My previous gallery included the above GIF that I found on the Chokes & Sleepers Tumblr site. It’s from a Wrestler4Hire video where Karn repeatedly puts Austin Cooper to sleep in a series of really nice Sleeper Hold variations.
I recognize the scene because I downloaded this video when it first appeared on Wrestler4Hire and I’ve enjoyed watching it many times. So I decided to do a deeper dive and show you some of the best moments from this video…
The match is one of those Sleeper Hold fetish videos where the victim (in this case, Austin) gets knocked out again and again with multiple variations of the hold. It may have been a Custom video ordered by some Sleeper-perv who paid to see Austin Cooper being slowly drained of strength and gradually slipping off to a helpless slumber multiple times.
When they first entered the ring, Karn confidently notified Austin that he intends to Sleeper the shorter man out cold six times. (I wonder if they charged the customer who ordered this match a certain amount per Sleeper and the most he could afford was six?)
We actually get to observe more than six Sleeper Holds being applied over the course of the 28-minute squash session because, in some cases, Karn lets Austin loose before fully putting him under, which does not count toward the goal of six knock-outs.
Following most of the successful Sleepers, Karn very elaborately and repeatedly tests Austin’s arm, raising it aloft and letting it flop down like a deflated balloon. This is a nice nod to the classic pro wrestling ritual where the referee would check to ensure the jobber was fully asleep by letting his arm fall three times before declaring him beaten. It always had to drop three times — this was like a rule.
Why the Arm Test had to always happen three times, when you could tell after the first one that he is out cold, I have no idea. But it seemed humiliating for the jobber to publicly demonstrate his rag-doll wimpyness times three, so I always dug the Arm Drop ritual. I suspect whoever commissioned this video (assuming it was commissioned) insisted on many demonstrations of the Arm Drop, because Karn is diligent about testing the arm again and again. Yes he’s asleep, dude.
Sometimes in Underground wrestling, the Sleeper Hold is not applied correctly. Some of the models, who perhaps haven’t watched hours of classic wrestling matches, will place their forearm under the chin as if to strangle the victim. That’s not right.
Karn’s sleepers are beautifully applied, with Austin’s chin properly centered in the crook of his elbow. He correctly presses his bicep against one side of the neck and his forearm against the other. He also cups Austin’s forehead tightly with his free hand which is very good form. I appreciate Karn’s careful attention to proper Sleeper Hold application because I get off easier and quicker if the holds are performed just so — just like they are done in televised pro wrestling.
My favorite moment of the match — the same moment depicted in the Tumblr GIF (See first image above) — occurs after the fifth knock out when Karn grips Austin’s forehead in one hand and performs the Arm Drop with the other.
It seems so intimate, like they’re a pair of lovers spooning in bed. It gets me every time!
Does Karn achieve his goal of putting Austin to sleep six times? If so, what is the final variation he uses? You can learn the answers to these questions by downloading the video from Wrestler4Hire. If you’re into Sleepers, this match is a “must see”!
