Sharpshooter
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Invented by Japanese professional wrestler Riki Choshu, this submission hold had been used extensively by Bret Hart and has come to be associated with the Hall of Famer.
This move involves an elaborate set up where the attacker wraps the opponent’s leg around their own leg after stepping between them and administers pressure on their lower back after flipping them over. Because of the proximity of the attacker’s legs to the unblocked hand of the opponent, there exists a chance to grip the former’s leg and shift their balance by dragging it forward, effectively reversing the hold.
One of the better known instances had occurred at Wrestlemania X when Bret Hart had successfully countered his brother Owen’s sharpshooter hold.
Not only this, but also the complex setup that this hold requires makes the attacker vulnerable to defensive kick outs from the opponent before the hold is even in place.
WCW legend Sting had used a standing variation of the Sharpshooter, called the Scorpion Death Lock, throughout his career. Yet, whenever other wrestlers perform this move, they barely get to go as over as a Hart does while performing it, especially if the show is taking place somewhere in Canada.
There is a historical significance attached to this classic submission manoeuvre and countering it every now and then would only diminish the iconic status that the sharpshooter holds. Also, the sharpshooter makes for some of the best selling of the opponent’s strength and tenacity when he has to crawl to the nearest ring rope as the only release.
