He used the figure four leg lock (which became his signature finisher) on his way to the Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) championship on July 27, 1962 in a win over Freddie Blassie, who convinced him that the mask gimmick would give him a large push.
hiː jˈuːzd ðə fˈɪɡjɚ fˈoːɹ lˈɛɡ lˈɑːk wˌɪtʃ bɪkˌeɪm hɪz sˈɪɡnɪtʃɚ fˈɪnɪʃɚ ˌɔn hɪz wˈeɪ tə ðə wˈɜːldwaɪd ɹˈɛsəlɪŋ ɐsˈoʊsɪˌeɪts dˌʌbəljˌuːdˌʌbəljˌuːˈeɪ tʃˈæmpiənʃˌɪp ˌɔn dʒuːlˈaɪ twˈɛnti sˈɛvən, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti tˈuː ɪn ɐ wˈɪn ˌoʊvɚ fɹˈɛdi blˈæsi, hˌuː kənvˈɪnst hˌɪm ðætðə mˈæsk ɡˈɪmɪk wʊd ɡˈɪv hˌɪm ɐ lˈɑːɹdʒ pˈʊʃ.