![Edgecution](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Edgecution.jpg)
The sharpshooter, originally named sasori-gatame, scorpion hold in English,
is a
professional wrestling submission hold. It is similar to several other holds:
cloverleaf leg-lace,
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with one wrestler lying in a supine position on the mat, with the other wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the ...
,
standing reverse figure-four leglock. It is also known by several alternative names, the most common being Scorpion Death-Lock. The move was invented by
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
professional wrestler
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 ...
Riki Choshu
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a booker. He is considered one of Japan’s most influential wrestle ...
, and was popularized by
Sting, who mostly does the standing variation rather than the sitting variation. However, it is most widely associated with
Bret "Hitman" Hart, who used it extensively in his WWF career, and who dubbed it the Sharpshooter.
The hold begins with the opponent supine on the mat. The applying wrestler (A) steps between the opponent's (O) legs with their own left leg and wraps O's legs at shin level around that leg. If A decides to cross O's legs around A's own right leg, A has to cross O's right leg over O's left or the left leg over the right. Holding O's legs in place, A then grabs O's leg which they have crossed over the other and steps over O, flipping O over into a prone position before leaning back to compress O's lower back. This move is used more commonly by Canadian wrestlers, typically in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, to get a bigger crowd reaction, since it is associated with
Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...
and the
Hart family
The Hart wrestling family, sometimes known as the Hart dynasty, is a mainly Canadian family with a significant history within professional wrestling. The patriarch of the family was wrestling legend Stu Hart (1915–2003). An amateur and professi ...
; Canadian wrestlers
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
and
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...
were also notable users of the move.
History and variations
![Natalya Double Sharpshooter 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Natalya_Double_Sharpshooter_2011.jpg)
While Bret "Hitman" Hart is the wrestler with whom the Sharpshooter is most often associated,
Ronnie Garvin
Roger Barnes (born March 30, 1945) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin. He is best known for his appearances with Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federati ...
and
Sting were the first wrestlers to prolifically use the hold in North America, during which time it was called the "scorpion death-lock", deriving from the original Japanese name. In Hart's autobiography, he noted that prior to his first major singles push,
Pat Patterson asked if he could do a "Scorpion Death Lock", which he was familiar with from Japan, but did not know how to execute. Hart revealed that the only person in the locker room who knew how to execute the move was
Konnan
Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...
, who taught it to Hart.
The Pink & Black attacks Inbox - WWE Inbox - Episode 71
/ref> Its name was based on Hart's "Hit Man" nickname (from the underworld slang ''hit'', murder). In WWF publications of the era, Bret's father Stu Hart
Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, coach, trainer, football player and sailor. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a ...
, long known as a trainer in the game, was generally given credit for devising the move. Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
innovated an inverse variation, which he has dubbed the ''Edgecator'', where he would apply the hold normally, only to face the opposite direction and kneel on the opponent's legs.
The Sharpshooter was infamously used in the Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob (also called the Montreal Incident; French: ''Le Coup Tordu de Montréal'' lit. Montreal's Twisted Coup) was an infamous unscripted professional wrestling incident that occurred on November 9, 1997, at the Survivor Series ...
at Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
in 1997. Shawn Michaels applied Hart's own Sharpshooter on him. Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
double-crossed Hart by ordering referee Earl Hebner
Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee who last officiated for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 1 ...
to ring the bell and award the match to Michaels, despite Hart never having submitted. This moment would be referenced within kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged ...
through various future events; McMahon repeated the action at the next year's Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
in 1998, as part of a storyline, during the "Deadly Game" tournament final between The Rock and Mankind
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
. Another occurred on ''Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII
''Saturday Night's Main Event'' is an American professional wrestling television program that is produced by WWE (known at the time of launch as the World Wrestling Federation). Premiering in 1985, it originally aired on NBC in the United Stat ...
'', during a Street Fight between Shawn Michaels and Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Idean ...
.
Scorpion cross lock
Also known as an inverted sharpshooter combined with a double chickenwing, this hold sets up the same as the sharpshooter, with the opponent supine on the mat with the applying wrestler stepping between the opponent's legs with their right leg, and wrapping the opponent's legs at shin level around that leg. However, instead of stepping over the opponent to flip them, the applying wrestler flips the opponent over from left-to-right, keeping the opponent in front of them. The applying wrestler then leans over the opponent and grabs their arms, applying a double chicken wing to the opponent. The applying wrestler then squats back, lifting the opponent's torso into the air. The move was used by Bull Nakano
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and professional golfer better known as . She began competing in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) as a teenager under the ring name Bull Nakano. As a wrestler she was a villain, who often teamed w ...
and formerly used by the former SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...
general manager Paige as the ''Paige Turner''.
See also
*Professional wrestling holds
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 us ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpshooter (Professional Wrestling)
Professional wrestling moves
Bret Hart