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5 Best WWE Moves in MMA

UFC 200: Tate v Nunes
Brock Lesnar - Employs some of the same maneuvers in WWE & UFC

MMA and WWE are the two most popular forms of entertainment in the combat sports arena. 

Despite the fact that WWE is pre-determined and MMA is a legitimate fighting contest, the two actually share a number of wrestling moves and holds that their athletes employ.

This slideshow counts down five of them.


#5 Triangle Choke

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Undertaker slaps Viscera in the triangle choke

The first triangle choke in UFC history was utilised at UFC 4 when Royce Gracie employed it to defeat Dan Severn in the final of the UFC 4 tournament. 

Two decades later and it is a commonly used submission hold in both WWE and MMA, where wrestlers such as The Undertaker utilise the hold to great success and martial artists like Demian Maia and Chris Lytle have employed it as well.

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Demian Maia - An expert in the triangle choke

An extremely painful hold, the triangle choke is destined to remain a big part of both combat sports for many years to come.


#4 Ankle-Lock

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Ken Shamrock locks on the ankle lock on Don Frye at Pride 19: Badd Blood

Ken Shamrock was the master of the ankle-lock in UFC and the then-WWF utilising the hold to memorable success in both.

Shamrock defeated Kimo at UFC 8 with an ankle lock in his UFC Superfight Championship defence and carried the holdover to WWF when he joined the sports entertainment powerhouse in 1997.

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The Rock suffers in Shamrock's ankle lock submission

Shamrock used the ankle lock submission to win the Intercontinental Championship and the 1998 King of the Ring final where he defeated none other than The Rock.

The ankle lock is commonly used in UFC these days and was the subject of controversy in 2013 when UFC fighter, Rousimar Palhares defeated Mike Pierce with the submission only to hold onto it long after the referee had signaled the end of the fight.

Palhares's transgression caused him to be cut from UFC with the president, Dana White vowing he would never return. 

Without doubt, the ankle-lock is a painful maneuver and White's stance was understandable considering the damage that could have been done to Pierce.

A submission hold that will remain popular for a long time yet.

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