5 of the most painful looking submission holds in WWE history

#3 The Surfboard Stretch:

Dean Ambrose doesn’t say Yes!

With countless submission moves under his belt, Daniel Bryan was already a wrestling legend before stepping inside the WWE ring. Inside, his everyman charm and ring dexterity ensured a meteoric ascent to the top and justifiably, a memorable stay there.

A signature hold, the surfboard stretch was one of the two prominent submission holds in his WWE moveset.

Innovated by Rito Romero and often performed by Jushin Thunder Liger among others, this move sees the performer lie on his back, lock his opponent by bending their knees around his legs and tug their wrists to stretch their arms, all the while lifting them skywards and inflicting damage on the shoulders and back.

Needless to say, this move necessitated sufficient leg strength on the part of the attacker in order to counter the suspended opponent’s weight.

This contorted display was an arresting sight, particularly because of the disparity in body frames between the applier and the opponent. Bryan’s execution of this move on someone like Luke Harper, memorably to the rhythm of an arena full of Yes! Chants, was a testimony to his physical might, if not his technical skills.

As for the latter, the warped, suffering faces of elevated opponents was enough evidence.