DDT (professional wrestling)
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In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler falls down or backwards to drive a held opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent in a front facelock and falling backwards so that the opponent is forced to dive forward onto his or her head. The DDT is often prefaced with a kick to the stomach in order to drive the head of the opponent downwards; a kick and a DDT in quick succession is referred to as a Flowing DDT.
The move was named by Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Rumors abound as to what the letters DDT supposedly stood for, including Drop Dead Twice, Demonic Death Trap and Damien's Dinner Time after Jake's pet python Damien. When asked what DDT meant, Jake once famously replied "The End." The abbreviation itself originally came from the chemical dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, a notorious pesticide, as stated during shoot interviews and on his "Pick Your Poison" DVD. Many think the term DDT was appropriated because the chemical DDT is something "bad" that is buried in the ground and causes extreme danger when there; similarly, a DDT is bad in that it buries an opponent's head into the mat, creating the perception of extreme danger to the brain and spinal cord.
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[edit] Variations
[edit] Brainbuster DDT
See: Brainbuster
[edit] Cradle DDT
See: Cradle brainbuster
[edit] Elevated DDT
This version of a DDT first sees an attacking wrestler place the opponent on an elevated surface, usually the ropes/turnbuckle, while applying a front facelock. The attacking wrestler next draws the opponent away from the elevated surface leaving the opponent's feet over the elevated surface (i.e. ring ropes), making them the only thing other than the wrestler keeping the opponent off the ground. The attacking wrestler then falls backwards so that the opponent is forced to dive forward onto his/her head with extra force due to the height of which they were dropped.
This can also be performed as a double team move.
[edit] Flip-over DDT
Also known as a Samurai Driver this DDT sees a wrestler place his/her head between the thighs of an opponent before jumping up while pushing away from the opponent's thighs to flip up and sit on the shoulders of the opponent. The wrestler then spreads their legs, dropping off the opponent's shoulders as they grab hold of the opponent's head in a front facelock to fall down to the mat back first, driving the opponent's head down to the mat. This move sees the attacking wrestler get lifted up in a powerbomb position so often this move is used as a counter to a powerbomb.
[edit] Fireman's carry DDT
Also described as a fireman's carry implant DDT, this move sees the attacking wrestler first put an opponent up in the fireman's carry (across the wrestler's shoulders) position, then throw the opponent's legs out in front of him/her to spin them out while the attacking wrestler switches the position of his/her arm that's holding the opponent's head to a front facelock and falls backwards to drive the top of the opponent's head in to the mat.
[edit] Fisherman DDT
After applying a front facelock, the wrestler hooks the opponent's near leg with his other arm, lifts them up into a vertical position, and falls backwards on to his back, driving the opponent's head down to the mat.
[edit] Implant DDT
Implant DDT refers to variations of the DDT where the opponent is driven to the mat face first, as in a faceplant, and not on to their heads. The most common variation is the Lifting DDT.
A common variation of the Double underhook DDT is the implant variation.
Another variation of the implant DDT sees the wrestler place their opponent in a headlock, but instead of falling backwards they leap backwards onto their back, pulling the opponent with them face first to the mat. Also, most times when a wrestler dives from an elevated surface and catches the opponent in a DDT, it is an implant DDT.
[edit] Argentine DDT
The wrestler lifts the opponent onto his shoulders as in a Argentine backbreaker rack, pushes the opponent's legs while still holding the front facelock, flipping them over to the front of the wrestler. The wrestler falls down to the mat back first, driving the opponent face first down to the mat.
[edit] Double underhook DDT
Instead of applying a head or face lock, the wrestler bends his opponent forward and hooks each arm behind the opponent's back, tucks the opponent's head under one of his arms, and then falls back to pull the opponent down either flat on his face, which is the more common variant, or onto the top of their head, causing them to roll over, like in a regular DDT. It is also known as a double arm DDT or a butterfly DDT. Technically the faceplant variant is an implant double underhook DDT, but it is usually just referred to as a double underhook DDT.
[edit] Lifting DDT
Also referred to as an Implant DDT. A wrestler applies a front facelock to an opponent then lifts the opponent off the ground just before falling backwards to drive the opponent face first down to the mat. This version of a DDT is similar to a spike DDT and is often referred to as a low lifting brainbuster. A slight variation on this DDT sees the wrestler spin the opponent's body away from themselves as they raise the opponent off the ground.
[edit] T-Bone DDT
This is where the wrestler reaches across the opponent's torso with one hand and grabs the thighs with the other, the wrestler lifts the opponent up horizontal to the mat and falls back like a lifting DDT. The move is known by the names Exploder DDT, DDT-Plex and the T-Bone Driller / Driver.
[edit] Jumping DDT
A slight variation where instead of just falling backwards, the wrestler jumps up while holding the front facelock, so that they are horizontal, and then uses the weight and momentum to pull the opponent down on their head.
[edit] Legsweep DDT
In these versions of a DDT the wrestler applies a front facelock and then performs a type of legsweep to essentially take out the legs from under the opponent before falling backwards to drive the opponent face first down to the mat.
Paul London used a variation of this in Ring of Honor where he hooked one of his legs around the opponent's, in a manner similar to that of a Flatliner, before sweeping their leg as he fell backwards to deliver extra force.
CM Punk uses a version he calls the Devil Lock DDT where he first puts the opponent in a hammerlock before sweeping out their legs.
[edit] Running DDT
The wrestler while charging at an opponent, who is bent forward, applies a front facelock before dropping backwards to drive the opponent down to the mat head first.
In another variation the wrestler will also push the opponent up with his free arm, hitting a spike DDT version of the move.
[edit] Single arm DDT
See Armbar Takedown
[edit] Sitout DDT
See Facebreaker DDT
[edit] Snap DDT
The wrestler applies a front facelock to their opponent. The wrestler then jumps down onto his back, swinging his legs forward, bending the opponent, and driving them down to the mat face, forehead, or head first.
Lita uses a swinging variation where she draws one of her legs backwards (usually the leg closest to the opponent) before swinging it forward to build extra momentum. She then drops onto her back, driving the opponent head first down to the mat. This variation is known as a swinging snap DDT.
[edit] Spike DDT
The wrestler applies a front facelock to his opponent and lifts them up with his free arm. He then falls backwards, driving the opponent vertically down to the mat head first. The Spike DDT is a version of the DDT which is somewhere between a lifting DDT and a brainbuster.
[edit] Tornado DDT
The tornado DDT is also referred to as a Swinging / Spinning DDT. A wrestler would apply a front facelock to an opponent from an elevated position (for example, sitting on the top turnbuckle against an opponent standing on the mat, or from the apron against an opponent standing on the ground). The wrestler would then jump forward and swing around to fall backwards and drop the opponent's head into the mat.
There are variations to this moves which are all commonly known as a Tornado DDT. One version sees the wrestler apply the front facelock while on the same level as the opponent and then run up the ring ropes (or even another opponent) to springboard round and deliver the DDT.
In grounded versions a wrestler would charge at a standing opponent, jump up and apply the front facelock in mid air before swinging his/herself round and falling backwards down to the mat to deliver the DDT. This is sometimes known as a Jump Swinging DDT and is regularly used by wrestlers that use a standard Tornado DDT.
[edit] Reverse DDT
This subsection lists DDTs that involve the opponent being dropped on the back of their heads. The basic Reverse DDT is also known as an Inverted DDT.
[edit] Diving reverse DDT
Standing behind his opponent, the wrestler bends him backwards and applies an inverted facelock. He then jumps backwards dropping to the mat onto his chest, driving the opponent down to the mat back-first.
[edit] Inverted DDT
Standing behind his/her opponent with the opponent in front of him/her, the wrestler bends him/her back and applies an inverted facelock, then falls backwards to slam the opponent's head into the mat. Also known as a Reverse DDT.
[edit] Lifting inverted DDT
Sometimes referred to as an inverted suplex or a lifting diving reverse DDT. The wrestler applies an inverted facelock on the opponent with one arm, and lifts the opponent up with the other. The wrestler then falls backwards down onto their back, slightly to their side, driving the opponent down to the mat upper back and head first.
[edit] Reverse tornado DDT
The wrestler applies an inverted facelock from an elevated position (for example, sitting on the top turnbuckle against an opponent standing on the mat, or from the apron against an opponent standing on the ground). He/she then jumps off so that he/she swings around the opponent. Using the momentum from the jump, he/she falls forwards and slams the back of the opponent's head into the mat.
[edit] Standing shiranui
This is a backflip three-quarter facelock reverse DDT, which is a variation of the Shiranui. In this move a wrestler applies a three-quarter facelock on the opponent and performs a backflip over the opponent while maintaining the facelock turning it into an inverted facelock and then either landing face down to the mat, on their own back to the side, or in a sitting position, to drive the opponent's head back-first down to the mat.
[edit] Swinging reverse DDT
This variation sees a wrestler lock in a front facelock and, while falling backwards, twist their opponent around resulting in the opponent landing on the back of their head, as in a normal reverse DDT.
A slight variation of this, used by Mike "The Miz" Mizanin who calls it the Mizard Of Oz, sees the wrestler reach under the opponent while setting up the move to grab their far arm. From there, the wrestler pull the arm over, causing the opponent to twist around until they are in an inverted facelock before then dropping backwards for a standard Inverted DDT.
