Professional wrestling throws

Much of the action in professional wrestling involved the application of techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. These moves are generally illegal in traditional amateur wrestling. They are sometimes also called "power moves", as they are meant to emphasize a wrestler's strength.

There is a wide variety of slams and throws in pro wrestling. Many moves are known by several different names. Professional wrestlers frequently give their "finishers" (signature moves that usually result in a win) new names. Occasionally these names become popular and are used regardless of the wrestler performing the technique: one example is the tombstone piledriver, a term originally used for The Undertaker's finisher but now used to refer to any belly-to-belly piledriver.

Moves are listed under general categories whenever possible.

Arm drag

A move in which the wrestler grabs hold of his opponent's arm and pulls him down to the mat

• Over-the-shoulder arm drag - Also called a shoulder throw or ipponzei. The wrestler grabs his opponent's arm, then turns to face the other direction and pulls the victim over his shoulder. It is essentially the same as the ippon seoi-nage found in Judo.

Atomic Drop

A move in which the wrestler lifts his opponent up and drops him crotch-first on the wrestler's knee.

Back Breaker

A back breaker is any move in which the wrestler lifts his opponent up and jumps or drops his opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body. The basic back breaker, or pendulum back breaker, involves lifting the opponent up and dropping him back-first against the wrestler's knee.

Back Drop

A back drop, or back body drop, is a move in which the wrestler bends forward or crouches in front of his opponent, grabs hold of his opponent, and stands up, lifting the victim up and over and dropping him behind the back. It is frequently applied against a charging opponent.

Brainbuster

A brainbuster is any move in which the wrestler holds his opponent's body and falls to the mat, slamming the opponent down headfirst in the process.

• Death Valley Driver - A brainbuster from a position in which the victim is held across both shoulders, either in a fireman's carry (facing down) or an Argentine backbreaker rack (face up, with the neck and one leg cradled). The attacker falls to the side in which his opponent's head is pointing, driving the victim's head into the mat

Bulldog

A bulldog, or bulldogging headlock, is any move in which the wrestler applies a head lock or face lock to his opponent and falls forward, driving the victim's head into the mat.

Chokeslam

A chokeslam is any move in which the wrestler grasps his opponent's neck, lifts him up, and slams him to the mat back-first. It is very common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe yet looks powerful on camera.

DDT

Similar to a bulldog, a DDT is any move in which the wrestler applies a head or face lock to his opponent and falls down or backwards, driving the victim's head into the mat.

Face Breaker

A face breaker is any move in which the wrestler slams his opponent's face against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee.

Flap Jack

A flap jack is any move that throws the victim so that he flips over and falls on his front. The basic flap jack is similar to a back drop, but the wrestler pushes upwards so that the victim flips over onto his face instead of falling back-first.

Gutbuster Drop

A gutbuster drop, also called a stomach breaker or rib breaker, is any move in which the wrestler lifts his opponent up and jumps or drops him so that the victim's stomach impacts against part of the wrestler's body. It is essentially the same as a back breaker but with the victim facing the opposite direction.

Irish Whip

Also called a hammer throw. A move in which the wrestler grabs one of his opponent's arms and spins, swinging the victim into an obstacle such as the ring ropes, a turnbuckle, or the stairs leading into the ring. One popular use of the irish whip is to try to "hit for the cycle" by whipping one's opponent into each corner in turn. An irish whip into the ring ropes is usually used to set the victim up for another technique as they bounce off, such as a suplex or clothesline.

Piledriver

A piledriver is any move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the victim's head into the mat.

• Texas Piledriver - also called a belly-to-back piledriver, this is the classic piledriver technique. From a position in which the victim is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, the wrestler grabs around his opponent's midsection and lifts so that the victim is held upside down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, and drops to a sitting or kneeling position with the victim's head falling between the wrestler's thighs.
• Tombstone Piledriver - also called a belly-to-belly piledriver. The wrestler flips his opponent upside-down so that they are facing each other, and drops to a sitting or kneeling position.
• Vertebreaker - also called a reverse gory special lock piledriver. From a position in which the victim is standing behind the wrestler, the attacker places the victim's head between his legs and hooks both of the victim's arms, then turns around so the victim is in front and facing the same direction. The wrestler tucks his head between the victim's legs and stands up, lifting up his opponent into an upside-down position and suspending him by keeping the arms trapped. The attacker holds the victim's arms and grabs the victim's legsand sits down, dropping the victim onto his head.

Powerbomb

A powerbomb is a move in which the victim is lifted up so that he is sitting on the attacker's shoulders then slammed down in front.

• Sitout Powerbomb - also called a sit-down powerbomb, this is a powerbomb in which the attacker drops into a sitting position as he slams his opponent down.

Suplex

A suplex is any move in which a wrestler picks up his opponent and falls backwards to slam his opponent down.

• German Suplex - A belly-to-back waistlock suplex. The attacker stands behind the victim, grabs himaround the waist, lifts up, and falls backward to slam the victim back-first. Frequently the attacker finishes in a bridging position with the waistlock still applied to try for a pin. A popular variant is to follow up a German suplex by rolling backwards over the victim with the waistlock still applied and perform another German suplex. This is called rolling Germans.
• Pumphandle Suplex - The wrestler stands behind his opponent and bends him forward. One of the victim's arms is pulled back between his legs and held, while the other arm is hooked. The attacker then lifts his opponent up over his head and falls backwards to slam the victim against the mat back-first.
• Snap Suplex - A belly-to-belly facelock suplex. The attacker applies a front face lock to his opponent and drapes the victim's near arm over his shoulder, then quickly falls backwards and flips the victim over to land on his back. The attacker may grab the victim's shorts for extra leverage before falling.
• Vertical Suplex - Set up similar to a snap suplex, except that when the victim is in position he is lifted up and held upside-down before the attacker falls backwards.