British MMA fighter Jonno Mears may have recorded the first win in the sports’ history using a pro wrestling move. Mears found himself at the right place at the right time, and couldn’t resist pulling off a move from his childhood.
This MMA fighter winning with the Walls of Jericho is proof that wrestling is real, dammit
Wow!
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Mears, speaking to MMA Fighting explained how he decided to go for the Walls of Jericho/Boston Crab.
“When I took him down, he turned to all fours quick, but I managed to chin strap him and was going to try the Peruvian necktie,” Mears said. “But he tucked his chin, so I jumped to his back, then the crab came into my head. Then, during the scramble, I was going to turn into mount and give it up, but I seen he covered up during me striking him, so I thought why not I just try? And I was shocked myself I got a hold of his legs in a scramble.”
The fighter has catapulted to newfound stardom thanks not only to winning with the move, but for the style with which he pulled it off. Mears ended the fight so well that WWE superstar Chris Jericho, who uses the move in pro wrestling, gave him a shout out.
The win surprised a lot of people, but Mears is quick to explain that while he’s enjoying his Boston Crab finish, he doesn’t think a lot of other moves would translate to MMA.
“I don’t think some of the [moves] would transfer over to MMA too great, like a Tombstone (The Undertaker’s finishing move),” Mears said with a laugh. “But as we all know, the physical side to a martial artist is very important, to give a fighter different attributes to use, but the mind and mental side is just as important.”
For now, we can just enjoy this — because we may never see it again.
