The Physics Behind Pro Wrestling

Pro wrestling, perhaps the greatest entertainment event ever created by man. We see moves that should be impossible pulled off on the big screen, but what's the physics behind them? Let's explore a prominent pro wrestling move to analyze the physics of it, and whether it'd be effective or not.

To start with a classic: The German suplex. A wrestler grips another wrestler from behind and lifts  them behind their head, slamming them into the ground. In this case the wrestler is acting as a lever arm and producing the torque  required to move the opponent up and  over their  head to the  ground. The tricky part of a German suplex is  the balance between power applied and power delivered. Depending on the grip, if the opponent is farther from the torso more torque is required to move the opponent up and  over your  head, however, more force is applied when the opponent strikes the ground. If the opponent is closer to  your torso less torque is required to move the opponent up  and over your  head, but less force is delivered on the downward strike. Therefore, a "sweet spot" exists where the opponent is the perfect distance from your torso where you possess necessary strength to heave them over your head and deliver a  strike with maximum force.