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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Best Finishers in the Business
January 21, 2006 by Felix M.

Finishing moves define a wrestler. They exemplify that performer's in-ring strengths, and generally provide the climax of the match. For example, the F-5 finisher is a show of how strong Brock Lesnar is; the 450 splash shows how acrobatic Austin Aries can be. As with any performance, the ending must be strong; thus making the finishing move very important. There are several devastating finishing maneuvers in wrestling today, and I am just going to recap a few that stand out in my head and a few that seem to fall short. Content from the WWE, TNA/NWA, ECW, and Ring of Honor will be included. Any feedback (positive or negative) is more than welcome, and is in fact encouraged. In no particular order, I will list the name of the finisher followed by the wrestler who performs it. Note that moves used by several wrestlers like the Tombstone, the Super Kick etc. are not included, though they are quality finishers in their own right. Also note that only finishing moves I've seen on TV, video or live are included. Thus, Sonjay Dutt's Himalayan press, which I've heard is quite impressive, is not included for the reason that I have not actually seen it. Note also that the bad finishers aren't the worst finishers in the business, it's that the wrestler who does it is capable of better than what they are doing (i.e. Jeff Jarrett and the Stroke - it's a good move for him, not like he's going to hit a 630 splash or a Black Hole Slam on anyone).

THE GOOD FINISHERS

1) The Canadian Destroyer (Petey Williams, TNA) - When I first saw this move performed, I was absolutely shocked. To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever kicked out of this move. No one else in TNA or WWE does a move that even resembles the Destroyer. It is essentially a flip Piledriver - think a Piledriver position, but instead of lifting your opponent up you do a Sunset Flip with his head between your legs, effectively slamming his head into the canvas.

2) The Vertebreaker / Cop Killa (Homicide, ROH/TNA) - Homicide recently joined TNA, and I doubt you'll see this incredible maneuver in that company (heard most promotions banned it from a column here due to the danger it puts the recipient in). I saw him hit this on Jack Evans, and it looks absolutely sick. It is like the Unprettier, only you turn one more time, get the opponent up and essentially drop him on his head.

*Editors Note* - Shane Helms is banned from using it in the WWE.

3) The Cradle Shock (Chris Sabin, TNA) - When Sabin hits this, the match is over. It is a Michinoku Driver from a fireman's carry. The X-Division star has trouble hitting the move on some larger wrestlers (i.e. Samoa Joe), but against the other members of the X-Division he can pull it almost out of nowhere.

4) The Muscle Buster (Samoa Joe, TNA) - This move exemplifies Samoa Joe's brutal power. It's like a Suplex, but not quite - the opponent is essentially cradled on one of Joe's shoulders, and simply dropped right on the back of their neck. Such a deadly move, the choke he uses on his opponents almost seems anti-climatic because the match is already over.

5) The C-4 (Paul Burchill, WWE) - The WWE has a few quality finishers, and this is one of them. I've seen it the last two weeks on the WWE web show Velocity. Think of a Rock Bottom, but instead of lifting your opponent and then dropping them you do a back flip and hit the move, all in one motion. Burchill is an impressive competitor, and from what I've read on this site about his abilities (a guy his size being able to hit a standing shooting star press is impressive to say the least), he'd seem like a perfect candidate for the now defunct European title.

6) The Kryptonite Crunch (Nova, ECW) - This move is not performed any more, as Nova now wrestles for WWE as Simon Dean. However, this move was very impressive. The opponent is draped over Nova, just like an Alabama Slam, but instead of swinging over he is just dropped directly onto his head.

7) The Widow's Peak (Victoria, WWE) - Not a lot of the female wrestlers have quality finishers, thus making the Widow's peak all the more impressive. It's like a Razor's Edge, only instead of a Powerbomb the opponent is draped by their neck onto Victoria's shoulder, and then dropped like in a Neckbreaker; just an impressive move all around.

8) The Shellshock (Alex Shelley, TNA) - I was very disappointed when Shelley beat Matt Bentley via a roll up on a recent addition on Impact. Goes to show you the importance of a quality finish to a match. Shelley sets up his opponent for a Reverse DDT, only the opponent is behind him. Then, holding onto his head, Shelley swings around and hits a Downward Spiral (reverse STO"). I saw him hit this in Austin Aries when the two of them were in ROH.

9) Sliced Bread #2 (Brian Kendrick, WWE) - A nice move by another guy in the WWE. He used it in ROH and TNA as Spanky. Like a Dudley Dog, the opponent is set up like it's an RKO, but instead Kendrick runs, hits the turnbuckle, flips over his opponent and lands it like a Christian falling reversed DDT.

10) The CutThroat Suplex (Mark Briscoe, ROH(")) - This is just a sick move. I saw Briscoe hit this on Jack Evans in a Six Man Mayhem match in ROH, and it just looked nasty. Briscoe gets behind his opponent, puts the opponents arm across his own throat, lifts him up, and drops him like a reverse DVD (Death Valley Driver). The added snap due to the arm across the neck makes this move look very, very dangerous.

As for the less than stellar, I would recommend the following:

1) Shelton Benjamin (WWE) - Uses a T-Bone suplex, which doesn't look that impressive. This guy is extremely athletic; maybe give him a swinging/slingshot version of the DDT or a nice submission hold. Benjamin has so much potential, and I hope this mother angle doesn't make him a joke.

2) Kane (WWE) - Uses a Choke Slam, which is a good move but is kind of a clich�' among big men; maybe he could use the Choke Slam as a set up for something bigger. Abyss's shock treatment would be an improvement, as would a Sky High Power Bomb.

3) Kid Kash (WWE) - Uses a Moonsault, which again is a good move but could be better for a guy with this talent. Remember ECW, where he used that Double Underhook Piledriver" That would be something new and better.

4) Bobby Roode (TNA) - Uses the Nothern Lariat, a clothesline from behind. I'd like to see this guy use something a little more original. Although he is a heel and he can hit this from behind, Roode is a powerful guy, and I'm sure he could hit some power move, like maybe a Fireman's Carry into a Rock Bottom (just brainstorming, if you're going to come up with a problem at least have a solution, right").

That's all I can think of right now. Feel free to add to this list (either of them) any feedback would be appreciated.

by Felix M. ..

Steve H. wrote:
Can't say I've seen all of the finishers that you've seen here but has certainly got me thinking. I can't help but feel bad for anyone on the end of Bradshaw's 'Clothesline from Hell'. I read once that it is a move which still has guys in the back jumping around and praying they don't have to recieve. I think its beauty lies in the fact that there is no real way of doing it soft - He nails his man every time, and it just looks down right unpleasant.

I'd say Angle's ankle lock is good, as it is a great move to get the crowd on their feet, particularly when he has it locked onto a Face wrestler who the crowd start roaring for. I liked it when Ken Shamrock used it years back, but it has been made impressive by Wrestlers coming up with several counters/reversals for it.

The Pedigree is a move which has possibly been done to death, HHH has used it to put away countless opponents. The problem with it is that several wrestlers don't seem to sell it right. Kane has let his knee hit the floor first, other guys, such as the Rock have pulled thier arms away from HHH early and made the impact look small. The two guys that have sold this the best from my viewing are Mick Foley - who took the Pedigree onto thumbtacks at Royal Rumble 2000. The other one is -ahem- Perry Saturn. No joke, Saturn once had a match with HHH on an edition of Heat a few years back and sold the Pedigree beautifully.

I agree with you on Shelton Benjamin - the T-Bone isn't great - especially for someone who could do something much more athletic. However, he hit it on Edge in the 'Money in the Bank' ladder match from the top of a ladder and that was pretty cool.

Otherwise - nice column, really got me thinking...

Chris Pugsley wrote:
I like all your candidates but where is the Pedigree" The Pedigree is an inovative move that looks painfull, doesnt feel to great and is effective yet it didnt make your list. I am not just saying this cause I am a Triple H fan but it is one of the best, I think better than a Chokeslam(No offense to Kane). And the Angle Slam, where is that" He does it to a 500 pound Giant who may jump and help him but Mark Henry doesnt and Angle still got it off.

Andrew Betts wrote:
I can think of a few to add to the list ------ Angel's Wings Christopher Daniels (ROH TNA) a spinning sit-out pedegree very effective ------ Burning Hammer Kenta Kobashi(ROH Japan) : an inverted DVD i have yet to see this move but form all descriptons sounds brutal picture kobashi's oppenent being put in the "rack" then dropped head 1st into the mat it's very dangerous because the victim can't roll out of it ------ Tombstone Piledriver Undertaker (WWE) an oldy but still a goody unoffically banned by the WWE but 'Taker can still use it for "Damamtic Effrect" i.e. on Randy Orton at WM21 ------ The POUNCE......PEIRIOD Monty Brown (TNA) some may call it lame but it looks awsome a spear /gore from the side i like the Monty just knocks guys across the ring granted it's mostly jobbers but still it looks real cool ------ RHINO GORE GORE GORE !!!!!!!!! (TNA) Rhno is just awsome i like this move just pure impact when Rhino hits the Gore it's all over ------ there are many more but these will do for now

Joshua "JRC" Cobb wrote:
Hey. Nice column. I would love to see some of these finishers myself, but I keep neglecting to view TNA. I thought you would have had more finishers in the bad list here. To think of a few I think would go there, probably John Cena's FU and Randy Orton's RKO, two of the most player-hated finishers out there. Cena's FU seems to be changing a little bit, but it's just a pickup, and a slam to the shoulders. That doesn't seem like a move that a guy getting an "unbeatable wrestler" push like his would be doing. And as for the RKO, it's just a rip-off of the Diamond Cutter, and is quick and easy. The best I saw the move was when he did it to the Undertaker, and Taker accidentally (I assume) turned midmove and landed on his back. It was like a Reverse RKO. It looked a bit better when that happened, and it hasn't happened since.

farhan siddiqui wrote:
Hey i agree with all the finshers you named being great also i think the razor's edge sohuld be included its very unique. Also C.M PUNK's pepsi plunge is another one like a backwords pedigree. Also if you can include RVD van terminator no one else can fly like that.

Adam Sykes wrote:
The problem with alot of the finishers you think are good, is the fact they make wrestling look even faker than usual, the canadian destroyer for example, would be impossible to do to anybody. a finisher shoul dbe a fairly simple move, that looks good, strong and believeable, all the best have been that way. The rock bottom, the stunner, pedigree, angle slam, the f5 and so on, benjamins move is good, because its that little bit unusual, but its still a believeable move to see. things like the fu or the rko are taken from great finishers like the diamond cutter and the death valley driver. or occasionaly it works to combine 2 existing good moves, take sean ohaires widow maker, a dvd pick up into a spinebuster slam, its different, unusual, but still has a level of realism, whereas all the new young stars intna and such companies, use too many 'spectacular' looking moves, that take away from the business' credability.

rifqi amran wrote:
What happened to Mr.Kennedy special move....thats the sickest move in the wrestling business right now.

Adam "The Adaman" Heap wrote:
Hey Felix. Firstly, great job on your first article. I considered recently doing an article on finishers, but changed the topic. Lucky, too, because then I wouldn't be writing this e-mail. Anyway. The only thing I disagree on is Shelton's finisher. Remember that a superstar's finisher is their own choice. Personally, I love the T-bone because it can come out of nowhere or from his set-up, the Stinger Splash. On the good finishers I think you missed out on, I would show you The Five Star Frog Splash (just because I'm an RVD mark), the Dominator from Bobby Lashley and the Crippler Crossface from Benoit. And just because I feel like it, I'll put in the RKO to boot. And the Side Effect. I would put in Sweet Chin Music, but it's not original for the reasons you listed at the top. Once again, great article. Keep writing and hopefully I'll read your next article in three weeks.

Mike Adams wrote:
Two that you forgot that deserve mention are the Styles Clash and the Spiral Tap by TNA's own Phenomenal AJ Styles.

The Styles Clash may not be the most visually stunning of the finishers in the business today, but given the fact that AJ can hit this move from just about any situation imaginable in the blink of an eye should give it some credence.

The Spiral Tap is one of those moves that when you see it, just makes you go MY GOD!! Its similar to a variant of a Twisting Dragon Attack, and while AJ doesn't use it often, when he does its like poetry in motion. Given that most of the moves you have listed, you have done so for their visual quality, leaving out the Spiral Tap is a sin. Not only is it one of the most visually stunning moves in wrestling, but there are also very few people in the world who even have the agility or ability to even execute this move without falling on their own head or severely injuring their opponents.

Reed Benson wrote:
A couple notes about Nova's Kryptonite Krunch move...while he obviously doesn't use it as Simon Dean, it is still a very common move on the independent scene. Though I haven't heard about him in a while, Mike Modest used to use it, as did Mikey Henderson, Mark Sterling, and Brandon Thomaselli. I'm sure a lot of other guys use it, but not as a finish. It's similar to the Diamond Cutter/Ace Crusher, in that it was once primarily a wrestler's finishing move, but now has devolved into a transition move. Other names for the move include the B*tch Slap and the Reality Check, but I believe the official name for it now is the Air Raid Crash.

Chris Matz wrote:
First off, good column Felix. It's nice to know that someone else things about the finishing moves too, rather than complaining about the quality of the matches and/or storylines. The finishers were one of the first things that attracted me to wrestling.

That said, I think the reason that the big companies have "toned down" their finishers is the fact that these athletes have to go out there night after night and perform. While it may be great for the fans to see a bone-crunching power move, the fact that it wears down on the performers and increases the risk of injuries. So they settle for something less fantastic to cut down on that.

One awesome finisher that I would like to see again is Randy Orton's Wheelbarrow Suplex that he used in OVW and early in his WWE career. This was a great move that actually required technical skill, rather than the RKO. In my opinion, the RKO is just a poor man's Stone Cold Stunner, which isn't that great of a move in the first place. Sure, Orton can hit an RKO at any time, but the Wheelbarrow Suplex was much more impressive.

As for Shelton Benjamin, I agree that he needs to get a better finisher than the Exploder (T-Bone) Suplex. I personally think like his Spinning Dragon Kick the best. When he was part of the World's Greatest Tag Team, that was his finisher and it worked fine. While he still uses it in his matches, I would like to see if become his finisher, rather than just a favorite move.

The other move I would like to comment on is the 619. While Rey Mysterio is one of move favorite wrestlers, this move has got to go. The main reason it is such a weak move is that it needs too much of a set-up. Whenever an opponent trips and lands on the second rope, you know a 619 is close behind. It is also hard for an opponent to sell correctly. On some occasions, the opponent barely slides to the mat after the 619; on other occasions they fly halfway across the ring (like Shawn Michaels does...). I think Rey needs a new finisher as well. He could always resort to something like an X-Factor or a Tornado DDT.

James Eastman wrote:
Good column, I would just like to say their was a point where Chris Sabin waqs fighting Petey Williams and Sabin keept on reversing the Canadian Destroyer into a Cradle Shock. It was amazing too.

roady wrote:
I have a unique finisher of my own but its quickly being called to dangerous for the local wrestling federation i call it Vindication due to my name being vince heres the best way i can describe it. I put there legs on my shoulders (so that there knees are resting on my shoulders) then i grab their arms and pull back so there body goes up then, then i fall back wards into a sitting position and pull their body down smashing their face into the canvas. Tell me what you think of that one

Ashton wrote:
Hey. Great article. Many of the finishers you listed would have made a best finishers list for me, if I ever made one. But here are some other suggestions:

Stone Cold Stunner -- The Snapshot -- The pedigree [best ever in my opinion]

A Fist Full of Mattitude wrote:
Just a question about Paul Birchills C4. Isn't it the same as AJ Styles Stylesclash"

Big Trev wrote:
Very substantial list especially with Canadian Destroyer and C-4 two of my personal favorites. and its a shame you've not seen the Hindu press by Dutt, moonsault setup to 450 splash...good stuff. But there's a few maybe to look what about Ken Kennedy's from WWE Smackdown! Green Bay Plunge (Kenton Bomb, whatever its called), top-rope steam roller slam,(set up in a fireman's carry, and dives forward, the announcers call it an "inverted Samoan Drop") very exciting. and Kid Kash is using a Brainbuster now called the Dead Level, alright, not anything super..and The Bobby Lashely's Dominator, also good stuff. Its all Smackdown! guys but, you already got the other good ones. Great column, maybe do a tag-team finisher column, keep up the good work.

Brian L. wrote:
Felix I've noticed that most of your list contains finishers that, although they are impressive, are dangerous. I personally would rather see someone wrestle for years using a safe finisher, like the Sharpshooter, than to have a career (or a life) ended from a move like the Vertebreaker; by the way I really like the Vertebreaker... One move I would have included would be Bryan Clarke's Pumphandle slam, also known as "The Meltdown". Pay attention people this is how a pumphandle is done! Unlike most pumphandles, where they complete the lift- stop- and then slam, Clarke lifts and slams his foe in one smooth fluid motion. The impact of the move is tremendous! I am also impressed by his full-nelson slam A.K.A "The Death Penalty." I also noticed that your list focused on singles wrestlers only. Some tag teams have had very notable tandem finishers: Demolition- For those unfamiliar with this duo, you should really check out some old footage! Their finisher was "The Demolition Decapitation." It consisted of two parts: A back breaker and a top rope big elbow. The F.B.I has been using a very similar move with a leg drop variant, but call me old fashioned, this is the one I prefer. The Road Warriors: Although they usually go by the name L.O.D (which was a stable that consisted of the Jake the Snake, The Road Warriors, and others) there is no mistaking their finisher. "The Devastation Device", an electric chair drop cross top rope lariet. The Dudley Boys: "The Dudley Death Drop", or 3-D! Need I say more" I know this list is partial and could go on, and with the help of others I hope it does.

Sachin (from mumbai city, india) wrote:
i've been a wrestling fan since 1997.and i was surprised to read the column about the best finishers in the business and not find great finishing moves like bret hart's "sharpshooter",ric flair's "figure four",yokozuna's "banzai splash" ,shawn michaels' patented "sweet chin music",chris benoits,crippler crossface/flying headbutt and many others.especially considering the fact that u've included WWE's own victoria with her widow's peak. it's also interesting to note how the column doesn't thrive too much on the WWE instead choosing to include moves from ROH and TNA.while it may be true that both ROH and TNA have gained widespread recogniton in the past few years it's important to note that wwe still reigns supreme,atleast as far as ratings are concerned,never mind the negative sentiment among some smarks who think the company has spoiled the "wrestling product".

Chris wrote:
As I read this article I wondered where the Pedigree or The Angle Slam were. I think that these two moves have a unique factor to them while not extremely difficult to do they are still two of the best looking finishers in the business in my view. Angle slamming Big Show or Mark Henry for that matter cant be easy and the Pedigree is an effectiv move that does the job. I think they should have made the "Good Finisher" list. These finishers however are not so "spectacular", The Raven Effect, I mean come on not in the 2000's its a DDT.The F-U, it just doesnt have the same sizzle it had when he would whip and slam the opponent not just drop them.

Kevin Roberts wrote:
Good column. Very infomative. Some of these finishers Ive never seen, so thanks for actually explaining the dynamics of them. Im with you on Shelton, Id give him a tapper like The Black Out hold that Rodney Mack use to do (does Palmer Cannon do that one"). I just started watchind TNA on a regular basis, but Ive seen Petey's finisher and Rey Mysterio does a hurrincanrana that looks similar. Samoa Joe is just awesome and from what Ive seen, he uses multiple finishers and reminds me of Tazz with all the suplexes and of course, the Tazzmission. What kind of move is the Shock Treatment" Kid Kash currently uses a brainbuster with a cool name, The Dead Level. However, I think the one finisher that you left off is Mr. Kennedy's finisher. His Samoan Roll from the top rope is absolutely ridiculous, but I think when he comes back, he is going to need an alternate finisher for the bigger guys he is sure to face. Another personal favorite is The Masterlock, because Masters is freakishly strong and I know it hurts for real. LOL. Before I go, Carlito is one of my favorites, but how many finishers does "the cool one" have" Ive seen him do a leg-swing DDT, The Overdrive, and one of Luther Reign's old finishers that looks like Conway's Ego Trip.

Tyrone Hunter wrote:
Good article, though I haven't most of those moves, but few I have seen. Now me personally I enjoy Trips, Kurt's, Bookman, JBL, and I've been impressed with John Cena's new submission finisher. You brought a different article and I truly enjoyed reading it!

Steven P. wrote:
Good job. Wrestling finishers are what makes these matches exciting. Nobody likes a rollup or a school boy. They want to see a feature move. The Canadian Destroyer is the biggest reason why Petey Williams has a job, in my opinion. He's a goos wrestler, but that's an eye opener. I've heard about the C4 from Burchill but I never saw it. Thta's does sound impressive. One move that you didn't feature was this backbreaker that Carlito, Maven and Rene Dupree pulled off. They would stand behind their opponent and grab their neck. They would jump in the up with their opponent and thrust their knees out. I believe Carlito did it to Kane in the Elimination Chamber. Great article.

Morgan Williams wrote:
Well; I must say that the list you have created is good but there are a few good and bad moves that you are missing. Now I present to you the good, the bad and the Ugly.

The Good

Heidenriechs Sidewalk Slam- I personally find it quite cool looking and not quite like anything I have seen. We may have seen the scrapbuster quite a few times from other wrestlers but Heidenriechs one is different altogether. It is a blend of a Scrapbuster and a Side Effect.

Ultimo DDT (Ultimo Dragon)- I must admit that Sliced Bread # 2 is quite cool looking but the Ultimo DDT or whatever he called it was essentially the same but from a standing position and is quite a lot cooler looking. (Technically it would be the coolest looking in the World except for maybe the Canadian Destroyer)

Assissted Swinging Neckbreaker (Rob Conway) - Now I'm not sure if most people would agree with me on this but I find that it is a very effective looking move. What Conway does is lift his opponents feet onto the top rope the npeforms a swinging neckbreaker off of it while twisting them off of it.

The Bad

The F-U (Cena)- I know that I would get flamed by a lot of the Cena Marks but the F-U is most likely the most sold move in history. It is essentially a standing Firemans Carry and the move is just a winding one and if it was done by anyone other than Cena then the opponent would get up straight away.

The Pounce (Monty Brown)- A lot of people dislike the move which is a bit of a shame because it definetly hurt some but it is justa kind of boring looking move. He could have easily gotten a cool looking one.

The Ugly

Clothesline from Hell (JBL)- I know that he has had the move for ages but I somehow think he needs to somewhat refresh the move. Maybe change back to the one which he Irish Whips the opponent into the turnbuckle and rebounds off of the rope nearest to the opponent and damn near decapitates them.

Problem Solved (Tomko)- Don't get me wrong, The guy is far from technically but the Yakuza Kick that he does is pretty damn nice. However, there seems to be little to no set up for it and also needs to be refreshed. Maybe they could give the move a stalk or like what I suggested for JBL, some good ol fashioned off turnbuckle move.

StevieRay76 wrote:
I pretty much agree with your wide range of finishers. But I noticed that you didn't mention any "strikers."

When I say "Strikers", I mean:
The Clothesline from Hell (Bradshaw, not JBL)
The Sweet Chin Music, or
The Ghetto Blaster (Bad News Brown)

These finishers are explosive and can used on just about any opponents. Personally, There are particular moves that seem even more effective when connecting from the blind side. They also look good live and on TV.

Oh yeah... A few you missed

The Dominator (Ron Simmons or Lashley, take your pick)
The Flying Elbow (Macho Man or Shane McMahon, nobody else)
The One and Only (Kip James)

By the way...You have to have seen Mark Henry's Chokeslam to FlapJack on Smackdown a couple weeks back"!"!"

chris peacock wrote:
I agreed alot about your post. Alot of those moves are really good finishers. I still think that the Canadian Destroyer is like the best move in wrestling it is amazing. Anyway I came up with a small list of move you might have not thought about or forgotten about. The SAT's Spanish Fly is one of the coolest moves to be seen performed. Just because you had a lack of submission finishers I thought about good sub finishers and came up with Konnan's Tequilla Sunrise that move was pretty cool to me the first time I seen it. Also Low Ki and Sonjay Dutt use that Corkscrew 450 Splash that move is also pretty amazing to see preformed. And now to the other part. You mention two wrestlers that have less then good finishers one of them being Kid Kash and the other being Shelton Benjarman. All though Kid Kash has a bad finisher now don't forget the Money Maker that move was pretty damn cool. And For Shelton, Don't forget about is Spinning Leg Kick that move was pretty aw inspiring the first time I seen it also. Thanx for your time good artical.

Marco Gerdol wrote:
Good column; there are also lots of impressive moves used only in the indies which are less known; here are some.
1) The Corkscrew 630� Senton (Jack Evans): the top of high flying moves
2) 720� Phoenix DDT (Jody Fleisch): check out this one, probably the best DDT in the business
3) Crossfire (Jason Cross): a shooting star ending up in a legdrop... unbelievable.
4) Idolizer (Jason Cross): basically a Sunset Flip from the top turnbuckle turned into a Double Underhook Facebuster (Unprettier)
5) Infrared (Amazing Red): a corkscrew moonsault legdrop, very impressive
6) Code Red (Amazing Red): a Sundet Flip Powerbomb.
7) Psycho Driver III (Super Dragon): a cuttrhoat crazy driver, which looks dangerous.
8) Cyclorama (Matt Sydal): a top rope flying move that resembles Burchill's C-4
9) Chemical Imbalance II (Delirious): Double pumplehandle into piledriver
10) 540� Moonsault (Paul London): yes, a 540� moonsault, rarely used by Paul London

Jeremy Kipplen wrote:
I liked the list and agree that the finish can make or break the match. But, i noticed your list is lacking on the submission moves. I'd like to know which ones you believe are the most devastating"

ImayXyamI wrote:
Hey, could you still remember Brock Lesnar's finisher submission move" I think it was called the Brock Lock or something. It looks great on big, muscular wrestlers like Chris Masters or Bobby Lashley. It's a good complement to Lashley's size and power. Give Bobby Lashley the Brock Lock!

Mike Adams wrote: I think that your going to seriously hurt somebody.

Linda Lloyd wrote:
This is a good coloum. I think RVD's five-star frogplash is also an amazing move. I agree that the canadian destroyer is one of the best moves ever along with da cop killa. Also if any body's ever seen the ganso bomb, that would probanly feature here. P.S. wheres the Shooting star press(billy kidman version)

Laurie B. wrote:
Some fine choices there, especially the Canadian Destroyer and the Vertebreaker.

I would agree with Andrew Betts on Kenta Kobashi's "Burning Hammer" / Reverse Death Valley Driver. I have seen it done by him in one or two of his many legendary battles against Mitsuharu Misawa, and both myself and the crowd in the vids absolutely mark out for it. The beauty of it is that it's never over-used. It's not his main finisher (a brutal Lariat is) but rather it's one of his special finishers a bit like his Orange Crush or Misawa's Emerald Frosion. It's even better when it's attempted earlier in the match but thwarted, only to attempt and eventually hit it at the end for the win.

BJunior1985 wrote: I like this column because I love finisher moves. This was indeed a great column and well written. Some finishers I like will have to be the Rock Bottom,Stone Cold Stunner and the Sweet Chin Music. Shelton does need a new finisher like most people has already said. Another finisher I like back in the WWE days would have to be the Sharpshooter by Bret Hart. It wasn't all speculator but it was a painful finisher. I,who use to backyard wrestle(and still kinda do), have two finishers of my own. One is call Final Justice which is basically a Chokeslam into Sitout Powerbomb. Another one I had which I rarely use is the Justice Breaker which is I put a guy on my shoulders and drop into a neckbreaker. I made that move up before Victoria's finisher. So once again good column.

eric drews wrote:
First off great column, but I do tend to agree more with Adam Sykes' opinion that many of your "good finishers" make wrestling look really fake. I think a good finisher is one that is spontaneous, versitile, credible and has integrity. By these I mean it can be hit out of nowhere (spontaneous), can be applied from a variety of positions (versitile), could really be done in a real fight and would actually hurt (credibility), and when this move is applied, the match is over (integrity). I think the move that best fits these catagories is one of the moves you said you wouldn't include, Sweet Chin Music. SCM is the quickest finisher in wrestling and very few people have every kicked out of it. Also, this move could really be used in a real fight and would knock anyone, no matter their size or skill, OUT COLD. In a real fight I doubt anyone would attempt a Canadian Destroyer or Vertibreaker. Sweet Chin Music is easily the most realistic finisher in wrestling.

I also think the Stone Cold Stunner fits this as well (at least in the early years before the Rock started his olympic gymnastic gold medal winning performances that he incorporated into his selling of the stunner.) This is the only MOVE I can think of that has led to a pinfall victory over the Undertaker. This move looked very painful back when Austin used 2 hands in '96-'97 then he got sloppy but it still was a believible move.

I also love the Musclebuster. It looks extremely painful but I've only seen it applied from a couple of positions. I've never had the oppotunity to see Joe in ROH so don't how versitle it is. I sure you couldn't use this move in a real fight, but anything Samoa Joe does, looks believibe. He could probably make a pillow fight look devastating and I'd believe it.

Others I like are the Clothesline from Hell, The Tombstone Piledriver and for all you old school fans, Koko B. Ware's Ghostbuster. I'm sure when a jobber found out they had to face Koko, it sent a chill down their spine.

Anyways, great column. Way to shed some light on a very important part of wrestling.

Sean Spears wrote:
I like the one you came up with for Bobby Roode. The Fireman's Carry can be used to do lots of moves. ----- *Side note: little known fact. Brian Adams was the first to use the move we call the F5 or the Verdict. He did it in his days with KroniK. ----- The Spiral Tap is good because of A.J.'s gymnastics days. ----- Just like the Pounce is good cuz of Monte's NFL days. ----- Other moves left off were the Last Rights {or Test Drive, or Roll The Dice}, Edge's half-Nelson Facebuster{I hate that he doesn't use that as his finisher}, Chavo's Gory Bomb, and Kid Kash's old ECW move the vertical pedigree. ----- As for Shelton's finisher, it's not a T-Bone suplex. It's a t-bone turned into a powerslam. That's what makes it so effective. ----- Matt Hardy has 2 versons of the Side Effect: One where he grabs his opponent by the neck and drives them down and the other where he starts off with a belly to back suplex and then elbows them in the gut. ----- And I happen to like Rob Conway's Ego Trip. It's Goldberg's old Corkscrew neckbreaker. ----- And one more this is Matt Morgan's Suplex into the Rock-Bottem...that would be a great move for him if he goes to TNA or for Bobby Roode. ----- Good colume and great idea.

Aaron Martin wrote:
I always thought the pedigree was an amazing move (especially when he dropped that jobber on his head). As for the worst moves, the pounce, complete waste of energy and also Mark Henry's world's strongest slam.

Maureen Burgess wrote:
Roady, it sounds pretty darn lethal. I think there should be mutiple finishers, so say when Burchill hits the C4 it would look more shocking because it is hardly done.

kgaustad wrote:
We must inclued submission holds!
Crippler Crossface
Sharpshooter
Figure 4 leglock
Million Dollar Dream
Anklelock of Kurt Angle (and Shamrock)

And what about super crappy finishers"
HOGAN LEG DROP
HOGAN LEG DROP
HOGAN LEG DROP
HOGAN LEG DROP
and the pounce is lame. LAME!

Pauline Knott wrote: I think people are forgetting that short lived finisher matt morgan used. That was pretty cool

Kenny Warren wrote: Two words you guys failed to mention...ANGELS WINGS

Andrew Betts wrote:
After more thinking and reading the other entrys I will now list a few good finishers and some ok finishers and some of the down right bad also a side note to Kenny Warren I mentioned Angels Wings and several people agreed the Angels Wings is a quality finsher ok on to my revised list

The Good .

1. Abyss(TNA) Black Hole Slam. But I think Shock Treatment should be his finisher
2. Ron "The Truth" Killings (TNA) The Lie Detctor a split legged pedigree which I only saw him use once
3. Christopher Daniels (ROH,TNA) BME: Best Moonsault Ever a double jump moonsault i've seen this moves used a few times it just looks cool
4. Christopher Dabiels (ROH,TNA) Koji Clutch this is an awsome submission move it's hard to in to words how this move works so I won't try it has to be seen to do it justice
5. Sabu (TNA,and anywhere else he books himself ) Triple Jump Moonsault enough said

The Ok

1. John Cena (WWE) F-U this move is just ok nothing to make you say wow
2. Viscera (WWE) V.D. Viscera Drop it's just One Man Gang's 747 splash i guess it works cuz of Big Vis's Size

The Down Right Awful

1. Hogan The Leg drop
2. Jeff Jarrett (TNA) The Stroke this move wouldn't be so bad if Jarret didn't have help from everybody under the sun or his gitar to help him win ALL of his title matches
3.Chris Masters (WWE) The Master Lock this move so bad a full nelson hell Willie Nelson would be more effective than The Master Lock
4. Snitsky (WWE) Pump Handle Salm this move was once an awsome finsher but now every body over 6'4" uses this move as a finsher

One Final note I saw a move in a video game recently this would make awsome finsher for some one here goes you have your oppent in the position of an inverted DDT pick them as if you're gonna do an inverted suplex and all in one motion do a back flip you come down either seated or flat on your stomach smashing them face 1st into the mat

Richard wrote:
I saw the Canadian Destroyer and was speechless for about two minutes. That was the most awesome move I had seen in years. It looks more awesome than any I had seen but the most devasting was the original spine buster by Arn Anderson.

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