History Main / BigGuyRodeo

* In ''Series/{{CSINY}}'', [[spoiler:a boy is able to successfully strangle his father using this technique.]]

A person fighting a much bigger opponent attempts to disable the big guy by jumping on their back and wrapping their arms around their neck; it looks sort of like a rear naked choke combined with an uncooperative piggyback ride. This move is usually performed in the midst of a fight while the big guy is occupied with someone else and doesn't notice the little guy creeping up behind him. Often the little guy is trying to protect an ally in distress by distracting the big guy before he can deliver the finishing blow.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan is famous for going up larger opponents, so it's no surprise that he has pulled this move. The most famous example being his first fight against TheJuggernaut. [[spoiler:He did it as a distraction to trick Juggy into sinking in wet cement.]]

* In ''Film/{{The Black Balloon|2007}}'', Charlie takes a tampon from Jackie's backpack and runs away with it in his mouth. Thomas chases after him and jumps on his back in an attempt to grab the tampon, but Charlie easily pushes him off.

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:

** A subversion occurs in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' when Thor jumps on Hulk's back and begins choking him with his hammer. The subversion comes from the fact that, despite the size difference, the two are very close in strength.

* ''Film/{{Snatched|2017}}'': When Morgado is about to attack Emily, Linda leaps onto his back.
* ''Film/{{Total Recall|1990}}'' has Schwarzenegger as the big guy and Creator/SharonStone as the little... er, girl, trying to choke him.

* In the ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' [[Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] "Blood of Kerensky" trilogy novel ''Lost Destiny'', captured Inner Sphere Mechwarrior Phelan Kell is eligible to battle for a Clan Bloodname, their highest honor. His first combat trial requires him to fight an Elemental barehanded. Phelan is by all accounts a normal young man of respectable fitness. An Elemental is a nine-foot-tall brick shithouse of a SuperSoldier genetically engineered to wear PoweredArmor. Phelan's answer is to request the combat trial be held in zero-gravity, giving him ample opportunity to climb onto the Elemental and hold on for dear life; without some form of leverage, the Elemental's impressive musculature was ultimately not an advantage. Phelan eventually [[ChokeHolds blood chokes]] his opponent to win the trial.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': In ''Meet the Scout'', the Scout is seen doing this to a Heavy, with the added help of his baseball bat.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'':
** Attempted by [[BadassNormal Batman]] on [[PhysicalGod Darkseid]] in the finale (see the page pic), [[{{Determinator}} even though he knows how futile it is.]] Thought it does inspire and lead to Superman's NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech.
** He also does it on Mongul in "ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything", again even though he knows it is futile.
* Attempted by WesternAnimation/BugsBunny in the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "WesternAnimation/BunnyHugged". The Crusher, the wrestler he tries it on, is unfazed.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/HotFuzz'', this is Angel's move of choice during the battle with [[spoiler:[[DumbMuscle Lurch]]]] in the supermarket. It works after a couple of tries, sending him crashing into a bin of frozen treats.
* In ''Film/JudgeDredd'' Rob Schneider does this to Rico's ABC robot.

* ''Film/{{Total Recall|1990}}'' has Schwarzenegger as the big guy and Creator/SharonStone as the little... er, girl, trying to choke him.

* ''Film/JuliaX'': Used by both Jessica and Julia against the much larger Stranger. When The Stranger attacks Julia in the bathroom, Jessica leaps on his back and wraps a towel around his throat in an effort to choke him. He manages to throw her off fairly easily, but it gives Julia time to get away. Shortly after, as The Stranger is attempting to kill Jessica, Julia leaps on to his back. While trying to shake her off, he crashes through the balcony and the two of them fall to the ground floor.

* ''Film/JackTheReaper'': As Railroad Jack swing his PowerfulPick at Shawn, Maya jumps on to his back in an attempt to distract him and through his aim off.
* In ''Film/{{The Black Balloon|2007}}'', Charlie takes a tampon from Jackie's backpack and runs away with it in his mouth. Thomas chases after him and jumps on his back in an attempt to grab the tampon, but Charlie easily pushes him off.
* ''Film/TheOddWayHome'': During a fight in a diner, Maya jumps on a man's back to stop him from attacking Duncan.
* In ''Film/FrankensteinAndTheMonsterFromHell'', the Baron saves Simon from the monster by jumping on the monster's back and [[ClothingCombat holding his ether-soaked coat over the monster's head till he passes out]].
* In ''Film/TuffTurf'', Frankie does this to Nick twice: once after [[spoiler:he shoves her father into a display]], and once during [[spoiler:Nick and Morgan's final showdown]].

* ''Film/{{Snatched|2017}}'': When Morgado is about to attack Emily, Linda leaps onto his back.
* ''Film/FreebieAndTheBean'': When Freebie and Bean try to arrest a suspected assassin, his girlfriend leaps onto Bean's back, then tries to grab onto a telephone pole with her free arm. She ends up with her arms wrapped around the pole and her legs around Bean's waist, holding him in place until uniform cops pry her off the pole.
* In ''Film/TheButchers'', Daisy tries this twice when John Wayne Gacy is attacking Simon. She doesn't really accomplish much, but at least she's ''trying'', not just playing the NeutralFemale.
* ''Film/GettingStraight'': During a protest, a cop [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown beats a man who's lying on the ground]]. A woman jumps on the cop's back and pummels his helmet with her fists. The cop pushes her off and is about to start beating her when the man jumps on the cop's back, knocking him to the ground.
* ''Film/SlaveGirlsFromBeyondInfinity'': During their escape from the space gulag, Tisa leaps on to the back of one of the guards and starts choking him with her HandyCuffs.

* In ''Literature/KeasFlight'', Kea temporarily disables a robot's camera by reflecting its blinding light back at it, then jumps on its back and ties up its limbs one by one until Draz can get into its control panel and destroy it.
* Attempted on [[TheHero Cord]] in ''[[Literature/ColSecTrilogy ColSec Rebellion]]'': A husky Streeter [[spoiler:girl]] tries to tackle him from behind in a dark building and knock him down. This [[NoSell does not go well for the Streeter]]: Cord lands on his hands and knees, grabs his assailant by the back of [[spoiler:her]] shirt, and first slams [[spoiler:her]] against the floor and then throws [[spoiler:her]] across the room. [[spoiler:(She's [[WorthyOpponent entirely gracious about it later, and even jokes about how effortlessly he was able to toss her around]].)]]
* ''Literature/TheBrotherhoodOfTheConch'': In ''The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming'', Kasim tries to stab Mahabet. Nisha jumps on his back, bites him, and claws at his eyes.
* ''Literature/FracturedStars'': During a prison brawl, [=McCall=] jumps on the back of the man attacking Dash.
* ''Literature/TheRealBoy'': When a monster suddenly attacks Caleb's shop, Crow the cat leaps onto its back, but the monster throws Crow off.
* ''Literature/TwelveDays'': During a demonstration at Golden Dream, Madame Gupta fights with Terry, and effortlessly beats him. At one point she vaults between his legs and leaps onto his back.

%%* A third season episode of ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', about 36 minutes in has [[spoiler:Abby]] doing this.
* In ''Series/{{CSINY}}'', [[spoiler:a boy is able to successfully strangle his father using this technique.]]

* Xander does this in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', "Reptile Boy," jumping onto one of the frat guys. PunctuatedPounding ensues.

* In ''[[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Meet the Scout]]'', the Scout is seen doing this to a Heavy, with the added help of his baseball bat.

* Batman can do this to Titan inmates in ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'', causing them to flail wildly. You can even get an achievement for smacking enough goons while doing this; appropriately enough, the achievement is named "Freakshow Rodeo".

* In ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar'', Talion can mount a stunned Olog and steer it into things like explosive barrels and other orcs. Or just repeatedly shank it with his dagger.

* ''VideoGame/DeadToRights'' features this as the main way to defeat Mayor Pinnacle, [[MightyGlacier a giant of a man whose fists are the size and strength of bowling balls]], making fighting him directly a bad idea. The only way to put him down is to bait out enough of his punches that he gets winded, then to jump on his back and gradually strangle him. Conveniently, he [[CigarChomper chomps on a cigar]] during the battle and [[TooDumbToLive never thinks to let go of it as he's getting choked to death]].
* At a few points in ''VideoGame/LegoTheLordOfTheRings'', you get faced against trolls that are too big and tough to be beaten normally. The only reliable way to kill them is to AttackTheMouth using Legolas' special arrows, and most of the time that requires a Hobbit to get on its back and whack its head until it gets stunned into giving an opening.

* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'' does this with the huge Goblin Champion by means of a garrote of human hair in a furious moment of UnstoppableRage. He doesn't let go even after the Goblin Champion slams him into several walls in an attempt to dislodge him, and it eventually ends with [[spoiler:Goblin Slayer punching and ripping out his ''eye'']].

* In ''Film/TheButchers'', Daisy tries this twice when Ed Gein is attacking Simon. She doesn't really accomplish much, but at least she's ''trying'', not just playing the NeutralFemale.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan is famous for going up larger opponents, so it's no surprise that he has pulled this move. The most famous example being his first fight against TheJuggernaut. [[spoiler: He did it as a distraction to trick Juggy into sinking in wet cement.]]

* ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' has Schwarzenegger as the big guy and Creator/SharonStone as the little... er, girl, trying to choke him.

* In ''Film/TheBlackBalloon2007'', Charlie takes a tampon from Jackie's backpack and runs away with it in his mouth. Thomas chases after him and jumps on his back in an attempt to grab the tampon, but Charlie easily pushes him off.

* ''Film/Snatched2017'': When Morgado is about to attack Emily, Linda leaps onto his back.

* A third season episode of ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', about 36 minutes in has [[spoiler:Abby]] doing this.

* At a few points in ''VideoGame/LegoTheLordOfTheRings'', you get faced against trolls that are too big and tough to be beaten normally. The only reliable way to kill them is to AttackTheMouth using Legolas' special arrows, and most of the time that requires a Hobbit to get on its back and whack its head until it gets stunned into giving an opening

** Attempted by [[BadassNormal Batman]] on [[PhysicalGod Darkseid]] in the finale (see the page pic), [[{{Determinator}} even though he knew how futile it was.]] Thought it did inspire and lead to Superman's NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech.
** He also does it on Mongul in "ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything", again even though he knew it was futile.
* Attempted by WesternAnimation/BugsBunny in the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''WesternAnimation/BunnyHugged''. The wrestler he tries it on is unfazed.

* 'Film/RaisingArizona'': Hi (Creator/NicolasCage) tries to take down Gale (Creator/JohnGoodman) this way, destroying Hi's and Ed's trailer in the process.

A person fighting a much bigger opponent attempts to disable the big guy by jumping on their back and wrapping their arms around their neck; it looks sort of like a rear naked choke crossed with an uncooperative piggyback ride. This move is usually performed in the midst of a fight while the big guy is occupied with someone else and doesn't notice the little guy creeping up behind him. Often the little guy is trying to protect an ally in distress by distracting the big guy before he can deliver the finishing blow.

Since the big guy will do everything in his power to get the little guy off of him, whether by bucking like a bronco, trying to sieze and throw the little guy over his head, or by slamming his back against a wall, the little one needs to somehow hang on and endure until oxygen deprivation causes the big guy to pass out, or at least until the distraction has served its purpose. It's not a move associated with elegance or technical skill. Depending on what's at stake, this sort of struggle can be made to look either desperate and dramatic, or clumsy and comical.

* In the very first of Robert B Parker's ''Spenser'' novels, this is how Spenser kills Joe Broz's huge bodyguard, Phil.

** Attempted by [[BadassNormal Batman]] on [[PhysicalGod Darkseid]] in the finale (see the page pic), [[{{Determinator}} even though he knew how futile it was.]] Thought it did inspire and lead to Superman's WorldOfCardboardSpeech.

* Attempted on [[TheHero Cord]] in ''[[Literature/ColSecTrilogy ColSec Rebellion]]: A husky Streeter [[spoiler:girl]] tries to tackle him from behind in a dark building and knock him down. This [[NoSell does not go well for the Streeter]]: Cord lands on his hands and knees, grabs his assailant by the back of [[spoiler:her]] shirt, and first slams [[spoiler:her]] against the floor and then throws [[spoiler:her]] across the room. [[spoiler:(She's [[WorthyOpponent entirely gracious about it later, and even jokes about how effortlessly he was able to toss her around]].)]]