Originally Posted by dunefield

"Sleeper Hold" in professional wrestling

Pro-wrestling's first "sleeper hold" is thought to have been performed by Jim Londos on June 29, 1931. Suspicion was abound as to the nature of Londos' move (which had looked suspiciously like a choke against the windpipe), however Londos was quoted the next day in The New York Sun as simply having performed "a new hold I perfected which shuts off the jugular vein."

Though Londos' original move may or may not have been inspired by judo's "hadaka jime," pro-wrestling's sleeper and MMA's rear naked choke both share a similar style of execution. However, in order for the sleeper to be used in the performance art-related world of pro-wrestling, the "leverage" arm is positioned in a relaxed state so the hold is not actually applied.

Brought to light once more in the 1960s by Johnny Weaver, the sleeper became a traditional move throughout professional wrestling history. As with many potentially devastating moves in pro-wrestling, however, the sleeper's "effectiveness" in the ring has been watered-down to an almost non-threatening maneuver used solely for dramatic effect during a match.

In reality, the "effectiveness" of this move would not at all be questionable, as a properly-applied "sleeper hold" would cause an opponent to quickly lose consciousness.