10 wrestling moves that are more painful than they actually look

WALTER delivering a knife-edge chop to Kushida
WALTER delivering a knife-edge chop to Kushida

#8 Backstabber

Carlito hitting Cody with the Backstabber
Carlito hitting Cody with the Backstabber

The backstabber, which is essentially a double-knee backbreaker, may look like it does not hurt much but can actually sting the opponent's back.

To perform this move, a wrestler has to apply a rear chin lock on their opponent's head or shoulders and then jump up to place both of their knees to the opponent's back, following which both wrestlers fall back, which in turn drives the wrestler's knees into their opponent's back.

The move was made popular in WWE by former Superstar Carlito who used it as his finisher and is now used by current WWE RAW Women's Champion and Women's Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks who hits it on her opponents before applying her Bank Statement submission maneuver.


#7 DDT

Jake Roberts dropping Jerry Lawler with the DDT
Jake Roberts dropping Jerry Lawler with the DDT

The DDT was popularized by WWE Hall of Famer Jake 'The Snake' Roberts who reportedly discovered the move by accident. There have been many rumors around what DDT might stand for but Roberts himself claimed in an interview with VICE that he came up with the name when he read about the harmful effects of the chemical pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, which is commonly abbreviated as DDT.

The move involves the wrestler grabbing their opponent in a front facelock and then falling backward or down to spike their opponent's head to the ground. If not performed with enough caution it can damage the neck or the head of the person getting hit with the DDT.

The most common example is when in 1986 Roberts gave the DDT to fellow Hall of Famer Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat on the outside of the ring which resulted in Steamboat getting a concussion. The idea was pitched by the WWE management and although Roberts reportedly didn't agree to do it, Steamboat complied.

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now