A facebuster, also known as a faceplant, is generally a
takedown move in
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
in which an attacking wrestler forces their opponent down to the mat face-first without involving a
headlock
A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...
or
facelock. A standard facebuster, also known as a jumping facebuster, involves the wrestler grabbing hold of the opponent's head/hair and dropping down to their knees, forcing the opponent's face into the mat.
Variants
Argentine facebuster
The attacking wrestler places an opponent in an Argentine backbreaker rack, where the opponent is held face-up across both the shoulders of the wrestler. From here the wrestler falls sideways (towards the side where the opponent's head is held) while still holding the opponent's head with one arm and flipping the opponent's legs over with the other, driving them down to the mat face-first.
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler
Bianca Belair
Bianca Blair Crawford (born Bianca Nicole Blair; April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and a fitness and figure competitor. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Bianca Belair, and ...
uses this move and calls it ''K.O.D (Kiss Of Death)''. Former WWE wrestler ''
Tyler Reks
Gabbi Alon Tuft (born November 1, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler. Tuft is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Tyler Reks. Tuft also competed in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FC ...
'' used the move as the ''Burning Hammer'' (not to be confused with
the variation innovated by
Kenta Kobashi
is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1988, where he became one of the promotion's top stars, holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship three times, and winning the Champ ...
) on rare occasions.
Belly-to-back inverted mat slam
From a position in which the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, the wrestler grabs around the opponent's midsection and lifts so that the opponent is held upside down, facing in the same direction as the wrestler. The wrestler then hooks both arms of the opponent using their legs and falls forward, planting the opponent's body into the mat face-first. The move often sees the wrestler keep their legs hooked under the arms of the opponent after hitting the move, using the underhooking technique to turn the opponent on to their back into a
Rana
Rana may refer to:
Astronomy
* Rana (crater), a crater on Mars
* Delta Eridani or Rana, a star
People, groups and titles
* Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name)
* Rana (title), a histori ...
style pinning position. This move was innovated by
Col. DeBeers and was made famous by
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...
and
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, who refers to the move as the ''Styles Clash''. Styles performs the maneuver with a variation, as seen in the photos to the right: he does not hook the opponent's arms before performing the slam, but takes two steps and moves his legs in front of the opponent's arms, enabling him to use his legs to cover the shoulders for a pin. This variant is later utilized by former
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh Calaway (née McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she is a former two-time WWE Divas Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Champion.
McCool or ...
, who referred to the move as the ''Faith Breaker''.
Cesaro uses a variation called the ''Neutralizer'' where he grapevines the opponent's leg with his arm similar to a
cradle piledriver
Cradle may refer to:
* Cradle (bed)
* Bassinet, a small bed, often on rockers, in which babies and small children sleep
Mechanical devices
* Cradle (circus act), or aerial cradle or casting cradle used in an aerial circus act
* Cradling (paintin ...
.
Belly-to-back facebuster
Like a
belly-to-back suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.
Professional wrestling feature ...
, the attacking wrestler wraps their arms around the opponent in a waistlock, lifts the opponent in the air, and falls forward into a facebuster.
Brooke Tessmacher
Brooke Nichole Adams (born December 4, 1984) is an American model and professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Brooke Tessmacher.
She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a three–t ...
used this as her finisher and called it the ''Tess-Shocker''.
Swinging belly-to-back facebuster
The opponent is lifted in sidewinder suplex position before being swung around and driven face first into the mat by the attacker.
Diving facebuster
This variation sees the wrestler grab a hold over the opponent's head/hair, then climb to the second rope or and finally jump from there dropping to their knees or in a
sitout position and planting the opponent face first to the mat. In another variation the wrestler could just jump from the turnbuckle grabbing the opponent's head/hair in the air and planting them to the mat.
Double underhook facebuster
The wrestler bends their opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs, and then applies a
double underhook on the opponent. The wrestler performs a kneeling or
sitout facebuster
A facebuster, also known as a faceplant, is generally a Professional wrestling throws, takedown move in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler forces their opponent down to the mat face-first without involving a headlock or Professi ...
.
Andre the Giant is credited for inventing the move, but is perhaps better known as the ''Pedigree'', the name
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
gave to the kneeling version of the move as his finisher.
Chyna
Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality.
She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where sh ...
later adopted the move from Triple H and began using it as a finisher. Another similar version of the Pedigree was used by
Seth Rollins
Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins).
Prior to signing ...
, where he would release his opponent during the fall, while a sitout version, known as the ''In Yo' Face'', is the name
Velvet Sky
Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...
gave to the move as her finisher.
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
and uses an avalanche version called the ''Pepsi Plunge'' during the independent circuit before re-using the move in AEW. Chyna also used this version in her feud against with
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
.
Inverted double underhook facebuster
The wrestler stands behind and facing the same way as their opponent and hooks both their arms. The wrestler then places their head next to the opponent's back and turns 180 degrees while twisting one of the opponent's arms over both of their heads. With the wrestler now in front of the opponent and still hooking the opponent's arms, the wrestler drops onto their back, driving the opponent down face-first into the mat. Innovated by
Tommy Rogers as the ''Tomikaze'', it was popularized by
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, who used this move as a finisher in WWE/TNA; it is perhaps better known as the ''Killswitch'', but he has previously called it the ''Impaler'' (1998–1999) and the ''Unprettier'' (1999–2009).
Juice Robinson
Joseph Ryan Robinson (born April 10, 1989), better known by his ring name Juice Robinson, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Robinson is also a member of the Bullet Club stable and also wrestles ...
uses a jumping variation, calling it ''Pulp Friction''.
Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle Beckman (born September 30, 1978), better known as Candice Michelle, is an American retired professional wrestler, model and actress, best known for her time with WWE.
After spending years modeling and acting, Candice Michelle ...
used this move and called it ''Candywrapper''.
Chelsea Green
Chelsea Anne Cardona (born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman and model. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she is a former impact Knockouts champion and Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. ...
uses the move as her finisher, calling it the ''I'm Prettier'' .
Lio Rush
Lionel Gerard Green (born November 11, 1994), better known by the ring name Lio Rush, is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Chaos stable. He has also ap ...
uses a variation where he and the opponent spin a full 360°.
Tyler Breeze
Matthew Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center.
From 2010 to 2012, he per ...
is also among notable wrestlers who use the move and he refers to it as The ''Unprettier''.
Lifting double underhook facebuster
Innovated by
Gran Apache
Mario Balbuena González (April 16, 1959 – May 7, 2017) -- better known under the ring names Gran Apache and El Apache -- was a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler and trainer. Balbuena worked for AAA / Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (A ...
, this facebuster is performed when a wrestler bends an opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs (a standing head scissors), and hooks each of the opponent's arms behind their back. The wrestler then pulls back on the opponent's arms, lifting them up so that the opponent is held upside-down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, as if the wrestler was preparing for a
double underhook piledriver. The wrestler then falls forward to a kneeling position, planting the opponent's body into the mat face-first. A sit-out variation of this move exists. This maneuver was popularized by
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...
, who uses a spinning sit-out version of the move and calls it the ''Angel's Wings'' and
El Desperado as ''Pinche Locó.''
Awesome Kong
Kia Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ring ...
uses a kneeling version as her finisher, known as the ''Implant Buster''.
Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa.
Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent pro ...
uses this move, calling it ''Fairy Tale Ending'', while
Mandy Rose
Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose.
Rose began ...
currently uses a sitout version of the move, known as the ''Bed of Roses''.
Electric chair facebuster
The wrestler approaches the opponent from behind, and lifts them onto their shoulders into a seated position, the
electric chair
An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...
. The wrestler then lifts the opponent up by their thighs and pushes them forward and down, slamming them down to the mat chest first. The wrestler may also sit down while slamming the opponent. Used by
Rhea Ripley
Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley and is a member of The Judgme ...
as transition move.
Fireman's carry facebuster
This facebuster variation sees a wrestler lift an opponent up in a
fireman's carry
A firefighter's carry or firefighter's lift is a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance, by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier. across their shoulders, then throw the opponent's legs out in front of them to spin them out, while simultaneously falling backwards or forwards, causing the opponent to land on their face and upper body. Popularized by
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
as the ''F-5'' and by
Rosemary
''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...
as the ''Red Wedding''.
Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens.
Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16. Prior to joining WWE in la ...
used the move as his signature move in
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
.
Forward Russian legsweep
The wrestler grabs the opponent by the arm and goes behind him while holding the arm and hooking the opponent's leg. The wrestler then bends the opponent's back and slams their face to the mat. The forward Russian legsweep was popularized by
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
Beginning his career in his father J ...
, who began using the maneuver as a finisher in the late 1990s and calls it ''The Stroke''.
Full nelson facebuster
A slight variation of the forward Russian legsweep, the wrestler approaches the opponent from behind and places them in a
full nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
before hooking their leg. The wrestler then falls forward in an almost identical way, slamming the opponent face-first into the mat. The most notable practitioner of this variant is
The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fame a ...
, who calls the move the ''Skull Crushing Finale'' and has used it as a finisher since August 2009.
Front facelock drop
The wrestler applies a
front facelock
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
to the opponent and then throws their legs out behind them, falling onto their stomach and driving the opponent's face into the mat. It is similar to a standard
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
, except it targets the face of the victim rather than the head, and the wrestler falls onto their stomach instead of falling back as they would in a DDT. A single underhook variation was used by
Seth Rollins
Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins).
Prior to signing ...
.
Gory bomb
This back-to-back release facebuster is a variation of the
Gory special where a wrestler releases the arms of the opponent to take hold of the opponent's legs while dropping to a seated position, forcing the opponent to fall forward and impact the mat face-first. The move is named after the innovator of the original Gory special,
Gory Guerrero
Salvador Guerrero Quesada (January 11, 1921 – April 18, 1990), better known as Gory Guerrero, was one of the premier Mexican American professional wrestlers in the early days of Lucha Libre when most wrestlers were imported from outside Mexico ...
.
Chavo Guerrero
Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federatio ...
utilized this move.
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler
Kay Lee Ray
Kayleigh Rae (born 11 August 1992), better known as Kay Lee Ray, is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Alba Fyre.
Rae began her wrestling career in 2009 and c ...
uses this move as the ''KLR Bomb''. NJPW wrestler
Shingo Takagi
, known by his ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the provisional KOPW 2022 champion in his first ...
uses it as ''Noshigarami.''
Inverted double leg slam
Also known as an inverted
Alabama Slam, this move usually starts with the opponent sitting on an elevated position such as the top turnbuckle, with the attacking wrestler, standing in front of them and facing the same direction, positioning the opponent's legs over their shoulders. Then the attacking wrestler detaches from the turnbuckle, so that the opponent is held upside down in a back-to-back position. From this position the attacking wrestler bends over, flipping the opponent over their head and slamming them down to the mat face-first. The attacking wrestler may also sit down while slamming the opponent.
Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE Int ...
currently uses this moves as a transitional move.
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Nikki Bella
Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Nikki Bella, is an American professional wrestler and television personality. She is currently signed to WWE as an ambassador.
In 2007, Bella signed with WWE an ...
uses this move as a signature move.
Inverted swinging facebuster
This version of a facebuster sees the wrestler place an opponent in an
inverted facelock while holding the facelock, twisting them into the facebuster and landing with their legs spread apart, driving the opponent's face into the mat.
Velvet Sky
Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...
used a variation of this move. She begins with her opponent in an inverted facelock, then grabs one of the opponents arms and pulls, rotating the opponent so that the front of the body faces the mat and is in between her legs, finally driving down to the mat and ending in a facebuster.
Kneeling facebuster
The wrestler grabs the opponent by the head or hair and jumps in the air, landing in a kneeling position and driving the opponent's face into the mat. A slight variation of the kneeling facebuster sees a wrestler fall into the kneeling position while having the opponent's head between their legs and pushing the opponent down with their hands.
Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE f ...
used the move in his Black Reign persona called the ''Blackout''.
Ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...
used this as her finisher interchangeably with the sit out version, calling them both Poison Ivory.
Over the shoulder facebuster
Also known as a powerslam facebuster, this variation sees the wrestler lifting the opponent onto their shoulders as in a
front powerslam. Then as the opponent is on the shoulder, the wrestler jumps and slams the opponent face-first to the mat. A
cutter variation also exists.
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler
Big E uses this move as a finisher, calling it the ''Big Ending''.
''Ura-Shouten''
The wrestler lifts their opponent into a Gutwrench Canadian Backbreaker Rack and transitions it into a Swinging Side-slam Face-buster. Innovated and popularized by
Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii and ...
.
Powerbomb facebuster
This variation of the facebuster sees the wrestler seating the opponent over their own shoulders, as in a
powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...
. From this point, the wrestler pushes the opponent off their shoulders, grabs the opponent's head with both hands, and drops seated or kneeled to hit a sitout or kneeling facebuster.
Push-up facebuster
A variation where a wrestler puts the opponent's between their legs as they performs
push-up
The push-up (sometimes called a press-up in British English) is a common calisthenics exercise beginning from the prone position. By raising and lowering the body using the arms, push-ups exercise the pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterio ...
s, causing the opponent's face to be slammed into the canvas a number of times. Often instead of straight push ups, the attacking wrestler just bounces their legs up and down to create the effect.
Madison Rayne
Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...
uses this as one of her signature moves.
Reverse chokeslam facebuster
The attacking wrestler grabs hold of an opponent's neck with both hands, one on the front, and one on the back. The arm that has the hand on the back of the neck may hook the opponent's arm. The wrestler then lifts the opponent up, releases the hand holding the front of the opponent's neck, and pushes forward to slam the opponent to the mat face-first with the other hand.
Braun Strowman
Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDo ...
rarely uses this move as his finisher. Former NXT Rookie
Eli Cottonwood used this as a finisher.
A wrestler pushes their opponent upward by reaching under their legs and lifting them into the air. While retaining the hold on the opponent's leg, the wrestler falls backwards, dropping the opponent front-first into the canvas. It is commonly used when an opponent is charging. The move is similar to a
back body drop, but the wrestler pushes upwards so that their opponent falls on to their face instead of falling back-first.
Shoulder facebuster
Also known as a hangman's facebuster or cravate facebuster, this facebuster is performed when an attacking wrestler, who is standing in a back-to-back position with an opponent, reaches back to pull the opponent's head over their shoulder before (while keeping a hold of the opponent's head) falling forwards to twist the opponent's head over so they slam face first into the mat.
This move was the finisher of
Curtis Axel
Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...
, which he called the ''Axehole''.
Sitout facebuster
This is the most common variation of the standard facebuster in which the attacker grabs hold of the opponent by their head then jumps in the air, lifting the opponent and landing with their legs spread apart, driving the opponent's face into the mat. Another variation of this move is to grab the opponent by the hair, perform the same jump and landing but lift only the opponent's head, giving a harder effect when the opponent's face is driven into the mat. This was popularized by
Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names 1–2–3 ...
and
The Bella Twins
The Bella Twins were a professional wrestling tag team who performed on WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Brie Bella and Nikki Bella (real names Brianna and Nicole). Each of the Bella Twins are a former WWE Divas Champion. Brie is the f ...
.
Billy Kidman
Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He is currently employed by WWE as a producer.
As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Champi ...
would utilized the move to counter an opponent's powerbomb attempt.
Io Shirai
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with ...
uses the move.
Other wrestlers who've used this move and popularized it were,
Torrie Wilson
Torrie Anne Wilson (born July 24, 1975) is an American former professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, previously the World Wrestling Federation).
As a fitness competitor, Wilson won ...
calling it the "nose-job",
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
calling it "the jazz stinger",
Ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...
calling it "poison Ivory", and
Jillian Hall
Jillian Faye Hall ( Fletcher; September 6, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE.
After debuting in 1998, Hall worked on the independent circuit under the name Macaela Mercedes. She won numerous champ ...
calling it "the solo". The move would also be used by
Kelly Kelly,
Gail Kim
Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where she serves as a producer. In Impact Wrestling she was the inaugural and record setting seven-time Knockou ...
,
Layla,
Dawn Marie
Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American actress, nurse and a retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling valet. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the Smac ...
, and
Brooke Tessemacher.
Spinning facebuster
Also known as a tornado facebuster, this variation sees the attacker grabbing hold of the opponent by their hair and then spinning in the air, landing in a kneeling position and driving the opponent's face into the mat. This maneuver was popularized by
Melina. It's also used by
Shotzi Blackheart
Ashley Louise Urbanski (born March 14, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and singer. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Shotzi (shortened from her previous ring name Shotzi Black ...
as a setup for her signature or finisher.
Vertical suplex facebuster
Also called a front suplex or a gourdbuster, this move sees attacker apply a front facelock to the opponent and drape the opponent's near arm over their shoulder. The attacker lifts the opponent into a vertical position, then falls forward, driving the opponent's face into the ground. Invented by
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by the ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a m ...
, while
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
used a sitout version.
Wheelbarrow facebuster
This facebuster sees the attacking wrestler grab a standing opponent around the waist from behind and lift them into a backdrop position before then falling to a sitting position, swinging the opponent down so that their face is driven into the ground. A variant, sees the wrestler lift the opponent's legs around their waist before placing both hands around the opponent's waist and lifting them into a
wheelbarrow position. The wrestler then elevates their opponent into the air before performing a seated drop, driving their opponent's face into the canvas.
Belly-to-back wheelbarrow facebuster
A variation to the wheelbarrow facebuster which sees the attacking wrestler stand at the side of an opponent and begin to lift them as for a
belly-to-back suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.
Professional wrestling feature ...
. Instead of falling backwards to drop the opponent back-first, the wrestler stops after lifting the opponent, grabs a hold of their legs while still holding the opponent up, and slams them face-first on to the mat.
Jushin Thunder Liger
, better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...
is well known for using this move as a finisher, calling it the ''Crash Thunder Buster''.
Chickenwing facebuster
The wrestler hooks both an opponent's arms in an
elevated double chickenwing, lifts them up into the air from behind, then drops the opponent down onto the mat face first. There is also a sitout variation, where a wrestler hooks their opponent's legs and drops to a seated position, while planting the opponent's face into the canvas between the wrestler's legs. This was popularized by
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), known professionally as Beth Phoenix, is an American professional wrestler. She is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's Champion.
Kociański had a successful amateur ...
, who calls it the ''Glam Slam''.
Jon Moxley
Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wr ...
used this during the indies in the 2000s as the ''Hook and Ladder'' before signing with WWE in 2011. NJPW wrestler
Ryusuke Taguchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, seven-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and three-time NEVER Op ...
used this move called the ''Dodon''.
Taya Valkyrie
Kira Renée Magnin-Forster (born October 22, 1983) is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and model better known by the ring name Taya Valkyrie.
She is currently appearing for Impact Wrestling, where she is a current two-time ...
also used this move as a finisher dubbed ''Road To Valhalla.''
Jade Cargill
Jade Cargill (born June 3, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is the inaugural and current AEW TBS Champion. Her ongoing reign is the longest reign of any AEW championship at + days ...
currently used this as the ''Jaded''.
T. J. Perkins
Theodore James Perkins (born September 3, 1984) is an American professional wrestler of Filipino descent, better known by the ring name T. J. Perkins (or simply TJP) currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling where he is a member of the United ...
also utilize the move but instead dropped his opponent
onto his knees.
See also
*
Professional wrestling throws
Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...
References
{{Wrestling Moves
Professional wrestling moves