Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold
. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab
, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock. Despite its original Scorpion Hold name, the move is still commonly known by its Bret Hart
-given nickname Sharpshooter. Despite Japan
ese professional wrestler
Riki Chōshū
being given credit by Japanese fans with the creation of the move, the move was popularized by and is generally associated with Canadian
Bret Hart.
The Sharpshooter hold begins with the opponent supine on the mat with the applying wrestler stepping between the opponent's legs with his/her left leg and wraps the opponent's legs at shin level around that leg. If the applier decides to cross the opponent's legs around his right leg, he has to cross the opponent's right leg over their left, or, otherwise, he has to cross his opponent's left leg over their right. Holding the opponent's legs in place, the wrestler then grabs the opponent's leg which he has crossed over the other and steps over him, flipping him over into a prone position before leaning back to compress his lower back.
were the first wrestlers to prolifically use the hold in North America, during which time it was called the Scorpion Deathlock, deriving from the original Japanese name. In Hart's autobiography, he noted that prior to his first major singles push, Pat Patterson asked if he could do a "Scorpion Death Lock", which he did not know at the time. Hart revealed that the only person in the locker room who knew about the move was Konnan
, who taught the move to Hart. The name "Sharpshooter" was given in general line with Hart's "Hit Man" nickname (from the underworld slang hit, murder). In WWF publications of the era, Bret's father Stu Hart
, long known as a trainer in the game, was generally given credit for devising the move.
Hart alone has demonstrated various methods of performing the Sharpshooter - when an attacking wrestler performs a leg drop
to the chest which Hart will block, cross their legs and flips them onto their stomach while he stands up, thus completing the move. Hart's niece Natalya Neidhart performs a slight variation where she crosses her opponents legs differently, putting more pressure on the knees. Edge used a variation called the "kneeling inverted Sharpshooter" which he dubbed the Edgecator, where instead of stepping over an opponent, he would simply kneel to the side and apply pressure on the lower back and legs. He also used the regular Sharpshooter.
Bret's brother Owen
also used the Sharpshooter as his finishing move but he would always lead with his right leg where Bret always favored his left, many like Chris Benoit
, Edge, and Shawn Michaels
would also performed it with the right leg instead of the left. David Hart Smith also uses the Sharpshooter but with an added ankle lock with his free hand. Owen Hart also had another variant to the maneuver; he would feed one of his hands through the opponents legs and grip his other hand. This would apply more torque and stability to the hold.
Other North American wrestlers known to use the move include The Rock, Trish Stratus
, Shawn Michaels
, Chris Benoit
, Tyson Kidd and Stone Cold Steve Austin
durning his feud with Bret Hart and Owen Hart.
The Sharpshooter has been known for its use in screwjobs during matches. The first was the Montreal Screwjob
, which occurred at Survivor Series
in 1997 when Shawn Michaels
applied Hart's own Sharpshooter on him. Vince McMahon
double-crossed Hart by ordering referee Earl Hebner
to ring the bell and award the match to Michaels, despite Hart never having submitted.
This moment would be referenced within kayfabe
through various future events; McMahon made the same action at the next year's Survivor Series
in 1998, though it was part of a storyline, during the "Deadly Games" tournament final between The Rock and Mankind
. He ordered the referee to ring the bell as The Rock had applied the move to Mankind, despite Mankind having not submitted. The Rock was awarded the match and the vacated WWF Championship
. Another occurred on the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, during a Street Fight
between Shawn Michaels and Shane McMahon
. McMahon had applied Sharpshooter on Michaels, who never submitted to the maneuver but Vince ordered the referee to award the match to Shane McMahon and stated that Shane McMahon has screwed Shawn Michaels.
The use of this move by heels especially during pay-per-view
events usually garners heat from the audience. This is most notably the case for events held in Canada
, such as WWE Breaking Point
, with a deja vu of the original Montreal Screwjob
.
Professional wrestling holds
Professional wrestling holds include 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...
. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock. Despite its original Scorpion Hold name, the move is still commonly known by its Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
-given nickname Sharpshooter. Despite Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese professional wrestler
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...
Riki Chōshū
Riki Choshu
Mitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...
being given credit by Japanese fans with the creation of the move, the move was popularized by and is generally associated with Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Bret Hart.
The Sharpshooter hold begins with the opponent supine on the mat with the applying wrestler stepping between the opponent's legs with his/her left leg and wraps the opponent's legs at shin level around that leg. If the applier decides to cross the opponent's legs around his right leg, he has to cross the opponent's right leg over their left, or, otherwise, he has to cross his opponent's left leg over their right. Holding the opponent's legs in place, the wrestler then grabs the opponent's leg which he has crossed over the other and steps over him, flipping him over into a prone position before leaning back to compress his lower back.
History and variations
While Bret "The Hitman" Hart is the wrestler with whom the Sharpshooter is most often associated, Ronnie Garvin and StingSting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
were the first wrestlers to prolifically use the hold in North America, during which time it was called the Scorpion Deathlock, deriving from the original Japanese name. In Hart's autobiography, he noted that prior to his first major singles push, Pat Patterson asked if he could do a "Scorpion Death Lock", which he did not know at the time. Hart revealed that the only person in the locker room who knew about the move was Konnan
Konnan
Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
, who taught the move to Hart. The name "Sharpshooter" was given in general line with Hart's "Hit Man" nickname (from the underworld slang hit, murder). In WWF publications of the era, Bret's father Stu Hart
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
, long known as a trainer in the game, was generally given credit for devising the move.
Hart alone has demonstrated various methods of performing the Sharpshooter - when an attacking wrestler performs a leg drop
Leg drop
A leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...
to the chest which Hart will block, cross their legs and flips them onto their stomach while he stands up, thus completing the move. Hart's niece Natalya Neidhart performs a slight variation where she crosses her opponents legs differently, putting more pressure on the knees. Edge used a variation called the "kneeling inverted Sharpshooter" which he dubbed the Edgecator, where instead of stepping over an opponent, he would simply kneel to the side and apply pressure on the lower back and legs. He also used the regular Sharpshooter.
Bret's brother Owen
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
also used the Sharpshooter as his finishing move but he would always lead with his right leg where Bret always favored his left, many like Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Edge, and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
would also performed it with the right leg instead of the left. David Hart Smith also uses the Sharpshooter but with an added ankle lock with his free hand. Owen Hart also had another variant to the maneuver; he would feed one of his hands through the opponents legs and grip his other hand. This would apply more torque and stability to the hold.
Other North American wrestlers known to use the move include The Rock, Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
, Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Tyson Kidd and Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
durning his feud with Bret Hart and Owen Hart.
Controversies
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
, which occurred at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1997)
Survivor Series was the eleventh annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 9, 1997 at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec....
in 1997 when Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
applied Hart's own Sharpshooter on him. Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
double-crossed Hart by ordering referee Earl Hebner
Earl Hebner
Earl William Hebner is a professional wrestling referee currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and the twin brother of Dave Hebner...
to ring the bell and award the match to Michaels, despite Hart never having submitted.
This moment would be referenced within kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
through various future events; McMahon made the same action at the next year's Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1998)
Survivor Series was the twelfth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on November 15, 1998 at the Kiel Center in St...
in 1998, though it was part of a storyline, during the "Deadly Games" tournament final between The Rock and Mankind
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
. He ordered the referee to ring the bell as The Rock had applied the move to Mankind, despite Mankind having not submitted. The Rock was awarded the match and the vacated WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. Another occurred on the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, during a Street Fight
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
between Shawn Michaels and Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
. McMahon had applied Sharpshooter on Michaels, who never submitted to the maneuver but Vince ordered the referee to award the match to Shane McMahon and stated that Shane McMahon has screwed Shawn Michaels.
The use of this move by heels especially during pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
events usually garners heat from the audience. This is most notably the case for events held in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, such as WWE Breaking Point
WWE Breaking Point
Breaking Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 13, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. The name of the event was voted by fans via...
, with a deja vu of the original Montreal Screwjob
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
.