Inspiration: Teardrop/Teardrop Suplex

This month's featured move is another favorite of mine where Google won't help you much.

The Teardrop

What I call the "teardrop" is also known as the rocking horse, rocking cradle, pendulum and reverse suspended crab. All of these kind of make sense. In fact, as I was preparing this post, I found the most success searching using "rocking horse" thanks to Alex Shelley using it as a finisher.

Alex Shelley works the "rocking horse"

There are many ways to apply this, but they all have some common elements. You need the victim with his chest down and you facing forward looking towards his head. You need the victim's legs up and wedged under your arms. You need your feet on either side of his hips. And lastly, you need hold of his wrists. Most of the time, he needs to offer them to you, hopefully subtly.

Reverse crab position, lock legs, grab arms then lift (buy it here)

When you're in position, stand tall and assuming he's not a lot taller than you, you'll pull him up off the mat so he's dangling down. His back is bent, his shoulders are being pulled out of their sockets and his head is hanging down. Now just wait for his submission. If you're impatient, add in some additional abuse with swinging or smashing his head into the turnbuckle or mat. It's all good.

Paladin has the height to make this work on Jonny (buy it here)

Not exactly being subtle as he holds his arms up and waits

Alex slams Ethan's face to the mat for extra fun (buy it here)

Hartley can't get Barnes off the mat (buy it here)

In our world, it's Guido Genatto/Dirty Daddy who makes the most use of this hold. He applies it a lot and does it beautifully, I might add. It works great with lean, bendy jobbers, like Jake Jenkins. It also helps if they're lighter and shorter than the applier.

Chet is beautifully bendy (buy it here)

Dolph is up and moaning (buy it here)

Taking Tak for a swing (buy it here)

The teardrop is a real headache for Jake (buy it here)

Ty gets dropped with authority (From the upcoming catalog 113)

One of the best ones was done at Thunders Arena by Brendan Cage on Cameron Matthews. Cage never used it again that I've seen, so I don't know if Cameron taught it to him or what. There are three reasons why I like it - the foot placement, the wrist grab and the extra abuse.

The foot placement locks the feet on Cameron's arms, so Cage doesn't have to hold them in his armpits. This makes the wrist grab easier and doesn't require Cameron to be so obvious when he offers up his hands. It obviously makes no sense for a guy to hold his hands up and wait as AJ Styles does above, so this will help the skeptics in the audience. And lastly, Cage swings and spins Cameron, so you really feel like this is a brutally painful hold. It also helps that Cameron sells the crap out of this hold.

A faster, easier, more believable application (buy it here)

A little something extra (buy it here)

And Cameron is selling it like a stud (buy it here)

Teardrop Suplex

The reason Google won't work well is because there is also a "teardrop suplex". Named one of the worst finishers ever by some random blogger, it was used a lot by Shawn Michaels. It's nowhere near as cool or devastating as his "sweet chin music", so I see why he's more famous for his superkick.

The basic premise is that you reach between the guys legs and lift him up and over. It's a good suplex, but not a finisher. Below are a couple of examples from YouTube.

Shawn uses it on Brett

Best part of this is the jobber sticking his ass up

So that's the teardrop. I do like it, so I know I've used it multiple times in stories. Hopefully I described it in a way that you sort of got what I meant. But if not, now you really know!

Want to see more of the teardrop?

WRESTLING ARSENAL: TEARDROP GALLERY

Alex