DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock or inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the 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 their head. Although widely credited as an invention of Jake Roberts, who gave the DDT its famous name, the earliest known practitioner of the move was Mexican wrestler Black Gordman, who frequently performed it during the 1970s before Roberts popularized it nationwide.
Rumors abound as to what the letters DDT supposedly stood for, including Damien's Death Trap, Damien's Death Touch, Damien's Dinner Time, Drape Drop Takedown, Drop Down Town, Downward Dome Thrust, and Death Drop Technique. When asked what DDT meant, Jake once famously replied "The End." The abbreviation itself originally came from the chemical dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a notorious pesticide, as stated during shoot interviews and Jake's Pick Your Poison DVD.
Variations
Front facelock variants
Argentine DDT
The wrestler lifts the opponent onto their shoulders as in an Argentine backbreaker rack and 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 front-first, driving the opponent face-first down to the mat.Although not its innovator, Kenta Kobashi popularized the move throughout Japan, calling it the Burning Hammer.
Armbar DDT
Also called a Single arm DDT or a Jumping armbreaker, this variation of the armbreaker involves the attacking wrestler grabbing the opponent's left or right arm, holding it across their chest, and then falling backwards, dropping the opponent face-first as well as damaging the opponent's arm and shoulder. "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton called this the Divorce Court.Cradle DDT
The wrestler applies a front facelock to the opponent, then lifts the opponent into an elevated leg-trap bodyscissors position, and finally fall backwards, driving the opponent head first down to the mat. Former WWE and Former AEW wrestler Saraya uses this variation as a finishing move called the Knightcap. A variation, known as a hammerlock cradle DDT, involves the attacking wrestler [|lifting] the opponent into a bear hug, applying a hammerlock, then a front facelock, then finally driving the opponent's head into the mat. British wrestler Joseph Conners uses this variation, known as the Righteous Kill, and Nia Jax has also utilized a version of this move.Double underhook DDT
Innovated by Kenta Kobashi. Instead of applying a head or facelock, the wrestler bends the opponent forward and hooks each arm behind the opponent's head, a position known as a butterfly. The wrestler then tucks the opponent's head under one of their arms and falls back to pull the opponent down either flat on their 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. Mick Foley, Stevie Richards, Drew McIntyre, and Jon Moxley have all popularized variations of this DDT: Foley used an unnamed [|jumping] version, Richards uses a lifting version he calls the Stevie-T, McIntyre uses a [|snap] version called the Future Shock, and Moxley uses a lift-and-snap version called the Death Rider, which was referred to as Dirty Deeds during his time in WWE. Since arriving in WWE, Blake Monroe has also adopted this move as a finisher, calling it the Beauty Shot or the Glamour Shot.Diving DDT
The wrestler stands in an elevated position and faces the standing or bent-over opponent. As they dive, the wrestler wraps their near arm around the opponent's head in a front facelock and swings themselves backwards in midair, landing back-first and simultaneously forcing the opponent's head into the mat. It is used by Yoshinobu Kanemaru as The Deep Impact. This move was also used by former WWE Tough Enough winner Maven as the Halo DDT.Elevated DDT
This version of a DDT has many names like draping, hangman's, rope-hung and spike which first sees an attacking wrestler place the opponent on an elevated surface, usually the ropes or the 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, 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 their head with extra force due to the height of which they were dropped. This can also be performed as a double team move. A slight variation, known as a diving DDT or a Halo DDT, exists and sees the wrestler and the opponent both on an elevated surface, albeit with the wrestler facing the ring. With the opponent in the front facelock, the wrestler and the opponent both dive off the elevated surface, resulting in the wrestler falling forward to perform the DDT instead of falling backwards. The move is sometimes referred to as a spike DDT, because the defending wrestler lands in an upside-down, almost completely vertical position. When this move is performed on an opponent draped on the first rope, then only it is called hangman's DDT. This move is usually performed with the defending wrestler's feet on the middle rope but Tommaso Ciampa uses this move to an opponent attempting to enter the ring as his finisher; called Willows Bell in honor of his daughter. Randy Orton is the most notable user of this move.Cartwheel DDT
In this variation, the wrestler stands on the top rope with the opponent standing in front of the wrestler. From here, the wrestler performs a cartwheel across the ropes. Then, with his near arm, the wrestler quickly catches the opponent in a front facelock and dives off the ropes, driving the opponent's head into the mat. This move is used by Jake Atlas, calling it both the Rainbow DDT and LGBDDT.Facebreaker DDT
The wrestler applies a front facelock and then falls backwards, much like a normal DDT, but instead of the opponent's head impacting the mat, the wrestler falls to a kneeling or sitting position driving the face of the opponent on to their knee.Flip DDT
Also known as a front flip DDT. After applying a front facelock, the wrestler pushes off the mat with their legs to flip the opponent and drive them onto the top of their head in a manner similar to the flip piledriver. It has been used by Will Ospreay as the Essex Destroyer.Flip-over DDT
Also known as a Samurai Driver, this DDT sees a wrestler place their 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 in a powerbomb position so often this move is used as a counter to a powerbomb.Float-over DDT
This DDT sees the wrestler stand in front of the opponent facing him or her, duck, hook one of his or her arms over the opponent's shoulder, swing under the opponent's armpit, then around and over the opponent's back so that he or she faces the same way as the opponent, lock the opponent's head under their other hand's armpit, spin another 180° to end up having the opponent locked in a front facelock, and fall back to drive the opponent skull-first to the mat, as per a regular DDT. The maneuver is usually performed after the attacker ducks a punch or a clothesline. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson used this move in his early days in the WWEFlowing DDT
A variant of the DDT popularized by Raven as the Even Flow/''Raven Effect,'' the attacking wrestler kicks the opponent in the stomach before applying a front facelock and falling backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat.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 position, then throw the opponent's legs out in front of them to spin them out while the attacking wrestler switches the position of their arm holding the opponent's head to a front facelock and falls backwards to drive the top of the opponent's head into the mat.Fisherman DDT
After applying a front facelock, the wrestler hooks the opponent's near leg with their other arm, slightly hoists them up, and falls backwards onto their back, driving the opponent's head down to the mat.Headscissors DDT
Very different from a classic or traditional DDT, as the wrestler never uses their hand in this variation. The wrestler catches the opponent in a standing headscissors and then falls backwards, slamming the opponent into the mat face-first.Also often referred to as the Hurricanrana Driver.
Hammerlock DDT
Variation of a classic DDT in which the wrestler first applies a hammerlock on the opponent's further arm, goes for a front facelock, and then falls backwards onto their back, driving the opponent's head down to the mat. Andrade uses this move as a finisher, which he calls La Sombra, and later The Message. Tessa Blanchard also uses a variant of the Move called Buzzsaw.File:Ziggler Jumping DDT.jpg|thumb|Dolph Ziggler performing the Jumping DDT on Alberto Del Rio