Chris Adonis recalls the unconventional origin of his WWE finisher, the Master Lock.
Adonis may have left WWE a long time ago, but he’ll forever be known to fans who grew up watching him as ‘The Masterpiece’ Chris Masters. At the height of his career, Adonis caught the likes of John Cena and Bobby Lashley in the Master Lock (full nelson), until Lashley became the first superstar to successfully escape the dastardly submission hold.
During a recent appearance on the WXM Official podcast, Chris Adonis explained the surprising origin of his infamous submission finisher, which came from his pre-wrestling job as a bouncer.
“The full nelson is a shoot, it’s real,” Adonis said. “I used that hold before I even got into wrestling, when I worked security as a bouncer at clubs. I would use it as a restraint hold because, I mean, it really is the best. You can either use it to restrain somebody, or you can tilt their head and make them pass out. It cuts off blood flow to the brain.
“Here’s another thing. You were talking about your fandom, right? If I had been an 8-, 10-, 12-, or maybe a 14- or 15-year-old kid watching RAW and the Master Lock challenges, I guarantee you that the next day I would have snuck up on one of my friends, put him in a full nelson, and challenged him to get out of it.”
READ MORE: Chris Adonis Reveals Who Came Up With The ‘Chris Masters’ Moniker
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