5 Current WWE Superstars who perform the best German Suplex

Technically known as a belly-to-back waist lock suplex, a german suplex is a thing of beauty. A move innovated by Lou Thesz and popularized by Karl Gotch, german suplex can be categorized as one of the few maneuvers that is simple yet devastating. Also, what adds to its charm is the fact that it can come out of nowhere.

The German suplex used to be an integral part of WCW’s Cruiserweight division. It was also widely used during the later parts Attitude Era and the Ruthless Aggression Era thanks to names like Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle who were taking the wrestling world by storm at that time.

Though its use has diminished in today’s WWE – an issue which we will be talking about later in this article – there are still some Superstars who are using this maneuver to great effect.

Here is a lowdown on 5 of them.

Cesaro

The Swiss Superman Cesaro is currently the best pound for pound wrestler in the world and one of the strongest wrestlers to ever live. His signature moves include a wide range of suplexes too.

Though he is mostly seen performing the gutwrench suplex or the delayed vertical suplex, he often uses the german suplex to devastating effect as well. What makes it special is the fact that he mostly performs it on opponents larger than him but still he manages to throw them in air like a stuffed toy.

Don’t believe me, go and watch him german suplex a 300 pounder Big E multiple times. Also in order to get an idea of his superhuman strength, check the double german suplex which he gave to Kevin Owens and Rusev.

Kevin Owens

If there is one man who has taken the WWE universe by storm, it has to be Kevin Owens. Be it on the microphone, inside the ring or on twitter, this guy is so awesome.

Kevin Owens is currently the best heel in the town. But you still respect him considering the wide range of maneuvers he can perform inside the squared circle. One of them is the german suplex.

He grabs his opponent by their waist and then throws them miles away in the air. To many old school wrestling fans, it might remind of big guys like Vader and Yokozuna throwing away jobbers. And, even though he performs this move so devastatingly well, he is never associated with it as he has many such moves in his arsenal which he has perfected.

This fact only adds to the extravaganza of what we call The Kevin Owens Show.

Neville

Adrian Neville, also known as The Man that Gravity Forgot, is the best highflyer in WWE currently and one of the better cruiserweight wrestlers in the world. This man can pull off insane high flying manoeuvres.

But what’s more insane is the fact that he can compliment his high flying exploits with some good power wrestling as well. Though he seldom performs the other versions, he is mostly seen performing a bridging german suplex; lifting his opponent by their waist and landing them on their neck followed by a pin.

Most of us know that the match won’t end at this moment, but it is still a cool maneuver to watch.

Natalya

At a billed height of 5’5”, Natalya is one of the shorter wrestlers in the women’s division. Yet this doesn’t stop her from using the wide range of power moves she has learnt at the legendary Hart dungeon.

One such move that the Queen of Harts has perfected is the release german suplex, which she uses quite often too. Unlike some of the other wrestlers on this list that use it sparingly, the German suplex is a move which is part of Natalya’s core repertoire.

In case you want a showcase of her power and skills, watch her match with Awesome Kong (Kharma in WWE) in Japan. The way Natalya performs a German Suplex on this monster of a lady is enough to make jaws drop.

Brock Lesnar

And at the top of the list, we have the man himself – pardon me – the beast himself, BRROCKK LEESNAARR.

And don’t tell me you were thinking of someone else topping this list. If there is one person this move is most associated with, it has to be this man.

Lesnar has had two different stints at WWE, one before his UFC run and one after it. The pre-UFC Brock Lesnar was the Next Big Thing and performed all sorts of power moves ranging from suplexes to spinebusters to powerbombs. During his second stint, he was already the Big Thing.

He was no longer required to perform so many maneuvers. Rather he perfected one so well that it became synonymous with his name. This might be one of the reasons why the use of German Suplex in weekly WWE wrestling diminished in recent years. In order to increase its appeal among fans, Brock Lesnar was made the undisputed holder of keys to Suplex City.

Ranging from John Cena to Big Show to Seth Rollins, every wrestler has been taken to this place, in comparison to which even the fires of hell pale.

And as fans, we can only hope that Brock Lesnar continues his carnage and keeps on taking people to Suplex City.