Boston crab with knee performing an inverted Boston crab on
Michael Elgin (dubbed the
Billy Goat's Curse) Similar to a normal Boston crab, this move sees the attacking wrestler use a single knee to add additional pressure by pressing it into the opponent's back. An
elevated variation, best known as
Chris Jericho's
Walls of Jericho (formerly known as the
Liontamer), also exists. applying the
Dil-Emma (rope-hung Boston crab) on
Summer Rae Rocking horse Known commonly as the
Campana (
Spanish for "bell"). This Boston crab variation sees the wrestler lock the opponent in the inverted version of the hold before lifting them off the ground by their arms (while still in the hold), and rocking them back and forth, putting additional pressure on their back.
E.Z. Money and
Evan Golden employ this move, both calling it the
Pendulum of Pain. It is also the signature maneuver of luchadors
La Máscara and
Ángel de Oro. The inverted version of the hold, known as the
Campana Invertida, is used via the standard version of the Boston crab before the lift and wrist-clutch.
Rope-hung Boston crab This move, also known as the
Tarantula in reference to
Yoshihiro Tajiri's naming of the move, involves a wrestler hooking each of an opponent's legs in one of their arms and draping the opponent over the top rope. At this point the wrestler hooks the arms of the opponent with their legs, securing the hold. As this move involves the use of the ropes, and allows the opponent to touch the ropes (which forces a wrestler to break a submission hold), this hold must usually be broken before the referee completes a five-count. Otherwise, the wrestler will be
disqualified. This is the reason why it is best used during
no disqualification matches or
"I Quit" matches.
Single leg Boston crab Also known as a half Boston crab, half crab, or
Medio Cangrejo (
Spanish for "half crab"), a move that typically starts with the opponent on their back, and the attacking wrestler standing and facing them. The attacking wrestler hooks one of the opponent's legs under one of their arms, and then turns the opponent face-down, stepping over them in the process. The final position has the dominant wrestler in a semi-sitting position and facing away from the opponent who is lying face-down and their own leg bent backwards toward their head. A variation with the attacking wrestler kneeling side-ways while having the leg hooked can be performed.
Lance Storm used this maneuver as a counter to an oncoming opponent by grabbing one of the opponent's legs in a
single leg takedown and using the momentum to roll backwards into the hold.
Over-the-shoulder single-leg Boston crab Also known as the
Stretch Muffler or
Argentine leg-lock, it is performed via a wrestler placing their opponent's leg over their neck and beginning to crank down. This variant of the move is considered to apply pressure primarily to the knee of the opponent rather than the other versions of the Boston crab which focus on the lower spine. The move is also known as the "Brock Lock", as it was briefly used by
Brock Lesnar in the early 2000s under that name. ==See also==