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Stunner (professional wrestling)


A stunner is a common term in professional wrestling referring to the sitout ¾ facelock jawbreaker maneuver. It was innovated by Mikey Whipwreck who called it the Whipper-Snapper, but it was popularized by Stone Cold Steve Austin, who faced Whipwreck in Extreme Championship Wrestling. The move was named for Austin's Stone Cold Stunner finisher. It involves an attacking wrestler applying a three-quarter facelock (reaching back and grabbing the head of an opponent, thus pulling the opponent's jaw above the wrestler's shoulder) before falling to a seated position and forcing the opponent's jaw (but predominantly the opponent's neck) to drop down on the shoulder of the attacking wrestler. The free hand is sometimes used to hold the top of the head.

In this elevated stunner variation, the opponent is first raised up in a piggy-back position. From here, the attacking wrestler applies a three-quarter facelock and drops down to a seated position while still holding the opponent's head to force them to fall into the stunner. This version is also known as a piggypack stunner, or the Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder.

Ember Moon's version of the stunner is when the wrestler launches themselves off the top rope and does a corkscrew rotation. After completing the corkscrew, whilst still in mid-air the attacking wrestler applies a three-quarter facelock to the opponent whilst falling down to a seated position to complete the stunner. This version is also known as the "O-Face" during Moon's time on the independent circuit as Athena.

With an opponent placed on an elevated surface, a wrestler applies a three-quarter facelock and then draws the opponent away, leaving only the opponent's feet over the elevated surface. The wrestler then falls to a seated position so that the opponent is forced to dive forward across the shoulder of the attacking wrestler. This is believed to have more impact due to the angle of which the opponent is dropped. The elevated stunner can also be performed as a double-team move.


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