The Sharpshooter is one of the most famous holds in professional wrestling. Former WWE Superstar Stevie Richards used side-by-side comparisons of The Rock and Bret “Hitman” Hart performing The Sharpshooter on “The Stevie Richards Show” recently, which didn’t really impress him with Rock’s version.
“He doesn’t sit as tight as Bret would because Bret would break that thing,” Richards said. “Bret was sitting down. Rocky looks more like a Sumo Squat.”
Richards’ co-host said The Rock did the move carelessly since his opponent’s leg was not tucked under The Rock’s armpit to create proper leverage.
“Do you think The Rock’s height has a lot to do with it?” asked Richards, noting that Rock’s physique is much larger than Hart’s. “What bothers me the most about Rocky is…he has to put that boot as deep under his armpit as possible.”
Richards and his co-host believe Hart did much more to tighten up the move, using his left hand to secure his opponent’s lower leg. The two couldn’t agree on whether Sting or Rock had a worse marksman.
“Basically, (Bret) goes all out,” Richards said.
He points out the influences of the Figure-Four Leglock and Texas Cloverleaf in the way Hart applied the move. This move has become a staple of AEW TNT Champion Daniel Garcia, who has modified the move slightly, to the point where he uses his lower leg as leverage, pulling all the way back until his head is next to the opponent’s head, although the movement is often broken.
