The World’s Most Devastating Pro Wrestling Moves: Front Facelock Cutter

Move type: Cutter

Notable Users: Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Lita

Last week, we talked about the standard cutter innovated by Johnny Ace, popularized by Diamond Dallas Page, and elevated (literally and figuratively) by Randy Orton. This week, we’re looking at the Front Facelock Cutter (rather than three-quarter facelock)—the version of the move innovated by the Hardy Boyz, who dubbed it the “Twist of Fate.”

In the video above, you can see Matt and Jeff Hardy use their tag team finisher (a Twist of Fate from Matt, followed by a Swanton Bomb from Jeff) during the 2001 Royal Rumble. Hardy first grabs his opponent in a front facelock, then turns to face away from his opponent (the eponymous twist) and delivers a cutter. The move is often set up with a kick to the gut. Jeff Hardy—especially in recent years—has been known to end the move in a stunner rather than cutter maneuver.

Lita, their teammate (and sometimes Matt Hardy love interest) in Team Xtreme, also uses the Twist of Fate as a signature move, though rarely a finisher.

Because this is the Hardy Boyz we’re talking about, of course you also can see this move be delivered directly off of a ladder. In the video above, Jeff uses the Reversal of Fate—the Twist’s sister move, that sees the attacking wrestler use an inverted facelock and then drop into a neckbreaker slam—off a ladder. And Matt memorably used the standard version of the move on Karl Anderson during the Fatal 4-Way RAW tag team match after the Hardys’ surprise return to WWE at WrestleMania 33.