Top 5 WWE submission holds of all time

The WWE has become a huge entertainment extravaganza. Their massive following across the world is a testament to the growth of WWE across international borders. The WWE's wrestling presentations are much more hyped and grander events today than they used to be in the 1980s and 1990s.

Even though the presentation and marketing aspects of WWE's business has evolved over the last couple of decades, some of the core aspects of its events that are attractive to its audience have been preserved.

For instance, the creative storytelling method, development of characters, building rivalries, and maintaining signature moves that the audience have come to identify with particular superstars are all important elements that are embedded in the WWE's product today as much as they were years ago.

A submission hold is one such identifier audiences relish to witness when one of their favourite superstars performs. So lets take a look at the 5 most memorable submission holds of all time in the WWE.

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#5 The Camel Clutch

Camel Clutch

The Camel Clutch move is synonymous with the legendary Iron Sheik. It made him one of the most feared wrestlers of his time. His reputation as a feared opponent can be largely attributed to this dreaded move in his arsenal.

He used it effectively to force submission, as the spectators cheered him on. The sight of the Iron Sheik mounted atop a face-down opponent's back, wrenching his chin backward, was a perfect execution of this move that fans loved to see.

Opponents dreaded this move and feared permanent injury. The Camel Clutch disappeared from the WWE after The Iron Sheik's retirement, but is getting a revival of sorts as Rusev has been known to execute it in modern day WWE. To this day, The Camel Clutch remains one of the most brutal moves in wrestling.

#4 Walls of Jericho

This move often ended an opponent's spirit as he succumbs to the numbing pain

This signature submission move is largely responsible for making a legend out of Chris Jericho. The move matched Chris Jericho's personality as a daredevil who loved to push things to the limit.

It often ended an opponent's spirit as he succumbs to the numbing pain inflicted by the move. In fact, this move had such a propensity to inflict injury that the WWE allowed Chris Jericho to apply it to other superstars only under the condition that he modified the move to moderate its potential to inflict serious injury.

This closing move almost certainly ended a match, unless when in rare instances the opponent managed to grab the side ropes. Chris Jericho's multiple world heavyweight titles can be largely attributed to the enormous success of his signature move. The effectiveness of this move resulted in an MMA fighter adopting it.

#3 The Mandible Claw

Mandible Claw

The Mandible Claw is known for its viciousness. It enhanced the unhinged nature of Mankind's character. Mankind typically applied this move to a dazed opponent who'd flail his hands and stare wide-eyed in horror.

The mechanics of this move involved putting two fingers in the lower part of the opponent's mouth and using the other hand to pull open the upper part of his mouth. The pain caused by the pressure applied by this maneuver could be so intense that opponents can temporarily lose vision, and at times blacked out.

Because of concerns for hygiene, Mankind wore a sock on the hand he inserted in his opponent's mouth. No other wrestler was known to have adopted this deadly submission move. It was a classic horrifying move that had the crowd on its feet cheering for one of their favorite superstars - Mankind.

#2 The Sleeper Hold

The Sleeper Hold

This effective and simple maneuver was made popular by Roddy Rowdy Piper and Brutus the Barber Beefcake. The Sleeper Hold is a devastating move which helped smaller wrestlers apply it on significantly bigger opponents in a bid to get them to submit.

The Million Dollar Man used a variation of this move called The Million Dollar Dream. The basic mechanics of this move involves restricting oxygen to the opponent's brain by targeting the carotid artery.

If the opponent did not submit fast enough, continued application of The Sleeper Hold would almost certainly put him to sleep. The Sleeper Hold is one of the easiest looking submission moves in wrestling.

The origin of The Sleeper Hold emanates from martial arts. It was a very popular move commonly used in the 1980's, but it remains one of the most enduring moves used in the ring to this day.

#1 The Figure-Four Leg Lock

The Figure-Four Leg Lock

The most memorable submission move of all time is without question The Figure-Four Leg Lock. This move was largely responsible for enhancing the reputation of Rick Flair. The theatrics Flair added while applying this move made spectators "Woo" in collective pain when he applied it to a writhing opponent.

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Bret Hart used a variation of The Figure Four Leg Lock to great effect. The intrigue of this move almost certainly has had most wrestling fans try out the move to determine whether or not it was indeed painful.

This has remained by far the most memorable submission move embedded in every wrestling fan's mind. One of the unique things about this move is that there are very few maneuvers to counter it once applied. For that, it certainly takes the crown as the best submission move in the WWE of all time.