Sharpshooter The Sharpshooter , originally named Sasori - gatame and in English Scorpion Hold , is a wrestling submission hold . The move is also known by the names " reverse figure four " , " cloverleaf leg - lace Boston crab " , " grapevine Boston crab " , " Scorpion Deathlock " , and despite its original " Scorpion Hold " name , the move is still commonly known by its Bret Hart - given nickname " Sharpshooter " . The hold was invented by Riki Chōshū . The hold begins with the opponent supine on the mat with the applying wrestler stepping between the opponent ' s legs with his / her left leg and wraps the opponent ' s legs at shin level around that leg . If the applier decides to cross the opponent ' s legs around his right leg , he has to cross the opponent ' s right leg over their left , or , otherwise , he has to cross his opponent ' s left leg over their right . Holding the opponent ' s legs in place , the wrestler then grabs the opponent ' s leg which he has crossed over the other and steps over him , flipping him over into a prone position before leaning back to compress his lower back . Variations . Through the many methods of performing the Sharpshooter ( other than the usual method ) , it has been demonstrated that the Sharpshooter can be performed from virtually anywhere . While Bret Hart is the wrestler with whom the Sharpshooter is synonymous , it was actually Sting who first popularized the move in the United States while working for WCW . Called the Scorpion Deathlock , Sting used the move as his submission finisher throughout his career , particularly during the era when Hart was still a tag team wrestler ( with the Hart Foundation ) and not using the Sharpshooter in any of his matches . However , it must be remembered that Hart ' s wrestling career began far earlier than Sting ' s . In Bret ' s autobiography , he noted that prior to his first major singles push , Pat Patterson asked if he could do a " Scorpion Death Lock " , which he didn ' t know at the time . Hart revealed that the only person in the locker room who knew about the move was Konnan , who taught the move to Bret . The Rock ' s version of The Sharpshooter sees him cross the opponents legs at the ankles instead of at shin - level ( as most users do ) . Then , he seizes not only one , but both of his opponent ' s legs under his armpit before he steps over his opponent . Edge used an inverted version of the Sharpshooter dubbed the Edgecator . This starts off with the opponent prone . The wrestler steps between the opponent ' s legs with one of his own and crosses the opponent ’ s legs so that their near leg ' s ankle is in the far leg ' s knee pit . The wrestler then does not mount the opponent , but instead remains to the side of the opponent and pushes to cause pain . Bret Hart alone has demonstrated various methods of performing the Sharpshooter - most notably when an attacking wrestler performs a leg drop to the chest which Bret will block , cross their legs and flips them onto their stomach while he stands up , thus completing the move . Hart first used this block / reversal in his now - classic encounter with Curt Hennig at Summerslam 1991 . At SummerSlam 1992 Bret would perform this move on Davey Boy Smith while on his back . Both men were laying on the mat after a clotheslining each other . Bret would maneuver his leg over and between Smith ' s , while crossing them . He would then roll over and stand , pulling back . At SummerSlam 1997 during the main event for the WWF Championship , Bret Hart performed an altered version of the Sharpshooter in which utilized the corner ringpost ( tying his opponent The Undertaker ' s legs around the ring post and proceeding to compress his legs ) . Controversies . The sharpshooter has been known for its use in screwjob s during matches . The first and most notable screwjob under this move , the Montreal Screwjob , occurred at Survivor Series 1997 when Shawn Michaels applied Bret Hart ' s own Sharpshooter on Hart . Vince McMahon legit imately double crossed Hart by ordering Earl Hebner to ring the bell and award the match to Michaels , despite Hart never having submitted . This moment would be referenced within kayfabe through various future events ; McMahon made the same action at the next year ' s Survivor Series , during the " Deadly Games " tournament final between The Rock and Mankind . He ordered the referee to ring the bell as The Rock had applied the move to on Mankind , despite Mankind having not submitted . The Rock was awarded the match and the vacated WWF Championship . The most recent Sharpshooter screwjob occurred on March 18 , 2006 edition of " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " , during a Street Fight between Michaels and Shane McMahon . At Survivor Series , Michaels was the one who was awarded the victory by screwjob but this time Michaels was the one who lost by screwjob as Shane had applied Sharpshooter on Michaels . Michaels never submitted to the maneuver but Vince ordered the referee to award the match to Shane McMahon . The sharpshooter was used in a more ceremonious fashion at Unforgiven 2006 . In honor of fellow Canadian Bret Hart , Trish Stratus forced Lita to submit to the sharpshooter to win a record seventh WWE Women ' s Championship . This served as Stratus ' retirement match in her hometown of Toronto , Ontario , Canada and contrasted Hart ' s loss in his final match for the WWF which also took place in Canada ( Montreal , Quebec ) . Reversals . There are four main ways to counter or escape the Sharpshooter :