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Pin (wrestling)
Encyclopedia
A pinfall, a pin, or a fall (the first term most commonly used in professional wrestling
) is a victory condition in various forms of professional wrestling
that is met by holding an opponent's shoulder
s on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time. In professional wrestling, a pinfall is a common method of winning a match and typically must be held for a count of three by the referee.
The purpose of a pinning maneuver is to hold the opponent's shoulders against the mat for a count of three. The count is broken (a near-fall) if the opponent manages to raise one or both of his shoulders off of the mat, commonly by kicking out (throwing their legs up to cause their shoulders to rise from the mat). In some positions, a wrestler may bridge (arching their back so that only their feet and the top of their head are touching the ground) to put more of their weight on the pinned opponent or to prop themselves up from being pinned. Sometimes, an attacking wrestler may (illegally) hook the opponent's tights for extra leverage. Another popular illegal tactic of heel
wrestlers is to attempt a pin close to the ring ropes so they can prop their legs up on the ropes to gain additional lever
age, putting more weight on the opponent.
. The attacking wrestler then lowers their bodyweight so that the opponent is brought down to the mat backwards and is forced on to his own shoulders in a pinning position with his legs in the air.
A variation on the standard crucifix, the crucifix bomb or crucifix driver, sees an attacking wrestler violently force their bodyweight downwards to throw the opponent into the mat with greater impact.
A variation of the jackknife hold, known as the figure four pin, has the attacker placing the opponent's legs in a figure four position before executing the bridge.
.
In the sunset flip version the opponent is lying shoulders down on the mat, almost completely flat on their back, with the attacking wrestler applying the pin sits below the legs of the opponent and uses their own legs to cover the opponent's shoulders or arms, and hooks both legs around the thighs to force their weight down to the mat. The other variation which usually results from a hurricanrana sees the one performing the hurricanrana sit on the opponent's chest and hook the opponent's legs behind them whilst hooking their arms with their legs. This variation is the same hold just with the attacking wrestler on top. This interchangeability often sees a spot where the wrestlers change their weight distribution to move from one pinning hold to the other for a succession of near falls.
The attacking wrestler rolls their opponent back so that the opponent's legs are above their head. The attacker wraps his/her arms around the legs and presses down to pin the shoulders. The roll-up is often used to pick up sneaky wins due to it being performed from behind an opponent at any time. The roll-up is also a popular pinfall move for heel wrestlers
, who often secure the hold by using the ropes, or pull on the opponent's tights, for leverage.
, including the sitout powerbomb, the spin-out powerbomb, and the sunset flip.
The shoulder straddle pin is typical variation of the straddle pin. It sees the attacker kneeling on the opponent's shoulders facing the head, pinning them on the mat. In another variation, the attacker sits on the neck or face of the opponent with or without the knee on the shoulder. Primarily called a facesit, it is used mostly by heels or in mixed professional wrestling to demonstrate dominance and entertain the crowd.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
) is a victory condition in various forms of professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
that is met by holding an opponent's shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
s on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time. In professional wrestling, a pinfall is a common method of winning a match and typically must be held for a count of three by the referee.
The purpose of a pinning maneuver is to hold the opponent's shoulders against the mat for a count of three. The count is broken (a near-fall) if the opponent manages to raise one or both of his shoulders off of the mat, commonly by kicking out (throwing their legs up to cause their shoulders to rise from the mat). In some positions, a wrestler may bridge (arching their back so that only their feet and the top of their head are touching the ground) to put more of their weight on the pinned opponent or to prop themselves up from being pinned. Sometimes, an attacking wrestler may (illegally) hook the opponent's tights for extra leverage. Another popular illegal tactic of heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
wrestlers is to attempt a pin close to the ring ropes so they can prop their legs up on the ropes to gain additional lever
Lever
In physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to either multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object or resistance force , or multiply the distance and speed at which the opposite end of the rigid object travels.This leverage...
age, putting more weight on the opponent.
Back slide
The attacking wrestler stands back-to-back with their opponent and hooks both of the opponent's arms. They then lean forward and drop to their knees, sliding the opponent down their back so that their shoulders are against the mat and their chin is against their chest. The attacker holds the opponents arms down with their own arms for the pin.Cover
Also known as a lateral press, cross press or simply as the basic pin. With an opponent lying face-up on the mat, the attacking wrestler lies face-down across the opponent's chest to hold them down. Sometimes, when both wrestlers are exhausted or badly hurt the attacking wrestler will cover with just an arm or lie down face up rather than face down. The term floatover (when in reference to a pin) refers to an attacking wrestler using the momentum of a throw or slam they are performing to propel themselves over the opponent into the lateral press position.Cradle
The attacking wrestler lies across the opponents chest and hooks a leg with the arm on the opposite side (left leg with right arm or right leg with left arm). Holding the leg gives the attacker greater leverage and makes it harder for the opponent to kick out. This was derived from the inside cradle and outside cradle in amateur wrestling.Crucifix
An attacking wrestler hooks the arms of an opponent, by grapevining their legs around one arm and their arms around the other. This positions the attacking wrestler horizontally across the back of the opponent and forces the opponent's arms out like a crucifixionCrucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. The attacking wrestler then lowers their bodyweight so that the opponent is brought down to the mat backwards and is forced on to his own shoulders in a pinning position with his legs in the air.
A variation on the standard crucifix, the crucifix bomb or crucifix driver, sees an attacking wrestler violently force their bodyweight downwards to throw the opponent into the mat with greater impact.
Delfin Clutch
The Delfin Clutch has an attacking wrestler crossing the arms of the opponent across their own chest while they're lying on their back on the mat. The attacking wrestler then kneels down on one knee on the opponent's arms, pinning the opponent's shoulders down to the mat. The attacking wrestler then grabs the opponent's legs, crosses them, and places them under one of their armpits, bending the opponent to a pinning predicament.Gannosuke Clutch
The Gannosuke Clutch has an attacking wrestler facing the opponent, grabbing their arm, twisting it into a modified hammerlock and then performing a front somersault while holding the trapped arm in place as well as legsweeping the opponent's near leg, rolling the opponent backwards while the attacking wrestler keeps the hammerlock applied while also holding the opponent's near leg down with their own leg. This move is also known as an arm trap somersault cradle.Gedo Clutch
The Gedo Clutch has an attacking wrestler sit kneeling on the back of an opponent who is lying face down and facing the same way. The attacking wrestler then grabs the opponent's arms and lifts them over their thighs, similar to a camel clutch. The attacker then grabs hold of the opponent's head and pushes it down and forward between his legs, while leaning himself forward onto his stomach, flipping the opponent over onto their shoulders, with the attackers legs pinning the opponent down to the mat. This hold is technically known as a double leg nelson.Jackknife hold
The hold has the opponent wrestler lying on their back. Standing at the feet of the opponent, the attacking wrestler then lifts the opponent's legs from behind the knees. Still gripping the opponent's legs, the attacking wrestler then flips forward, over the opponent, and plants their feet on the mat while bridging the back to add leverage.A variation of the jackknife hold, known as the figure four pin, has the attacker placing the opponent's legs in a figure four position before executing the bridge.
La magistral
Also referred to as la casita or as bandito, this move's technical name is arm wrench inside cradle pin and it is performed with the opponent on their hands and knees. From this position, the attacking wrestler stands next to the opponent's hip, grabs one arm and applies an armbar. The attacking wrestler then steps over the arm with his inside leg so that he is facing away from the opponent. The attacking wrestler continues his turning motion and dives forward over the opponent, rolling onto their side. The barred arm acts as a lever, flipping the opponent over the attacker and onto their back. The attacker hooks one or both legs as the opponent goes over and holds for the pin.Oklahoma roll
The attacking wrestler stands to the side of his opponent, who is on their hands and knees. The attacker hooks one arm around the opponent's neck and one between the legs, and rolls over the opponent. The attacker lands on his back or side, and the opponent is flipped so that their shoulders are pressed against the mat.Prawn hold
Similar to a rana, except that the attacking wrestler is standing, bent over the opponent with both legs hooked pressing his weight down. This pin is typically the result of a powerbombPowerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
.
Rana
Also known as double leg cradle, the technical term for the pinning position which results from a sunset flip or a hurricanrana.In the sunset flip version the opponent is lying shoulders down on the mat, almost completely flat on their back, with the attacking wrestler applying the pin sits below the legs of the opponent and uses their own legs to cover the opponent's shoulders or arms, and hooks both legs around the thighs to force their weight down to the mat. The other variation which usually results from a hurricanrana sees the one performing the hurricanrana sit on the opponent's chest and hook the opponent's legs behind them whilst hooking their arms with their legs. This variation is the same hold just with the attacking wrestler on top. This interchangeability often sees a spot where the wrestlers change their weight distribution to move from one pinning hold to the other for a succession of near falls.
Roll-up
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, who often secure the hold by using the ropes, or pull on the opponent's tights, for leverage.
Schoolboy
The most common type of roll up is the schoolboy where the attacking wrestler drops down behind the opponent and puts one arm up between the opponent's legs to pull the opponent over the attacking wrestler so that they fall flat on their back. At this point, the attacking wrestler would stack the fallen opponent on their shoulders for the pin. Often when female wrestlers use this move, commentators will refer to it as a schoolgirl.Sitout pin
The attacking wrestler sits down with the legs of the opponent hooked over their shoulders so that the legs and lower body of the opponent are elevated while their shoulders and upper back are in contact with the mat. The arms of the opponent are sometimes pinned beneath the legs of the attacker. This hold results from numerous throwsProfessional wrestling throws
Professional wrestling throws are the application of techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming him down, which makes up most of the action of professional wrestling. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrestler's...
, including the sitout powerbomb, the spin-out powerbomb, and the sunset flip.
Small package
The small package—or inside cradle—is a pinning maneuver where the attacking wrestler hooks the opponent's far leg with their legs and the opponent's other leg with their free arm, ending up on top of the opponent, pinning their shoulders against the mat.Straddle
In this pinning technique, the attacking wrestler stands with their feet on either side of an opponent who is lying face-up on the mat. Then the attacker kneels across the opponent's chest facing their head, with each knee beside the chest. Sometimes the attacker sits on the opponent's chest for greater pressure. There is also a reverse variation in which the attacker is facing the opponent's feet.The shoulder straddle pin is typical variation of the straddle pin. It sees the attacker kneeling on the opponent's shoulders facing the head, pinning them on the mat. In another variation, the attacker sits on the neck or face of the opponent with or without the knee on the shoulder. Primarily called a facesit, it is used mostly by heels or in mixed professional wrestling to demonstrate dominance and entertain the crowd.