From our other sites
The story
A thread on 5ch turned into a lively chat about the pro wrestling moves fans remember most. It kicked off with the “5 major moves” — the Giant Swing, Dropkick, Cobra Twist, Lariat, and Camel Clutch — but replies quickly piled on with Backdrops, Piledrivers, Powerbombs, and more. Posters started sorting moves by era (Showa, Heisei, Reiwa) and even debated who threw the first-ever Powerbomb. With each reply adding a new move name and no one derailing the thread, it turned into a genuine showcase of just how deep wrestling fans’ knowledge runs.
What people said
That wasn't Fuchi, man.
32-Mon Rocket
Skull-Splitting Chop (a karate chop to the crown of the head)
Coconut Crush
Running Neckbreaker Drop
Right?
Axe Bomber
Western Lariat
Frankensteiner
Headlock
Brainbuster
For Showa you've gotta include the Piledriver
First time I ever saw a Tombstone Piledriver was from the original Tiger Mask
Wonder who actually started doing that one
Pretty sure the first was Inoki hitting Monster Man with it in that mixed-match fight. Though actually Inoki was just going for a regular Piledriver — Monster Man panicked and straightened his body up mid-move, so it turned into slamming him straight down and crushing him instead. A total accident, lol
Wasn't it Tenryu?
Headlock
Body Scissors
Body Slam
Boston Crab (reverse shrimp hold)
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Pro wrestling move names mix Japanese and English terms depending on the promotion and era, with many coined by commentators and announcers themselves. The “16-Mon Kick” mentioned in the thread is famously Giant Baba’s move, while the “Tombstone Piledriver” is associated with the original Tiger Mask — both names are rooted in Japan’s pro wrestling broadcast culture. Where the thread split was over the Powerbomb’s origin: some argued it was born by accident during Antonio Inoki’s 1977 mixed-match bout against Monster Man, while others credited Tenryu Genichiro with popularizing it. Neither theory has been settled as the definitive account. It’s worth noting that the origins of wrestling moves are poorly documented in written sources and rely heavily on fans’ memories and secondhand accounts. Move names also often use catchy Japanese-English coinages or kanji phrasing, and which moves fans grew up with tends to vary by generation — both factors that helped fuel the thread’s momentum.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “The 5 Major Pro Wrestling Moves: Giant Swing, Dropkick, Cobra Twist, Lariat, Camel Clutch.”
Leave a Reply