‘The Enforcer’ Arn Anderson has revealed that he broke a wrestlers arm in 1985 prior to choosing both the spinebuster and the gourdbuster as his finisher.
While ‘Double A’ is now infamous for using the spinebuster as a signature maneuver, the star wasn’t always focused on punishing the body and once delved into his various array of submission moves in order to secure himself victories.
In place of the effective rear slam, Anderson was a connoisseur of the armbar and seemed comfortable with the move until one fateful day when he accidentally broke his opponents limb during his inaugural televised bout.
Taking to his ARN Podcast, Anderson detailed why he decided to change his finisher and the poor recipient of his original move:
“Until I settled on the Gourdbuster and the Spinebuster – which I created both of by the way – until I settled on those, I did have a few guys submit the arm. My first TV with Crockett [Jim Crockett Promotions], which was syndicated, I broke a guy’s arm. If you go back to that very first TV, which will be around March 5th or something 1985, my very first television they had me go out with a kid. I stayed on the arm and broke the arm, and down came Manny Fernandez and stuck his nose in it. I left him laying and that had him and I go off running with an angle. My very first TV, I broke a guy’s arm. A lot of people don’t remember that, but it’s a pretty good launching pad dropping Manny behind it because him and Dusty [Rhodes] were the World Tag Team champions at that time I believe.”
Since its creation, the spinebuster has often been mimicked by the legends of tomorrow including Triple H, The Rock, Batista and Bobby Roode to name only a few.
Credit for the interview: ARN Podcast