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Afacebuster, also known as afaceplant, is atakedown move inprofessional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler forces their opponent down to the mat face-first without involving aheadlock orfacelock. A standard facebuster, also known as a jumping facebuster, involves the wrestler grabbing hold of the opponent's head/hair and dropping down to their knees, forcing the opponent's face into the mat.
The attacking wrestler places an opponent in an Argentine backbreaker rack, where the opponent is held face-up across both the shoulders of the wrestler. From here the wrestler falls sideways (towards the side where the opponent's head is held) while still holding the opponent's head with one arm and flipping the opponent's legs over with the other, driving them down to the mat face-first. WWE wrestler Bianca Belair uses this move and calls it theKiss of Death (K.O.D).
From a position in which the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, the wrestler grabs around the opponent's midsection and lifts so that the opponent is held upside down, facing in the same direction as the wrestler. The wrestler then hooks both arms of the opponent using their legs and falls forward, planting the opponent's body into the mat face-first. The move often sees the wrestler keep their legs hooked under the arms of the opponent after hitting the move, using the underhooking technique to turn the opponent on to their back into aRana style pinning position. This move was innovated byCol. DeBeers and was made famous byDiamond Dallas Page andA.J. Styles, who refers to the move as theStyles Clash. Styles performs the maneuver with a variation, as seen in the photos to the right: he does not hook the opponent's arms before performing the slam but takes two steps and moves his legs in front of the opponent's arms, enabling him to use his legs to cover the shoulders for a pin. Styles has alsoused this move from the second rope. This variant is later utilized by formerWWE wrestlerMichelle McCool, who referred to the move as theFaith Breaker.Cesaro uses a variation called theNeutralizer where he grapevines the opponent's leg with his arm similar to acradle piledriver.
A version of this move also exists which is aMoonsault Styles Clash and was innovated and used by the lateindy pro wrestler Brandon Kaplan, and was better known under the names Spyral (or Spiral) and BKNY,[1] which he called thePanther Bomb.[2] He used the move against his opponent againstMike Sydal[3] in an Aerial Assault Match held atCZW Tangled Web 2 in 2009[4] in which one of the turnbuckle posts has a box mounted on top to allow adiving wrestler extra height for their moves. The initial setup for this move was complicated as it required Mike, while facing the ring, to be placed on top of the box in a sitting position. Brandon would then bend Mike forwards with afront facelock placing Mike's head between his legs, grabbing him around his midsection and then lifted him upside-down with them both facing in the same direction. Brandon then hooked both of Mike's arms his legs and performed a diving moonsault, planting Mike's body into the mat face-first. This move was extremely dangerous since Mike's arms were hooked with Brandon's legs and couldn't brace for the impact, he was knocked unconscious along with giving him a concussion as well as broken ribs, having one of wrist broken, and he had aseizure in the locker room post-match. All of this would put him out of action for 6–8 months.[5] Mike could be heard yelling "No, don't do it!" when he made a last second decision that he didn't want to take the move but felt pressured throughout the process from Brandon, who many at the time felt wasgoing into business for himself. This move was never used again afterwards.[6]
Like abelly-to-back suplex, the attacking wrestler wraps their arms around the opponent in a waistlock, lifts the opponent in the air, and falls forward into a facebuster.Brooke Tessmacher used this as her finisher and called it theTess-Shocker.
The opponent is lifted in sidewinder suplex position before being swung around and driven face first into the mat by the attacker.
This variation sees the wrestler grab a hold over the opponent's head/hair, then climb to the second rope or and finally jump from there dropping to their knees or in asitout position and planting the opponent face first to the mat. In another variation the wrestler could just jump from the turnbuckle grabbing the opponent's head/hair in the air and planting them to the mat.
The wrestler bends their opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs, and then applies adouble underhook on the opponent. The wrestler performs a kneeling orsitout facebuster.Andre the Giant is credited for inventing the move, but is perhaps better known as thePedigree, the nameTriple H gave to the kneeling version of the move as his finisher.Chyna later adopted the move from Triple H and began using it as a finisher. Another similar version of the Pedigree was used bySeth Rollins, where he would release his opponent during the fall, while a sitout version, known as theIn Yo' Face, is the nameVelvet Sky gave to the move as her finisher.CM Punk used anavalanche version called thePepsi Plunge in the independent circuit before re-using the move inAEW and uses the move which can see him drop the opponent towards the mat while facing to or away from the turnbuckle.Chyna also used this version in her feud againstChris Jericho.
The wrestler stands behind and facing the same way as their opponent and hooks both their arms. The wrestler then places their head next to the opponent's back and turns 180 degrees while twisting one of the opponent's arms over both of their heads. With the wrestler now in front of the opponent and still hooking the opponent's arms, the wrestler drops onto their back, driving the opponent down face-first into the mat. Innovated byTommy Rogers as theTomikaze, it was popularized byChristian, who used this move as a finisher in WWE/TNA; it is perhaps better known as theKillswitch, but he has previously called it theImpaler (1998–1999) and theUnprettier (1999–2009).Juice Robinson uses a jumping variation, calling itPulp Friction.Candice Michelle used this move and called itCandywrapper.Chelsea Green uses the move as her finisher, calling it theUn-Pretty-Her.Lio Rush uses a variation where he and the opponent spin a full 360°.Tyler Breeze is also among notable wrestlers who use the move and he refers to it as theUnprettier.Grayson Waller does a variation where he performs a somersault.
Innovated byGran Apache, this facebuster is performed when a wrestler bends an opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs (a standing head scissors), and hooks each of the opponent's arms behind their back. The wrestler then pulls back on the opponent's arms, lifting them up so that the opponent is held upside-down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, as if the wrestler was preparing for adouble underhook piledriver. The wrestler then falls forward to a kneeling position, planting the opponent's body into the mat face-first. A sit-out variation of this move exists and is used byRicky Starks as a finished calledThe Buster Keaton/Arms of Orion This maneuver was popularized byChristopher Daniels, who uses a spinning sit-out version of the move and calls it theAngel's Wings andEl Desperado asPinche Locó.Awesome Kong uses a kneeling version as her finisher, known as theImplant Buster.Tommaso Ciampa uses this move, calling itFairy Tale Ending, whileMandy Rose used a sitout version of the move, known as theBed of Roses.
The wrestler approaches the opponent from behind, and lifts them onto their shoulders into a seated position, theelectric chair. The wrestler then lifts the opponent up by their thighs and pushes them forward and down, slamming them down to the mat chest first. The wrestler may also sit down while slamming the opponent.Edge has used the sitout version in his WWF/E run. Used byRhea Ripley as transition move.
Also commonly referred to as an Alley Oop, this variation sees the wrestler lift up their opponent in a powerbomb position, only to toss them off their shoulders backward, causing them to land face-first. This was used as a signature move byThe Big Show.
This facebuster variation sees a wrestler lift an opponent up in afireman's carry across their shoulders, then throw the opponent's legs out in front of them to spin them out, while simultaneously falling backwards or forwards, causing the opponent to land on their face and upper body. Popularized byBrock Lesnar as theF-5, the move is also currently used byRosemary as theRed Wedding, byZaria as theF-6, and byWardlow as theF-10.Kevin Steen used the move as his signature move inRing of Honor.
The wrestler grabs the opponent by the arm and goes behind him while holding the arm and hooking the opponent's leg. The wrestler then bends the opponent's back and slams their face to the mat. The forward Russian legsweep was popularized byJeff Jarrett, who began using the maneuver as a finisher in the late 1990s and calls itThe Stroke.
A slight variation of the forward Russian legsweep, the wrestler approaches the opponent from behind and places them in afull nelson before hooking their leg. The wrestler then falls forward in an almost identical way, slamming the opponent face-first into the mat. The most notable practitioner of this variant isThe Miz, who calls the move theSkull Crushing Finale and has used it as a finisher since August 2009.
The wrestler applies afront facelock to the opponent and then throws their legs out behind them, falling onto their stomach and driving the opponent's face into the mat. It is similar to a standardDDT, except it targets the face of the victim rather than the head, and the wrestler falls onto their stomach instead of falling back as they would in a DDT. A single underhook variation was used bySeth Rollins.
This back-to-back release facebuster is a variation of theGory special where a wrestler releases the arms of the opponent to take hold of the opponent's legs while dropping to a seated position, forcing the opponent to fall forward and impact the mat face-first. The move is named after the innovator of the original Gory special,Gory Guerrero.Chavo Guerrero utilized this move.WWE wrestlerKay Lee Ray uses this move as theKLR Bomb, now known as theFyre Bomb ever since going under the ring name Alba Fyre. NJPW wrestlerShingo Takagi uses it asNoshigami.
Also known as an invertedAlabama Slam, this move usually starts with the opponent sitting on an elevated position such as the top turnbuckle, with the attacking wrestler, standing in front of them and facing the same direction, positioning the opponent's legs over their shoulders. Then the attacking wrestler detaches from the turnbuckle, so that the opponent is held upside down in a back-to-back position. From this position the attacking wrestler bends over, flipping the opponent over their head and slamming them down to the mat face-first. The attacking wrestler may also sit down while slamming the opponent.Drew McIntyre currently uses this moves as a transitional move.Hall of FamerNikki Bella uses this move as a signature move.
This version of a facebuster sees the wrestler place an opponent in aninverted facelock while holding the facelock, twisting them into the facebuster and landing with their legs spread apart, driving the opponent's face into the mat.Velvet Sky used a variation of this move. She begins with her opponent in an inverted facelock, then grabs one of the opponents arms and pulls, rotating the opponent so that the front of the body faces the mat and is in between her legs, finally driving down to the mat and ending in a facebuster.
The wrestler grabs the opponent by the head or hair and jumps in the air, landing in a kneeling position and driving the opponent's face into the mat. A slight variation of the kneeling facebuster sees a wrestler fall into the kneeling position while having the opponent's head between their legs and pushing the opponent down with their hands.Dustin Rhodes used the move in his Black Reign persona called theBlackout.Cameron used it in her WWE career.Ivory used this as her finisher interchangeably with the sit out version, calling them bothPoison Ivory.
Also known as a powerslam facebuster, this variation sees the wrestler lifting the opponent onto their shoulders as in afront powerslam. Then as the opponent is on the shoulder, the wrestler jumps and slams the opponent face-first to the mat. Acutter variation also exists.WWE wrestlerBig E uses this move as a finisher, calling it theBig Ending.
The wrestler lifts their opponent into a Gutwrench Canadian Backbreaker Rack and transitions it into a Swinging Side-slam Face-buster. Innovated and popularized byHirooki Goto.
This variation of the facebuster sees the wrestler seating the opponent over their own shoulders, as in apowerbomb. From this point, the wrestler pushes the opponent off their shoulders, grabs the opponent's head with both hands, and drops seated or kneeled to hit a sitout or kneeling facebuster.
A variation where a wrestler puts the opponent's between their legs as they performspush-ups, causing the opponent's face to be slammed into the canvas a number of times. Often instead of straight push ups, the attacking wrestler just bounces their legs up and down to create the effect.Alex Shelley,Madison Rayne, andStephanie Vaquer use this as one of their signature moves.
The attacking wrestler grabs hold of an opponent's neck with both hands, one on the front, and one on the back. The arm that has the hand on the back of the neck may hook the opponent's arm. The wrestler then lifts the opponent up, releases the hand holding the front of the opponent's neck, and pushes forward to slam the opponent to the mat face-first with the other hand.[7][8]Braun Strowman occasionally uses this move as his finisher. Former NXT RookieEli Cottonwood used this as a finisher.
A wrestler pushes their opponent upward by reaching under their legs and lifting them into the air. While retaining the hold on the opponent's leg, the wrestler falls backwards, dropping the opponent front-first into the canvas. It is commonly used when an opponent is charging. The move is similar to aback body drop, but the wrestler pushes upwards so that their opponent falls on to their face instead of falling back-first.
Also known as a hangman's facebuster or cravate facebuster, this facebuster is performed when an attacking wrestler, who is standing in a back-to-back position with an opponent, reaches back to pull the opponent's head over their shoulder before (while keeping a hold of the opponent's head) falling forwards to twist the opponent's head over so they slam face first into the mat.[9] This move was the finisher ofCurtis Axel, which he called theAxehole.
This is the most common variation of the standard facebuster in which the attacker grabs hold of the opponent by their head then jumps in the air, lifting the opponent and landing with their legs spread apart, driving the opponent's face into the mat. Another variation of this move is to grab the opponent by the hair, perform the same jump and landing but lift only the opponent's head, giving a harder effect when the opponent's face is driven into the mat. This was popularized bySean Waltman andThe Bella Twins, dubbed theX-Factor and theBella Buster respectively.Billy Kidman would utilize the move to counter an opponent's powerbomb attempt.Iyo Sky also uses the move.
Other wrestlers who've used this move and popularized it wereTorrie Wilson, calling it theNose-Job,Jazz, calling it theJazz Stinger,Ivory, calling itPoison Ivory,Carmella, calling it theMella Buster, andJillian Hall, calling itSolo. The move would also be used byKelly Kelly,Gail Kim,Layla,Dawn Marie,Lexie Fyfe,Lana, andBrooke Tessemacher.
The attacking wrestler lifts their opponent into a Canadian backbreaker rack, also known as the overhead gutwrench backbreaker rack, and transitions it into a sitout facebuster. Popularized byDaisuke Sasaki.
Also known as a swinging facebuster, this variation sees the attacker grabbing hold of the opponent by their hair and then spinning in the air, landing in a kneeling position and driving the opponent's face into the mat. This maneuver was popularized byMelina. It's also used byShotzi Blackheart as a setup for her signature or finisher andLiv Morgan, who calls itBlueface.
Also called a front suplex or a gourdbuster, this move sees attacker apply a front facelock to the opponent and drape the opponent's near arm over their shoulder. The attacker lifts the opponent into a vertical position, then falls forward, driving the opponent's face into the ground. Invented byArn Anderson, whileJeff Hardy used a sitout version.
This facebuster sees the attacking wrestler grab a standing opponent around the waist from behind and lift them into a backdrop position before then falling to a sitting position, swinging the opponent down so that their face is driven into the ground. A variant, sees the wrestler lift the opponent's legs around their waist before placing both hands around the opponent's waist and lifting them into awheelbarrow position. The wrestler then elevates their opponent into the air before performing a seated drop, driving their opponent's face into the canvas.Matt Jackson uses this move, dubbed theWorst Case Scenario.
A variation to the wheelbarrow facebuster which sees the attacking wrestler stand at the side of an opponent and begin to lift them as for abelly-to-back suplex. Instead of falling backwards to drop the opponent back-first, the wrestler stops after lifting the opponent, grabs a hold of their legs while still holding the opponent up, and slams them face-first on to the mat.Jushin Thunder Liger is well known for using this move as a finisher, calling it theCrash Thunder Buster.
The wrestler hooks both an opponent's arms in anelevated double chickenwing, lifts them up into the air from behind, then drops the opponent down onto the mat face first. There is also a sitout variation, where a wrestler hooks their opponent's legs and drops to a seated position, while planting the opponent's face into the canvas between the wrestler's legs. This was popularized byBeth Phoenix, who calls it theGlam Slam. The move was only ever been kicked out of once byNatalya a month before Phoenix's departure from WWE.[10]Jon Moxley used this during the indies in the 2000s as theHook and Ladder before signing with WWE in 2011. NJPW wrestlerRyusuke Taguchi used this move called theDodon.Taya Valkyrie also used this move as a finisher dubbedRoad To Valhalla.Jade Cargill currently uses this as theJaded.TJP also utilized the move but instead dropped his opponentonto his knees.