Do WWE moves work in real life? UFC fighters put wrestling moves to the test
By Simon Head

Have you ever wondered how useful WWE moves would be if you ever tried to apply them in a real fight?
Of course you have! But, as the WWE always used to tell us, “Don’t try this anywhere.”
Those warnings haven't stopped UFC featherweight and former Cage Warriors bantamweight world champion Nathaniel “The Prospect” Wood and his coach, retired UFC legend Brad “One Punch” Pickett, who joined forces at the Great Britain Top Team gym in London to discover whether famous wrestling moves would actually work in real life.
RELATED: UFC star Michael 'Venom' Page's MMA highlight reel is straight out of a video game
Wood and Pickett selected a host of different moves, then attempted to perform them for the very first time to see for themselves which would work in a real-life situation, and which wouldn’t.
The pair started out with a Kane-style chokeslam, before moving on to an essential move you’ll find in every wrestler’s arsenal, the suplex.
Wood and Pickett then attempted to demonstrate a powerbomb – a move that strongman Eddie Hall successfully performed in a bizarre two-on-one MMA handicap match – before trying out a bodyslam.
The duo then went on to test some WWE-style submissions, including Kurt Angle’s famed ankle lock, as well as the old-school Boston crab and full nelson (or "The Masterlock", for those who remember Chris Masters' WWE run in the early 2000s).
Look out, too, for a small, but effective move that can use in a street fight to free yourself from a male assailant’s grasp. You probably won’t get taught this in your local martial arts gym, but we reckon it's way more effective than the WWE moves they tested. You’ll find it at the 7:45 mark.
Wood helps pass on his MMA knowledge via his training app, Prospect Academy, and is currently in fight camp ahead of his next bout on March 22 at UFC London, where he’ll take on France’s former Cage Warriors featherweight world champion Morgan Charriere.
Wood has a career record of 20 wins, six losses, and has won four of his last five fights in the UFC. And, for all of the WWE moves he demonstrated in the video above, his preferred method of finishing fights is by a good old-fashioned knockout, and none were better than the one-hitter quitter he landed on Luca Iovine to earn his shot in the UFC back in 2018.
After all, as the legendary Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
MORE TOP STORIES from The Big Lead
NBA: Luka-AD swap shocks the league
WNBA: Clark, Fever look title-ready
NFL: Matthew Stafford is coming back next season
NFL: Scouts warn desperate teams about the QBs in draft