The Origins Of The DDT Can Be Traced Back To Before Jake 'The Snake' Roberts Pioneered It
Throughout his legendary career, Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated many of his opponents with his signature DDT maneuver. Over time, the move gained popularity and spawned different iterations, such as Mickie James' swinging tornado DDT — later named the Mick-DT — or Jon Moxley's double-underhook DDT, better known as Dirty Deeds. Roberts is frequently credited with the DDT's creation, after his claims of discovering it by accident during a match.
Traditionally, the basics of a DDT involve a performer engaging their opponent in a facelock or headlock and falling down, sending their opponent's head into the ring canvas. During a match with "The Grappler" Len Denton, Roberts put his opponent in a normal front facelock. However, Denton stepped on his feet, and the duo fell backwards, Roberts told Niagara Frontier Publications. Denton would land on his face, and a light bulb sprung in Roberts' mind. "It was an accident," he said.
While reading a newspaper at breakfast, he saw something that stood out, resulting in Roberts naming the move the DDT. "The front page was 'DDT outlawed.'" DDT was the name of an insecticide once used on crops and was later banned as it was found to have affected wildlife and human health. "I was like, "Wait a minute. Very cool,'" Roberts added.
The earliest known practitioner
Though Jake Roberts is often attributed to inventing the move, Mexican wrestler Black Gordman first utilized the DDT move in the '70s.
Gordman assumed multiple ring names during his pro wrestling career and garnered most of his success in the late '60s and '70s. Based around Mexico and the southern United States, he captured singles gold when he won the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship by defeating Pantera Negra, before going on to become a record-breaking tag team star.
Now retired, Black Gordman is often praised for his innovation in executing moves, such as the DDT which he frequently used. As it stands, Gordman remains the earliest known practitioner of the move later made famous by Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
WWE Hall of Famer and wrestling commentator Jim Ross said the DDT was once regarded as a dominant finishing move and those at the wrong end of it often lost.
The move itself then slowly gained traction and morphed into dozens of new variations throughout the decades. Randy Orton integrated an elevated version of the maneuver, draping his opponent over the ring ropes, applying them in a front facelock, and nailing their head to the canvas. Alexa Bliss utilizes a snap iteration of the move, known as Bliss DDT, in which she jumps onto her back by swinging her legs forward, effectively snapping her opponent's faces into the mat.
Though both Gordman and Roberts primarily used a front facelock, inverted facelock versions rose in usage as well, like Sting's Scorpion Death Drop.