#2 The Twister
It’s weird to think that while the abdominal stretch has been used over the years in wrestling as a resthold for the most part, to the point where it’s basically reviled, the twister – a similar-looking move in essence – is revered in MMA for its rarity.
The only fighter in UFC history to successfully pull off the twister – invented by grappling wizard Eddie Bravo – is the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung. He used the move to submit Leonard Garcia in his UFC debut back in 2011. Since then, I can barely remember it being attempted, let alone used to success.
For those that don’t know, the twister is performed when a fighter laces both of his legs around one of his opponent’s from the back control position. From there, they secure the opposite head and arm and use their body to crank the two in opposite directions.
While it looks a little strange, it also looks extremely painful. The twister is a spinal lock, which causes hypertension of the cervical region and could separate vertebrae if wrenched hard enough.
It’s anything but the resthold that the similar-looking abdominal stretch is used as.
With WWE having introduced some really convoluted submission holds in their history – remember Edge’s odd leglock, for example? – I think it’s time they went back to the book of real grappling, and the twister is prime for borrowing.
Despite its rarity in MMA, it’d be relatively easy to set up in a pre-determined wrestling match, and obviously it looks great. Someone like Dean Ambrose – desperately in need of more dangerous-looking moves – could use this to great effect.
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