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The History of Wrestling’s Camel Clutch, Explained

WWE credits Gory Guerrero with creating the Camel Clutch, or La de a Caballo. Its history runs through a reported lineage to The Iron Sheik and his 1983 title win over Bob Backlund.
Opened Runtime2 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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WWE credits Mexican wrestler Gory Guerrero with inventing the Camel Clutch, which he called La de a Caballo. The hold became most closely associated in WWE with The Iron Sheik: his use of it was central to the December 26, 1983, championship match in which Bob Backlund’s manager threw in the towel.

Who invented the Camel Clutch, and what was it originally called?

WWE credits Gory Guerrero with inventing the hold and says he called it La de a Caballo. In WWE’s retrospective on submission holds, the site notes that Guerrero’s favorite hold was the Gory Special, distinguishing that move from the Camel Clutch attribution. WWE’s submission-hold retrospective

The English name’s origin is less certain. The sources reviewed do not establish who coined “Camel Clutch” or when the phrase first appeared, so it is best not to credit a particular wrestler with naming it.

How did the hold pass from Gory Guerrero to The Iron Sheik?

A 2015 account by Ryan Dilbert, drawing on Eddie Guerrero’s autobiography, describes a lineage from Gory Guerrero to El Santo, then to The Sheik (Ed Farhat) and The Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vaziri). In Eddie Guerrero’s telling, El Santo admired the hold and asked Gory to use it; Gory agreed, and El Santo made it a signature weapon. The account then traces its adoption by The Sheik and The Iron Sheik. This is a reported family account, not independently established archival documentation for every step. Ryan Dilbert, “Tracing the Evolution of Pro Wrestling’s Submission Holds”

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WWE identifies the Camel Clutch as The Iron Sheik’s signature move. That association made the hold a recognizable part of his wrestling identity. WWE’s Iron Sheik biography

What does a Camel Clutch look like in wrestling?

In WWE’s general description, the performer sits over an opponent lying face down, controls the arms with the legs in one version, and pulls back on the opponent’s chin. WWE describes Big Show’s Colossal Clutch as a related variation that adds weight and leverage across the opponent’s back. These are descriptions of staged professional-wrestling maneuvers, not instructions for real-world restraint or evidence that a particular performance caused an injury. WWE’s submission-hold retrospective

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How did The Iron Sheik beat Bob Backlund with it?

WWE records that The Iron Sheik defeated reigning champion Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden on December 26, 1983. Backlund did not submit; his manager, Arnold Skaaland, threw in the towel, forfeiting the championship. WWE’s account says The Iron Sheik’s reign ended when Hulk Hogan defeated him on January 23, 1984. WWE’s Iron Sheik biography

The towel is the key to understanding the episode: the match ended by a manager’s decision rather than Backlund verbally submitting. Because the Camel Clutch was identified with The Iron Sheik, the title change became the hold’s best-known WWE example.

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What did the Camel Clutch represent beyond the ring?

A 2026 article in The Journal of American Culture examines how WWF promos used The Iron Sheik’s camel imagery and persona to construct a foreign villain, including a 1984 segment filmed with a live camel. This is an analysis of wrestling character-building and ethnic stereotyping; the character’s promotional imagery should not be mistaken for an accurate representation of Iranian or Middle Eastern culture. “Wrestling Voices: Amplifying Patriotism and Ethnic Stereotypes in 1980s American Professional Wrestling,” The Journal of American Culture

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