuesday nights, having conceded the Wednesday Night Wars to rival promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and in September of that year was reinstated to its original function as the developmental brand for the main roster (Raw and SmackDown), under the name "NXT 2.0". In March 2020, WWE began to be impacted by the American onset of the COVID-19 pandemic . In mid-March, three of

29232-582: Was popularized by Christopher Daniels , who uses a spinning sit-out version of the move and calls it the Angel's Wings and El Desperado as Pinche Locó. Awesome Kong uses a kneeling version as her finisher, known as the Implant Buster . Tommaso Ciampa uses this move, calling it Fairy Tale Ending , while Mandy Rose used a sitout version of the move, known as the Bed of Roses . The wrestler approaches

29406-503: Was publicly acknowledged by WWE's then-owner Vince McMahon in 1989 in order to avoid taxes from athletic commissions. WWE markets its product as sports entertainment , acknowledging professional wrestling's roots in competitive sport and dramatic theater. In 2023, WWE began to explore a potential sale of the company, amidst an employee misconduct scandal involving McMahon that had prompted him to step down as chairman and CEO, although he returned as executive chairman. In April 2023, WWE made

29580-658: Was put into effect with the relaunch of Tough Enough , being a non-scripted program (contrary to the scripted nature of professional wrestling) and with the launch of the WWE Network (at the time scheduled to launch in 2012; later pushed back to 2014). However, the legal name of the company still remains as World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Beginning with the August 29, 2011, episode, Raw - referred to as Raw Supershow - featured talent from both Raw and SmackDown (the "Supershow" epithet would be dropped on July 23, 2012). Championships previously exclusive to one show or

29754-637: Was quoted as saying: "In the old days, there were wrestling fiefdoms all over the country, each with its own little lord in charge. Each little lord respected the rights of his neighboring little lord. No takeovers or raids were allowed. There were maybe 30 of these tiny kingdoms in the U.S. and if I hadn't bought out my dad, there would still be 30 of them, fragmented and struggling. I, of course, had no allegiance to those little lords." McMahon gained significant traction when he hired American Wrestling Association (AWA) talent Hulk Hogan , who had achieved popularity outside of wrestling, notably for his appearance in

29928-631: Was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. Vincent J. McMahon's son, Vincent K. McMahon , and his wife Linda , established Titan Sports, Inc., in 1980 in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts and applied trademarks for the initials "WWF". The company was incorporated on February 21, 1980, in the Cape Cod Coliseum offices, then moved to the building on Holly Hill Lane in Greenwich, Connecticut . The younger McMahon bought Capitol from his father in 1982, effectively seizing control of

30102-443: Was reportedly 200 years ago, but its true origins remain unknown. Also known as a cross armbreaker or straight armbar. The wrestler sits on either side of an opponent who is lying either prone or supine on the mat, with the wrestler's legs scissoring one of the opponent's arms. The wrestler then grabs hold of the wrist of that arm and pulls it upwards, causing hyper extension of the shoulder and elbow. Wrestlers Alberto Del Rio (often

30276-493: Was spearheaded by WWF VP Shane McMahon (son of owner Vince McMahon) and head writer Vince Russo . 1997 ended with McMahon facing real-life controversy following Bret Hart 's controversial departure from the company, dubbed as the Montreal Screwjob . This proved to be one of several founding factors in the launch of the Attitude Era as well as the creation of McMahon's on-screen character, " Mr. McMahon ". Before

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