Which is more iconic...The Crippler Crossface or Walls of Jericho?

[Hollywood Naitch]

Following on from my thread comparing Sweet Chin Music and The Pedigree, I have decided to look at 2 of the most well-known submission finishing moves all all time, Chris Benoit's Crippler Crossface and the Walls of Jericho, made famous by Y2J Chris Jericho.

So, guys, which is better?

Crippler Crossface (Chris Benoit)
[YOUTUBE]TQFMkAtOX_E[/YOUTUBE]

or

Walls Of Jericho (Chris Jericho)
[YOUTUBE]F5djE-32MWQ[/YOUTUBE]

I personally think the Crossface is the better move, the way Benoit locked the arms then got his grip on the opponents face looked devastating. It has to be one of the most painful looking submission holds I have ever seen. Benoit could get the move on so fast it was unreal.

 

[dotty_84]

Well i'll pick WOJ due to being a Jericoholic i think you can work more with it too, but the most well known submission is easily the Sharpshooter in my eyes, anyway yeah WOJ

 

[LegendKilla1983]

THIS IS A HARD ONE BUT I WOULD DEFINATELY SAY THE CRIPPLER CROSSFACE! LOOKING BACK AT BENOITS MATCHES IN WCW THE ENERGY HE PUT INTO IT WAS LIKE NOTHING I SEEN AT THAT TIME! I MEAN THE WALLS OF JERICHO WAS AWESOME IN WCW AS WELL BECAUSE JERICHO USED TO ALMOST STAND UP AND PUT A KNEE IN YOUR BACK! IN WWE HE LOOKED LIKE RICK MARTEL APPLYING THE BOSTON CRAB!

 

[wwetv21]

crippler cross face, big time. one of my favorite submission move, maybe is. and by one of the greatest wrestler to step foot on god's creations. I think he had the best tittle win in the history of wwe. i mean it was so emmotionnal, he beat hbk and hh, both, and one of his best freinds eddie guerrero won the wwe championship, at the same night, at wm, and both celebrated with their familys, HE is the best.

 

[AndarielHalo]

I thought the title initially said "ironic" and was wondering... ironic?

As for... I'd say the Crippler Crossface, because the Walls of Jericho, at least in earlier video games and his earlier career, was distinctive in which he'd bend their neck back, these days it's little more than a Boston Crab. And a lot more people use a generic Boston Crab than use a Crossface.

And since Chris Benoit wasn't so charismatic as Chris Jericho is, he was distinguished by his in-ring abilities, and thus was distinguished more by his movesets and finisher than Jericho, who could be distinguished as "Y2J" or "Lionheart" or "The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla" and such.

 

[Ferbian]

It has to be the Crippler Crossface.

This is the finishing move that has made more or less anyone Chris Benoit has been in the ring with tap out. Chris Jericho's move today is featured as a secondary finisher that does nothing in terms of finish the match as much as the Codebreaker does.

Actually one could say the Walls of Jericho has become a signature move at best. The Crippler Crossface however is somewhat featured by Bryan Danielson now, in a variation. It is still an impacting move in the business, and unlike the Walls of Jericho, this is the move that can be more or less slapped on at ANY given time.

[YOUTUBE]XAHQhvaqJ14[/YOUTUBE]​

This video has Benoit explaining the Crippler Crossface, and it practically shows how devastating and how easy it is to smack on. Chris Jericho's Walls just cannot do the same, it doesn't have anywhere NEAR the same sort of surprise elements.

And not only that, but the Crippler Crossface looks like something that genuinely hurts. Chris Benoit put so much effort and so much power into that move that even if he was trying to kayfabe it I seriously doubt it couldn't have done at least a bit of damage. On the other hand, Chris Jericho doesn't showcase half the power behind his Walls of Jericho submission hold as Benoit did with his crossface.

So, therefore the Crippler Crossface is the right choice in this.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Intereseting one here Natural. I would say that the Crippler Crossface is the better finishing move as compared to the Walls of Jericho. Even if you look at the matches the two have had in the past with each other as well as with other opponents you will notice that Jericho did not win a whole lot of matches with his Lion Tamer finisher. At one point, I think in 2001, he had three finishers namely the Walls, the Lionsault and the Breakdown which is The Miz's current finisher. Benoit won his matches mostly with the crossface but Jericho did not.

But with what has transpired in Benoit's personal life, I think that WWE will do its best to obliterate the move from wrestling history. So, in the longer run, I think the Lion Tamer will end up as being the more iconic of the two.

So my personal choice would be the crossface but I am pretty sure what the result of the poll would have been had it been run by the WWE.

 

[RD_21]

I got to agree with Ferbian that TODAY the Walls of Jericho have been devalued and it's a lame Boston crab. When he started doing it, that move and the Haas of Pain were the 2 best submissions moves (with La Mistico I guess) because they really look like they were hurting but not anymore.

Now if you take the Crippler Crossface they made it powerful when he was locking it you knew it was game over and that move will always stand out and be associated with him even if Bryan Danielson is doing it differently and it's the Lebell Lock and he is going under the arm instead of over I can't help to think of Benoit when I see it.

So I think my vote would go to Benoit but when Jericho does a REAL Walls of Jericho or the Lion Tamer because that was the name of it in wCw when he was doing it the right way I always mark.

 

[OutsiderDX]

The Walls of Jericho is a watered down version of The Liontamer. The Liontamer was so much more esthically looking and more painful looking move. The Liontamer is superior to the Walls for a few reasons. It allowed Jericho to lean back much farther back, also he was less suspectical to attacks because he had better balance. The knee in his opponents back / back of the neck and then repeatedly torking the back with his boston crab was great.

As smart of a worker that Jericho is, he never realized that The Walls of Jericho was never a move that got over, when the LionTamer was a move that was much more unique.

Besides jericho was rarely allowed to tap people out with the Walls. While Benoit was a beast with the Crossface. The crossface was super over and Benoit sold his own move so well with the strain and anquish on his own face.

100% the crossface was a much better move.

 

[Y2JChrisJericho]

Very easily the Crippler Crossface in my opinion, and this is coming from a huge Jericho fan (hence the username). The Walls of Jericho just looks weak now a days, the move is still executed very nicely but nobody taps out to the Walls of Jericho anymore, and plus, it's just another version of the Boston Crab. Crossface is something different and inventenive, when JEricho does the lion tamer (See his match vs. Rhyno in Summerslam 2001, or his WCW days) it looks very nice. But thank god Jericho came up with the code breaker, my problem with Jericho though is that he never had that one finisher...the Lion Sault looks great and I love it but nobody gets defeated with that move either.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

Crippler Crossface. It seriously looks like Benoit is going to rip dudes' faces off. If the other choice was Lion Tamer, I would have chosen that. But for whatever reason that I still have not discovered...that move went by the wayside.

 

[MMSoldier]

The Crossface, hands down. It was one of the most painful submissions you have ever seen. Look at who tapped to it. Then look at who tapped to the walls now.

 

[LSN80]

I have to go with the crossface. Nobody got out of that submission maneuver whatsoever when Benoit got it locked in, unless the rare occasion they got to the ropes.

As for the Walls, its been a great submission move as well, but not nearly as effective as Jericho's Liontamer. Sure, he gets submission victories now and then with the Walls, but most of his opponents either got to the ropes, or powered out of it. It was a great move for wearing down an opponent, but it hasn't been a solid finisher on years.

Thats why I easily give the edge to Benoit here. He won almost every match he was successful in with the crossface. Jericho certainly didnt. Im not knocking the walls as much as Im praising the Crossface, because it was that effective and appeared to be legitimately painful.

 

[TheSDQQKidJoe]

First of I pretty sure that in the video. The first move that jericho used was the liontamer. Most people tend to get the 2 confused. The second and third were definitely walls though.

I definitely going with the crippler crossface. it is uniquely executed in every match and usually comes as a counter move.

 

[Mr_billy]

I say the Crippler Crossface. IT'S just a brutal looking hold. Intense as could be. I love the original walls of Jericho, where he cranked back and stepped on his opponents head, but than it just became a Boston Crab, and lost it's originality. But just look at the videos of the crossface, it's just awesome.

 

[Tech N9ne]

My vote goes to The Crippler Crossface. While I like The Walls Of Jericho, it is basically a Boston Crab but shortened. Where he put the pressure and bent people more at their sternum or chest area, was a little different where the Boston Crab was focused on the lower back.

A lot of wrestlers over the years, many before Jericho even wrestled a match, used The Boston Crab. Where as The Crippler's Crossface wasn't as popular of a move and you never would see it unless Benoit was slapping it on.

Plus, The Crossface looked and actually was more devastating. So those are a few reason it gets my vote.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Wow, a landslide in favour of the Crossface!! I was expecting the CC to come out on top, with the Walls being a poor imitation of Jericho's liontamer but the margin of victory is pretty surprising!

Anyone who hasnt voted, please do!

Crippler Crossface. It seriously looks like Benoit is going to rip dudes' faces off. If the other choice was Lion Tamer, I would have chosen that. But for whatever reason that I still have not discovered...that move went by the wayside.

Ricky, I think it was just due to the fact that the chances of injury were alot higher with the Liontamer, with Jericho's knee pressing where it did, and all the pressue on the opponents neck. While I do not think Y2J did ever really injure anybody with the move, WWE were concerned that he could, and as they do with alot of great moves (450 Splash, Piledriver, Shooting Star Press etc), they stopped him using it, except in rare occasions. I remember seeing him do the Liontamer on either Shad or JTG in a tag match against Cryme Tyme a while back, so it cant be totally banned. I hope we see it more, it was a great move

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Cross face. Hands down. The Walls of jericho is just a boston crab, easier to counter and not as effective as the liontamer which has some one at a much painful and more difficult angle to get out of.