The axe handle is one of the most basic women’s wrestling moves. It is one of the few ways to legally deliver an impact using the fists, to an opponent who is either standing or rising from the floor. The move – also known as the double axe handle-  is as simple as it gets: the attacker climbs the ropes and then jumps off the middle or the top turnbuckle, with fists clenched together and raised above her head. She then strikes her victim, conveying the impact of her fall through the move too. At the peak of the move, the attacker’s position is similar to a person’s who holds an axe above her head ready to strike – hence its name.

In ladies professional wrestling, the axe handle is rarely used to strike the head of the victim (it may be too dangerous due to the fact that the attacker has somewhat limited control over the impact she delivers). It is instead used to strike a joint, like the shoulder with the intention of weakening it, and thus setting it up for a subsequent hold targeting the same area.

Possible escape: the most straightforward way to escape a double axe handle is to simply side-step it. When delivered from a double teaming situation, with one attacker holding the arm of the victim, that is quite impossible though.

Rating: the axe handle is not considered to be a particularly efficient wrestling move, in or out of kayfabe. The impact delivered by the move is usually only enough to weaken a joint. It is not something one should ever even think about using as a finisher.