Cutter (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling a Cutter is a common term which refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker. This move sees an attacking wrestler first apply a three-quarter facelock (reaching behind the head of an opponent, thus pulling the opponent's jaw above the wrestler's shoulder) before falling backwards (sometimes after running forwards first) to force the opponent face first to the mat below. Due to the face lock, the opponent's face often never reaches the mat, instead it lands on the shoulder of the attacking wrestler, thus damaging the neck.

The cutter was originally used by Johnny Ace, who called it the Ace Crusher. However, it was most popularly used by Diamond Dallas Page, who called it the Diamond Cutter; this is where the term "Cutter" is now derived. Page once boasted in WCW that he could apply the Diamond Cutter from more than 52 different positions, making it one of the most versatile finishers in wrestling history.

Randy Orton uses a modified version of the move in which he jumps high enough to be both parallel to the ground and level with his opponent's head, before catching them in the face lock (often using only one arm for the face lock). Orton calls his version the RKO.

The cutter would also form the base for the later development of another professional wrestling move known as the Stunner. This variant sees an attacking wrestler cinch up the facelock but, instead of falling to his/her back, this wrestler would drop to a seated position dropping an opponent's jaw across the shoulder of the wrestler. All versions of a Cutter can be modified for this jawbreaker move.

Variations

Elevated cutter

With an opponent placed on an elevated surface, a wrestler applies a three-quarter facelock and then draws the opponent away from the ropes/turnbuckle leaving the opponent's feet over the ropes, making them the only thing, other than the wrestler keeping the opponent off the ground. The wrestler next falls backwards so that the opponent is forced to dive forward onto the top of his/her head due to the angle of which they are dropped.

A slight variation on this sees the wrestler run forward while still applying the three-quarters face lock, pulling the opponent off the ropes before dropping backwards down to the mat to force the opponent down for a cutter from a raised height.

The elevated cutter can also be performed as a double team move.

Back suplex into cutter

Another elevated cutter variation where the wrestler first lifts an opponent from behind as with a belly to back suplex, but, instead of falling backwards, the wrestler would push the opponent's legs so that the opponent turns over in mid air so that they are now face down and parallel to the ground. As the opponent falls, the wrestler reaches back and seizes opponent's head in a three-quarter facelock, driving the face of the opponent into the mat from a greater height.

TKO

The Total Knock Out (TKO), as named by frequent user Marc Mero, is another elevated cutter variation in which the opponent is first raised over the shoulders of a wrestler in the fireman's carry position, from here the attacking wrestler would throw the legs of the opponent out backwards and drop down to the mat while taking hold of the opponent's head to force them to fall into the cutter.

This move, like many Cutter variations, can also see the wrestler drop the opponent down into a Stunner instead of a Cutter.

A variation of the TKO is performed by Claudio Castagnoli, which he has named the UBS Neckbreaker, in which he lifts the opponent into an Argentine backbreaker rack (facing up with the neck cradled or facing the opposite direction of Castagnoli) and while throwing the opponent's legs out backwards rotates the opponent in mid air into the cutter.

Yokosuka cutter

Named by Susumu Yokosuka, this is another elevated cutter variation in which the wrestler first lifts the opponent, so that they are laying face up across one of the wrestler's shoulders as in a Canadian backbreaker rack, before flipping the opponent over into the cutter.

There is also a crucifix variant, in which the wrestler first lifts the opponent up in a crucifix hold before performing the cutter.

Twist of Fate

In this variation of a cutter the wrestler first applies a front facelock, before pivoting 180 degrees to bring themselves into the three-quarter facelock position and dropping down to the mat to hit the cutter. This move, like many of the other cutter variations, can also see the attacking wrestler drop the opponent down into the stunner move.

The Twist of Fate was innovated by Matt Hardy, and was most famously used by all the members of Team Xtreme (Matt, Jeff Hardy, and Lita).

Rolling cutter

This version of a cutter sees an attacking wrestler first place an opponent (who is in front of him/her) in an Inverted facelock before rolling him/herself as well as the opponent into the cutter.

This move has two major variants: The first, in which the attacking wrestler rolls under his/her opponent, is widely referred to as the Roll of the Dice due to its use by Reno in World Championship Wrestling; a modified version which involves hoisting the opponent off their feet before beginning the spin is often known by the name Exclamation Point. The second major variation sees the wrestler spin in the opposite direction over the opponent.

Forward somersault cutter

A standing variation of the Diamond Dust in which the attacking wrestler first holds an opponent in an inverted facelock before then jumping forwards to somersault over the opponent, landing back-first with the opponent's head driven into the wrestler's shoulder. This commonly sees the attacking wrestler somersault into the stunner as well.