5 Best WWE Moves in MMA

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Brock Lesnar - Employs some of the same maneuvers in WWE & UFC

MMA and WWE are the two most popular forms of entertainment in the combat sports arena.

Despite the fact that WWE is pre-determined and MMA is a legitimate fighting contest, the two actually share a number of wrestling moves and holds that their athletes employ.

This slideshow counts down five of them.


#5 Triangle Choke

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Undertaker slaps Viscera in the triangle choke

The first triangle choke in UFC history was utilised at UFC 4 when Royce Gracie employed it to defeat Dan Severn in the final of the UFC 4 tournament.

Two decades later and it is a commonly used submission hold in both WWE and MMA, where wrestlers such as The Undertaker utilise the hold to great success and martial artists like Demian Maia and Chris Lytle have employed it as well.

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Demian Maia - An expert in the triangle choke

An extremely painful hold, the triangle choke is destined to remain a big part of both combat sports for many years to come.


#4 Ankle-Lock

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Ken Shamrock locks on the ankle lock on Don Frye at Pride 19: Badd Blood

Ken Shamrock was the master of the ankle-lock in UFC and the then-WWF utilising the hold to memorable success in both.

Shamrock defeated Kimo at UFC 8 with an ankle lock in his UFC Superfight Championship defence and carried the holdover to WWF when he joined the sports entertainment powerhouse in 1997.

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The Rock suffers in Shamrock's ankle lock submission

Shamrock used the ankle lock submission to win the Intercontinental Championship and the 1998 King of the Ring final where he defeated none other than The Rock.

The ankle lock is commonly used in UFC these days and was the subject of controversy in 2013 when UFC fighter, Rousimar Palhares defeated Mike Pierce with the submission only to hold onto it long after the referee had signaled the end of the fight.

Palhares's transgression caused him to be cut from UFC with the president, Dana White vowing he would never return.

Without doubt, the ankle-lock is a painful maneuver and White's stance was understandable considering the damage that could have been done to Pierce.

A submission hold that will remain popular for a long time yet.

#3 Arm-Bar

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Ronda Rousey slaps an arm-bar on Miesha Tate

The arm-bar submission move is synonymous with UFC Hall of Famer and current WWE Raw Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey who has employed the extremely painful submission hold in both promotions.

Nine of Rousey's 12 MMA victories came via arm-bar such was her excellent proficiency in employing the hold.

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Rousey finishes Stephanie McMahon with an arm-bar at Wrestlemania 34

Rousey has used it to great effect in WWE as well to defeat Stephanie McMahon at Wrestlemania and Alexa Bliss at Summerslam.

It is the most used submission hold in MMA in 2018 due to it's extremely painful hyperextending of the elbow joint which usually results in an immediate tap out such is the severe discomfort of the hold.

Don't expect this submission to disappear from either combat sport any time soon.

#2 Flying Knee

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Triple H - Used the flying high knee for two decades

Ask many where they first saw the flying knee performed and they might say Triple H in the then-WWF in 1999.

The flying knee has since become a staple of MMA and used to devastating success by a number of fighters such as Carlos Condit, BJ Penn and Jose Aldo.

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Carlos Condit unleashes a flying knee

One of the most memorable in history came at UFC 54 when James Irvin did nothing but hit a flying knee in the nine-second duration of his bout versus Terry Martin. The only offensive maneuver of the fight was enough to end it. A truly devastating move in WWE and MMA.

#1 Suplex

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Brock Lesnar - Performs suplexes in both WWE & MMA

The suplex is probably the most commonly used wrestling maneuver that features in both WWE and MMA.

It's a long list of UFC fighters who use the suplex. Fighters such as: Dominick Cruz, Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Zabit Magomedsharipov and countless others.

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Dominick Cruz performs a German suplex

Although commonly a transitional move in WWE, the suplex can often lead to a fighter's downfall for a submission or TKO finish in MMA.

The number one maneuver used in both combat sports.

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