Undertaker's Choke Finisher

[NinoBrown]

Undertaker has been using his new submissioner for about three weeks now and so far he's choked out BDV, Khali and Matt Striker. Now I heard that Lance Strom critized Undertaker for using the move, which is named the Gogoplata Choke (a legit MMA choke). Now Storm said alot in his blog and he basically said Taker using the move on bigger opponents like BDV, who bodies him by 200 llbs is a sensable thing to do but him doing the move to Striker, after he's already chokeslammed him, seems like a heel thing to do and someone like the Undertaker shouldn't have to leave his feet to finish off an opponent.

http://www.stormwrestling.com/021908.html

For those of you who haven’t been watching SmackDown lately, the Undertaker is now using a Gogoplata Choke (a legit MMA choke) as his new finisher. The hold, for lack of a better description, is a variation of a triangle choke executed from your back where you wrap your one leg out and around your opponents shoulder and then back under his chin and then pull his head down across your shin with your hands. To execute the hold you have to use both legs and both hands while lying on your back.

I realize that MMA is getting very popular and I understand the desire to adapt that style into pro-wrestling, but I’ve always had a huge logic problem with using “choke†holds as a finish in pro-wrestling. Even back when TAZ got his Taz-mission choke over huge, I always hated it. Choking is of course illegal in pro-wrestling, and you can argue and debate the “blood choke†vs. “air choke†as much as you want, but unless there is a means by which to clearly explain the difference to your general fan base, it is just confusing to reprimand wrestlers all show about choking and then announce that someone has choked out his opponent for the win.

Now Taker has used a variation of the move (triangle choke) but he did it only twice, I believe and it was reversed by Angle, which showed the move has weakness. I understand Taker beefing up his moveset but this move seems more of a move to use it a main event setting. Like HHH only uses the Indian Death Lock in a main event type match. Here's more of Storm.

When he used it to defeat Big Daddy V it made some degree of sense. Taker faced with a 500 pound opponent, found himself in a position where perhaps he could not tombstone or choke slam the 500 pounder, and after getting beat down to the ground by one of his biggest opponents yet, had to demonstrate skill rather than his more common power to get the win. This past week on SD he used the hold on Matt Striker and I found myself groaning in disapproval for the first time ever watching The Undertaker wrestle. (Actually I have groaned during other Undertaker matches but I don’t think it is fair to count matches he had with El Gigante, the man can’t work miracles).

In my opinion after nearly 2 decades of Destruction, The Dead Man should not have to leave his feet to lay waste to Matt Striker. This should be a brief confrontation where Taker is left standing tall while Striker lays at his feet, closing the segment with a great visual of one man up and one man down. Instead after choke slamming Striker, which has laid out many men to date, me included, he tied him up and rolled to his back for the submission, ending the segment with both men down on the mat, a far less visual image to close the segment; it just seemed so unnecessary, and in my opinion even brought he crowd down rather than up, after the choke slam.

It’s a poor position visually, takes a fair bit of time to hook in, and isn’t going to be easy to counter in and out of in big matches to tease false finishes. That doesn’t even take into account he fact that with Takers incredibly long legs this hold is going to be very hard to properly hook on a wide variety of people, and will likely never be as over as the Last Ride or Choke Slam. I think the old adage, “If it aint broke, don’t fix it†applies so perfectly when it comes to the Undertaker. Taker is arguably the greatest gimmick ever created as well as one of the best working big man of all time, and has two incredibly over finishes already. I don’t understand nor see the need to switch his character to that of a submission wrestler. To me The Undertaker is the Phenom, the Dead Man, or even the American Bad Ass, a guy who lays waste to those in his path, not a technically sound submission wrestler who can beat you on the ground. If you are going to play the MMA card, I see Taker as more a Chuck Liddell than a Royce Gracie.

So what's your opinion on Taker's new finisher?

Discuss (Montana style lol)

 

[Hi-Zen]

It is a new move and The Undertaker will forever be The American Bad @$$ but so its not technically heel its more of an anti-hero or just plain Face to finish off his opponents time and time again so I don't understand why Lance Storm is criticizing that position.

 

[Kaedon]

I like Undertakers new move and in this case, I think Lance is wrong. Using his logic you'd have to throw things out like the triangle choke and any other thing that comes REMOTELY close to a choke. I know Storm has been in the business almost as long as i've been alive, but I'd have to respectfully disagree.

 

[Airfixx]

I think he makes a good point when harking back to The Tazmission:

"Even back when TAZ got his Taz-mission choke over huge, I always hated it. Choking is of course illegal in pro-wrestling, and you can argue and debate the “blood choke” vs. “air choke” as much as you want, but unless there is a means by which to clearly explain the difference to your general fan base, it is just confusing to reprimand wrestlers all show about choking and then announce that someone has choked out his opponent for the win."

I'd agree that they failed to make it clear why Tazz wasn't getting DQ'd (Especially after all the whoo-har with Angle after Tazz's debut @ RR'00)

Let's face it 'Takers matches reach a far bigger audience (even on if hyothetically on the same card). It could be the time to 'go there' and make the differentiation on the air. That said, Coach & Cole, being the current SD announce team, I fear they'd fail.

 

[NinoBrown]

Well Undertaker was never a submission wrestler and him using this finisher now just looks awkward but with his new feud with Edge maybe he won't use it.

 

[THE Brian Kendrick's Biceps]

ye taker does look really awkward, and like lance siad, how can you create a falso finish with it??

 

[Wrestling Station]

i think when looking back few weeks ago, Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir, Taker was attending that match, and maybe he was inspired with the MMA style coz Mir made Lesnar tapout due to a leg lock. So i think Taker wanted to add some juice to his moves by using a submission move as a finisher rather than just using power moves all the time.

 

[monkeystyle]

I agree with Lance. Someone like the Undertaker as a character should be aware that being on his back is a bad thing, especially after his match with Angle. It doesn't really make much sense. That being said if he wants to use a submission he should just use the dragon sleeper.

 

[Enigma22]

^thats true but i think its great that a wrestler as old as taker is still adding moves to keep making matches more interesting...

 

[monkeystyle]

For sure it is. I'd just kinda like them to put a bit more thought into what they use.

 

[Enigma22]

he probably decided to use it himself... im pretty sure hes an mma fan so he probably wanted to use an mma move...

 

[Colin Gimp]

He's a well-known MMA fan who has made a cameo in MMA for years and years. It's obvious taker is still the American Bad ass at heart and no one cares what he does anymore he'll get cheered for. His character hasn't made sense since he returned to the deadman gimmick so let's not try and make any and wonder why he added a MMA move. It's a very nice original submission in a land where submission wrestling has been dead.

 

[The A-man]

ye taker does look really awkward, and like lance siad, how can you create a falso finish with it??

The gogoplata is executed from a guard. Specifically, it is usually executed from a "rubber guard," where the legs are held very high, against the opponent's upper back. The fighter then slips one foot in front of the opponent's head and under his chin, locks his hands behind the opponent's head, and chokes the opponent by pressing his shin or instep against the opponent's trachea.

As much as I like Lance, he can be an idiot sometimes. Hey, Lance, how about the possible fact taht the move ISN'T supposed to used as a false finisher. I mean seriously, how in the hell can you speak out against The Undertaker adopting the move? Get with the times already.

Point is that 'Taker is already well-over with the fans as a talented and legit-threat superstar to the fans and adopting a new finisher ain't gonna hurt his creditiblity. He's been winning matches by use of a Triangle Choke (as a finisher or not) so I see nothing wrong that.

Oh Lance, if choking is illegal in pro-wrestling then Tazz's Tazzmission (Katahajime or Half-Nelson Choke) would've been counted as DQs now wouldn't they? Appearantly, not all wrestling promotions consider that act choke-type submission moves illegal.

 

[THE Brian Kendrick's Biceps]

well all moves should have a counter to them to add excitement to a match when someone counters. unless you are saying you dont want to see false finishes at all??

 

[T2V]

It's a pretty cool move I guess.