Uncoiling the Anaconda Vise with CM Punk

As many Superstars can attest, the Anaconda Vise is the most excruciating maneuver in CM Punk's arsenal. This Sunday at Survivor Series, three weeks after using the submission hold to force Alberto Del Rio to grant him a WWE Championship opportunity at the 25th annual event, The Voice of the Voiceless could very well utilize it to wrench the prestigious prize from The Mexican Aristocrat’s grasp.

Although Punk has scored numerous victories with his signature Go to Sleep (GTS) over the years, The Straight Edge Superstar explained to WWE.com that making opponents tap out to the Anaconda Vise was a key component of his success when he first emerged in WWE.

“The Anaconda Vise was my bread and butter when I came to WWE in 2006,” Punk said. “I had it in my pocket for a while and I’m glad that I’ve dusted it off.”

Punk gravitated toward the hold, an arm triangle used in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo, while studying martial arts as a teenager.

“If you had to ask me what my favorite submission hold was, it was an arm triangle,” the four-time World Champion affirmed, reflecting on the beginning of his journey to become a WWE Superstar. “It’s multifaceted and can be applied in different ways. Because I have control of my opponent’s head, I can beat up a guy’s neck, his shoulder or his arm. That’s why I like it.”

Punk most recently used the Anaconda Vise to put the squeeze on Michael Cole on RAW GETS ROCKED, the same night The Second City Savior experienced the brutality of Del Rio’s own submission hold, the cross armbreaker. Despite the threat of the WWE Champion’s sinister maneuver –which has, in the past, decommissioned the likes of Rey Mysterio – Punk remains confident that his own hold will give him an edge on Sunday.

“It’s almost like fighting fire with fire,” Punk said.“Alberto has his arm hold, I have my arm hold. But anything he can do, I can dobetter.”