Submission masters are often terrific but undersized wrestlers. The likes of Daniel Bryan, Johnny Gargano, and Kyle O'Reilly have made an art of torturing opponents and tapping them out. It's not just them though, the women of WWE have found great success and won championships with submissions. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka all have strong submission finishers.
WWE 2K19 Submission Tips
The best submission moves in WWE 2K19 will either work over two different body parts or strike quickly and put the power into one area specifically. If you want to be a submission master, you should make sure to max out your Power Submission Offense and Technical Submission Offense stats so that you can really damage your opponent when you lock the hold in. Also make sure you hit these in the middle of the ring. Nothing is worse than working over a body part all match and finally locking in a hold only for the opponent to get out of it cheaply.
Triangle Armbar 2
Position: Standing Front
Type: Technical
There are many, many types of armbar in WWE 2K19, but this is by far the best. The roll through into a triangle armbar makes it one of the most visually stunning and realistic versions in the game. The move deals massive arm damage naturally. The roll through does make it tough to judge where in the ring to apply it, but once locked in it is a killer.
Buzzkiller
Position: Standing Behind
Type: Technical
This is a chicken wing with a body scissors. It's a move that fans of Indie star Marty Scurll will be familiar with and isn't too dissimilar to the Asuka Lock. This hold does massive head damage and also does moderate body and arm damage, it's a rare three-part move. That makes it extremely deadly, and since the head is one of the easier body parts to target during a match this is an especially effective submission hold to have in your arsenal.
Liontamer
Position: Grounded - Lower Body
Type: Power
A classic. Before Chris Jericho arrived in WWE and started locking in the Walls Of Jericho, he punished opponents with the far more severe Liontamer. Once he moved up to taking on larger opponents, it wasn't practical to keep bending them in two with his knee in their neck, but in WWE 2K19 it works on everyone and looks extremely painful. It deals enormous torso damage and is easy to apply since you can drag your opponent into the middle of the ring.
Inverted Figure 4 Leglock 2
Position: Grounded - Side
Type: Technical
The Figure 4 is an all-time great submission move just for the man who made it so deadly. The Inverted Figure 4 however, looks so much more painful that you just have to use it instead. You'll need to specifically target the legs for this one, but once you've worn down your opponent a bit and put his leg health to yellow, you can lock this in and make them suffer.
Dungeon Lock
Position: Standing Front
Type: Technical
The Dungeon Lock starts out like it will be a Sharpshooter but then turns into an effective triangle armbar with the opponent's legs still tied up. This submission pins down three limbs at once and deals massive head damage as well as moderate leg damage. It looks like it could be used by Indie submission master Zack Sabre Jr as it is so complicated and all-encompassing.
Dragon Slayer
Position: Standing Front
Type: Technical
Our final submission is not your usual Dragon Sleeper. This is a cutter which you then roll through and into a behind-the-back Dragon Sleeper. It is a technical masterpiece that does massive head damage as well as some torso. This move is every bit the submission finisher that can get you plenty of wins after you have beaten your opponent down.