Suplex
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A Suplex is an offensive move used in wrestling, both in competitive sport wrestling, including Olympic and collegiate wrestling, and professional wrestling.
The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground (or mat) and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down to the mat with the opponent landing on his or her back. For example, common in professional wrestling is the vertical suplex, which has the wrestlers begin face-to-face, then the attacker forces the opponent's head down and locks the opponent's arm around it. The attacker then places his or her opponent's arm around the opponent's own head, seemingly as a way of helping the opponent to stay in mid-air during the next part of the move, in which the attacker grabs the opponent by his or her trunks and lifts him or her high off the mat, so that the opponent's body is upside-down and vertical above the attacker. The attacker falls backwards onto his or her own back, using his or her body weight to slam the opponent down onto his or her back (the attacker's cradling of the opponent's head helps ensure his or her neck and head will not be damaged by hitting the mat on the landing move). In summary, the opponent has been forced into doing a forward flip onto his or her back.
In Olympic and amateur wrestling there also exist suplex-like moves, called suu-plays or suplays, a Greco-Roman wrestling term. The fact that some professional wrestling commentators (very rarely) use the word 'suplay' in place of 'suplex' suggests the two names define the same kind of move.
Origin of the words "suplex" or "suplay/suu-play" is still a subject of research.
Suplex variants
Professional wrestling features many different varieties of suplexes. The following are among the most common, but many more exist, particularly as the signature techniques of individual wrestlers.
Front facelock variants
In these suplexes, the wrestlers begin by facing each other, the attcking wrestler then applies a Front facelock to the victim before executing a throw. In most, the victim is suspended upside-down during part of the move. The most common front facelock suplex is the vertical suplex.
Fisherman suplex
Also known as a fisherman's suplex or cradle suplex. With their opponent in a front facelock with the near arm draped over the attacker's shoulder, the wrestler hooks the victim's near leg with his/her free arm and falls backwards, flipping the victim onto his/her back. The attacker usually keeps the leg hooked and bridges to pin the victim, or applies a leglock submission hold.
Notable users: Mr. Perfect (Perfect-Plex).
Swinging Fisherman Suplex
A swinging variation of this move sees a wrestler, with their opponent in a front facelock with the near arm draped over their shoulder, hook the victim's near leg with their free arm and roll over to one side, fliping the victim over onto their back.
Notable users: Perry Saturn (Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza).
Rolling release suplex
This suplex starts with the attacker applying a front face lock to his/her opponent and draping the victim's near arm over his/her shoulder, then lifting him/her up in the vertical postion, at this point the face lock is partly released as the attacker falls forward, the momentum of the attacker forces the victim to roll out of the face lock and drop back-first down to the mat.
Slingshot suplex
The attacker faces a standing victim with one side of the ring immediately behind the victim. The attacker applies a front facelock to the victim, takes hold of the victim with his/her free hand, then lifts the victim until he/she is nearly vertical. The attacker then falls forward so that the torso of the victim bounces off the top ring rope, and uses this momentum to quickly lift the victim overhead once more and falls backwards, driving the back and shoulders of the victim into the ground.
Tully Blanchard was a common user of this move back in the mid/late 80's, as are current WWE superstars Doug and Danny Basham.
Snap suplex
A front facelock suplex. The attacker applies a front face lock to his/her opponent and drapes the victim's near arm over his/her shoulder, then quickly falls backwards and flips the victim over to land on his/her back. The attacker may grab the victim's shorts for extra leverage before falling. It was used frequently by Bret Hart as one of his signature moves, and later adopted as a signature move by Chris Benoit, who trained under Bret's father Stu Hart.
Super-plex
Any suplex performed by an attacker standing on the second rope against an opponent sitting on the top rope or top turnbuckle. Frequently done to prevent the victim from performing a high-flying technique. This move was made famous by Cowboy Bob Orton.
Suplex slam
This move is similar to most suplexes and starts with the attacker applying a front face lock to his/her opponent and draping the victim's near arm over his/her shoulder, then lifting him/her up and holding the opponent in the vertical postion. This is where the move differs from most of its counter parts with the attacker not falling with the victim but just throwing him to the mat. Sometimes this involves the wrestler turning the victim in midair and slamming the opponent down to the mat in front of him/her onto their back.
Sitout Suplex Slam
The attacker applies a front facelock to the victim and drapes the victim's near arm over their shoulder. The attacker then takes hold of the victim's torso with their free arm and lifts the victim to a vertical position. The attacker then falls to a sitting position, driving the back and shoulders of the victim into the ground between their legs. This is also known as a Falcon's arrow.
Notable users: Hardcore Holly (The Hollycaust).
Inverted suplex slam
The attacker applies a front face lock to the victim and drapes the victim's near arm over his/her shoulder. The attacker then lifts the opponent into a vertical position, and proceeds to throw the victim back to the mat, driving his/her face into the ground. This move is also known as a Gourdbuster.
Sitout inverted suplex slam
The attacker applies a front face lock to the victim and drapes the victim's near arm over his/her shoulder. The attacker then lifts the opponent into a vertical position, and falls into a sit-out position, driving the face of the victim into the ground. This move is also known as a sitout Gourdbuster or Inverted Falcon Arrow.
Notable users: Ron Killings (Hat Rack Crack)
Vertical suplex
Known as Brainbuster in Japan, while the western Brainbuster is known as Vertical Brainbuster in Japan.
Set up similar to a snap suplex, except that when the victim is in position he is lifted up and held upside-down before the attacker falls backwards. Eddie Guerrero introduced a signature maneuver in which, after falling to the ground with his opponent, he flips himself over while maintaining his hold, pulls the victim back into the original position, and performs another vertical suplex. He ends once he has performed three suplexes. WWE announcers have dubbed the sequence Three Amigos; some fans have taken to calling this rolling verticals (an analogy from rolling Germans). Simon Diamond also does the three suplex series. He calls them " The Simon Series".
Delayed vertical suplex
This variation, also known as the Hanging Suplex, Standing Suplex or Stalling Suplex, sees the attacker hold his opponent in an upside-down position at the peak of the arc for several seconds before completing the maneuver, thereby causing blood to pool to in the head of the victim. This move is a staple of many power wrestlers, most notably Davey Boy Smith.
Wrestlers will sometimes hold an opponent in the air for an exceptionally long period of time in a show of strength or for comedic effect. Lance Storm was known for being capable of holding opponents for an extended interval.
Belly to back variants
In these variants, the attacker stands behind his victim and applies a hold before falling backwards, dropping the victim on his or her upper back. The most common belly to back variants are the German suplex and the back suplex.
Belly to back suplex
The attacker stands behind his/her opponent and puts his/her head under the arm of the victim. He/she then lifts the opponent up using both of his arms wrapped around the torso of the opponent. The attacker finally falls backwards to slam the opponent flat on his/her back. This move is often referred to simply as a back suplex, or in Japan a back drop (not to be confused with a back body drop).
Bridging belly to back suplex
The attacker stands behind his/her opponent and puts his/her head under the arm of the victim. He/she then lifts the opponent up using both of his arms wrapped around the torso of the opponent. The attacker finally falls backwards, driving the neck and shoulders of the victim into the ground, simultaneously arching their own back and legs to elevate themselves, gaining leverage and placing the victim in a pinning predicament.
Yuji Nagata uses this as a signature move.
Leg hook belly to back suplex
The attacker stands behind his/her opponent and puts his/her head under the arm of the victim. He/she then lifts the opponent up using one arm around the waist of the opponent and another under one of his/her legs. The attacker finally falls backwards to slam the opponent flat on his/her back.
Bridging leg hook belly to back suplex
The attacker stands to one side of and slightly behind a standing opponent. The attacker then drapes the near arm of the victim over their neck and uses their own near arm to encircle the waist of the victim. The attacker then reaches under one of the victims legs with their free arm, and lifts, forcing the opponent to bend into a right angle. Finally, the attacker falls backwards, driving the neck and shoulders of the victim into the ground, simultaneously arching their own back and legs to elevate themselves, gaining leverage and placing the victim in a pinning predicament.
Yoshinari Ogawa and Bryan Danielson use this a finishing move.
Spinning leg hook belly to back suplex
The attacker stands behind his/her opponent and puts his/her head under the arm of the victim. He/she then lifts the opponent up using one arm around the waist of the opponent and another under one of his/her legs. The attacker then turns 180⁰ while falling backwards, slamming the opponent flat on his/her back.
Notable user of this move is Mitsuharu Misawa.
High angle belly to back suplex
Also known as Backdrop driver. The attacker stands behind his/her opponent and puts his/her head under the arm of the victim. He/she then lifts the opponent up using both of his arms wrapped around the torso of the opponent. The attacker finally falls backwards to drive the opponent to the mat on their neck and shoulders.
Notable users of this move include Lou Thesz, Steve Williams, Masahiro Chono and Toshiaki Kawada.
Cobra clutch suplex
The attacker places the victim in a Cobra clutch. The attacker then lifts the victim up and falls backwards, driving the victim to the mat on their head.
Double arm suplex
Standing behind his opponent, the attacker reaches around both of the victim's arms and links his arms behind the victim's back. He then lifts up and falls back, slamming the victim to the mat on their upper back.
Double underhook suplex
The wrestler and opponent face each other, the opponent bent forward. The wrestler hooks the opponent's arms back, placing his/her arms under the back of the opponent's elbows, with his/her hands on top of the opponent's back in an axe-handle. The wrestler then lifts the opponent into an upside-down vertical position, and releases the armlocks as he/she falls back, shifting the opponent to one side as the opponent flips over.
Other names include:
- double axe-handle suplex / double axe suplex
- double chicken-wing suplex
- butterfly suplex
Full nelson suplex
This move is also known as the Dragon Suplex and Nightmare Suplex, a variation of the German Suplex where the attacker does a full nelson, then lifts the victim up and slams him/her backwards on the upper back and head. It can be bridged for a pinfall attempt.
Gutwrench suplex
A gutwrench suplex involves a wrestler standing over a opponent locking his/her arms around the victim's waist and lifting him/her up and slamming him/her over back-first down to the mat.
German suplex
A belly-to-back waistlock/gutwrench suplex. The attacker stands behind the victim, grabs him/her around the waist, lifts him/her up, and falls backward to slam the victim back-first. Frequently the attacker finishes in a bridging position with the waistlock still applied to try for a pin. A popular variant is to follow up a German suplex by rolling sideways while still holding the waistlock and perform another German suplex. This maneuver, popularized recently by Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, is called rolling Germans.
X-plex
Also known as Cross-arm German suplex. A variation of the German Suplex where the victim's arms are crossed across his/her chest, a straitjacket-like hold, and held by the attacker. The attacker subsequently lifts the victim backwards, landing like a German Suplex.
Notable users: Shane Helms, Ultimo Dragon (Aztec Suplex)
Half nelson suplex
This is a version of a German suplex where the attacker stands behind the opponent, facing the same direction. The attacker reaches under one of the victim's arms with his/her corresponding arm and places the palm of his/her hand on the neck of the victim, thereby forcing the arm of the victim up into the air (the Half nelson). The attacker wraps his free arm on the waist of the oppontent. The attacker then lifts the victim up and falls backwards slamming the victim down on his/her neck and shoulders.
Notable users include Kenta Kobashi and William Regal.
Mitsuharu Misawa introduced a variation of this move. It is called Tiger Suplex '85. Instead of wrapping the other arm around the opponents waist, the arm is wrapped under the opponents other arm and across his/her chest, right under the neck. The attacker then lifts the victim up and falls backwards, bridging with his back and legs, causing the opponent to end in a pinning predicament.
Pumphandle suplex
The wrestler stands behind his/her opponent and bends him/her forward. One of the victim's arms is pulled back between his/her legs and held, while the other arm is hooked. The attacker then lifts his/her opponent up over his/her head and falls backwards to slam the victim against the mat back-first.
Sleeper suplex
The attacker places the victim in a Sleeper hold and then hooks one of the victims arms with his free arm. The attacker then lifts the victim up and falls backwards, driving the victim on their head.
Tiger suplex
Another variation of the German Suplex except the attacker grabs the victim's arms in a double chickenwing and lifts him/her up while bridgeing into a pin or released.
Wheelbarrow suplex
This move is achieved when a wrestler wraps a foward facing opponent's legs around the his/her waist (either by stands behind an opponent who is laying face-first on the mat or by catching a charging opponent), then the wrestler would apply a gutwrentch hold and lift the opponent up off the ground into the air, then the attacker will continue lifting and fall backwards to hit this variation of a German Suplex.
This was the signature move of WWE RAW superstar Randy Orton back when he wrestled on OVW.
Belly to belly variants
In these suplexes, the wrestlers begin by facing each other. The attacker then applies a bodylock before falling backwards and flipping the victim onto his back.
Belly to belly suplex
The attacker wraps his/her arms around his/her opponent in a waistlock or a bodylock and flips him/she over by violently bridging his/her own body so the opponent lands on his/her back. This can be done either overhead or to the side. Magnum T.A. was the first notable wrestler to win matches with it. This move is also performed by Kurt Angle as one of his signature moves.
Super belly to belly suplex
An overhead belly to belly suplex executed on an opponent sitting on the top rope, facing inward. It was also another of Kurt Angle's signature maneuvers
Capture Suplex
The attacker stands facing a standing opponent. The attacker then catches one leg of the victim and pulls the victim towards them so that they are face to face, with the attacker reaching under the victim's leg and hooking it. The attacker then uses their free arm to reach behind the neck of the victim and take hold of them. The attacker then quickly bridges backwards and releases the victim, throwing them overhead, or turns 180° while slamming the opponent down to the mat. This move can be used to counter a kick.
Notable users include: Tazz, Koji Kanemoto and Josh Barnett.
Exploder suplex
This is a variant of a belly-to-belly suplex. Rather then crossing the opponent's arms around his/her own, the wrestler performing the Exploder Suplex wraps one of the opponent's arms behind his/her back and throws him/her overhead in the same motion as a belly-to-belly. Another way of finishing this grapple is during the belly-to-belly like motion of throwing the opponent is for the wrestler to catch him/her and fall backward like a fallaway slam.
The first version involved a bridging pin and was called the Blizzard Suplex.
Jun Akiyama uses a variation, which he calls the Exploder '98, in which he clutches the opponent's free hand in a pumphandle. It is also commonly known as the Wrist Clutch Exploder.
A modified version that ends in a Powerslam Pin is currently used as a finisher by WWE Superstar, Shelton Benjamin.
The term T-Bone suplex came from Tazz, calling it the "T-Bone Tazzplex".
Northern lights suplex
The attacker puts his head under the arm of the victim and clutches the victim in a belly to belly suplex and flips him/her over. This move was invented and first performed by Japanese wrestler Hiroshi Hase. This suplex can be either bridged into a pin, or the attacker can float over into another Northern Lights Suplex.
Table top suplex
See Fallaway Slam
T-Bone suplex
see Exploder Suplex
Trapping suplex
This is when a wrestler holds both the opponent's arms under his own, from here the opponent is left secure and unable to counter or move away from the attacker while he/she delivers a belly to belly throw flipping vitcim over by violently bridging his/her own body so the opponent lands on thier back.
Side variants
In these suplexes, the attacker stands to the side of his or her victim and applies a hold before falling backwards to slam the victim to the mat. The most common is the side suplex.
Saito suplex
The attacker stands either facing directly one of his/her opponents sides or slightly behind in an angle. He places the opponents near arm over his shoulder, grabs a waistlock, and then lifts the opponent up while falling backwards, causing the opponent to land on his/her neck and shoulders.
Leg hook Saito suplex
The attacker stands behind and to one side of the victim. The attacker wraps one arm around the waist of the victim and grabs the back of the victim's near leg with his/her other arm. The attacker then lifts the victim on to his/her shoulder and then falls backwards, driving the victim into the ground at a high angle.
Notable users: Shawn Michaels (Teardrop Suplex).
Side suplex
Also known as a Ura-nage Suplex, or Sambo Suplex this move involes a wrestler standing side-to-side and slightly behind an victim, facing in the opposite direction, and reaching around the victim's torso with one arm across the victim's chest and under both arms, the wrestler then bridges backwards and twists his own body to the oppsite side of the opponent pulling the victim over the attacker and down to the mat back-first.
"Side suplex" can also refer to a Russian legsweep.
Inverted facelock vaiants
In these suplexes, an attacker begins by facing the back of an opponent and applying an inverted facelock before executing a throw. In most, the victim is suspended upside-down during part of the move.
Inverted suplex
The attacker applies an inverted facelock to the victim with one arm and uses the his/her other arm to elevate the victim, so the victim ends up in a sitting position with his/her back parallel to the ground. The attacker then falls backwards, driving the upper back and shoulders of the victim into the ground.
This move is also refered to as a Lifting Diving Reverse DDT and is most well known as D-Von Dudley's finisher called the Saving Grace
Inverted vertical suplex
The attacker stand behind an opponent and applies an inverted facelock with one arm, and uses the other arm to aid in elevating the opponent so that he/she is lifted up and held upside-down before the attacker falls to his back driving the victim down to the mat front-first, behind the attacker.
Grounded variants
Leg/ankle suplex
The attacker stands at the feet of a face-up supine victim. The attacker then lifts and hooks one leg of the victim with their opposing arm (e.g. the left leg of the victim with the right arm of the opponent). The attacker then throws themselves backwards to the ground, placing stress on the lower leg and ankle of the victim.
This move was invented by Greg Valentine as an alternative to the Figure Four Leglock, and was named by David Crockett.