13. Cross Armbreaker
From the moment he started New Japan Pro Wrestling, Antonio Inoki wanted finishers to be real. He wanted his Strong Style to be a blend of wrestling with pure martial arts, so he booked many contests to end via submission.
One of the moves he (and many others) used to win was the Cross Armbreaker, arguably the simplest yet most effective submission hold ever. Its premise is easy: you pull an arm away from the body and try to hyperextend the shoulder and elbow. The move was incredibly successful in Japan and in many promotions around the world, and became a staple of MMA.
To many people, this is what an ideal finisher should be: not only simple and devastating in its appearance, but also to some degree realistic. Many finishers are so flashy and impractical that either it’s too obvious that the wrestlers are cooperating with each other, or the move doesn’t look like it hurts at all.
With the cross Armbreaker, an ideal milieu can be found.