One thing that can make or break a Wow Superstar is a Finisher. A wrestler may have the full package – the look, the aura, the in-ring skills, the best promo skills, etc. – but a good finisher that leaves an impression in the minds of the audience makes all the difference for a wrestler. ‘s career. It can be a flashy one, but for a finisher to really leave an impression, it needs to be brutal and Look as dangerous as possible.
Of course, a finisher shouldn’t be so dangerous as to actually hurt an opponent (this is sports entertainment at the end of the day, the purpose is for wrestlers to entertain, not legitimately hurt each other), but it helps to look as brutal as Some of the examples on this list.
10
Spear
Bill Goldberg is credited with inventing it
While wrestlers in previous decades like Hacksaw Jim Duggan would do similar moves that would be referred to as a shoulder tackle, Bill Goldberg is widely credited as inventing the spear. At least, he gave the move its name and popularized it as a finisher, especially for former footballers, for whom the move seems most devastating. The spear is basically a football tackleWith one person, their entire essence drives into their opponent with full force.
It’s hard not to see a good spear and not think that someone has really broken in halfOr at least their posture was broken. The likes of Rhyno, Bobby Lashley, Roman Reigns, Bron Breaker, and of course, its innovator, Bill Goldberg, make this move a brutal sight.
9
F5
Brock Lesnar credited with inventing it
Brock Lesnar can be described as a whirlwind of a wildebeest, so it makes sense for his finisher to be A spinning cyclone of a maneuver. He lifts his opponent onto his shoulders in a fireman’s carry position and spins them around long enough to the point his opponent is probably dizzy before they even hit the ground plane face first once he drops them.
During an episode of WWE Confidential, Brock recalls Watching videos of Japanese wrestling and taking inspiration from different maneuversCombining them to create something unique. John Laurinitis would then see Brock practice something similar to what would become his F5, and urge him to combine it with another move for a “Spinning DDT” type stroke. In Brooke’s words, “I came up with it by just kind of messing about one day in the ring.”
8
The last ride
The Undertaker is credited with inventing it
Although there are several variations of the Powerbomb, the original was invented by Lou Thesz. The setup is simple: place the opponent between the legs and then lift them above one’s shoulders before slamming them back-first on the ground. It is simple, but extremely effective in looking brutal. It’s no wonder there were so many variations of the Powerbomb after the fact.
Masato Tanaka would invent the Dangan Bomb (a falling powerbomb), Mitsuharu Misawa would create the Double Underhook Powerbomb (or Tiger Driver) as well as the Kneeling Underhook Powerbomb, and The Undertaker would popularize the elevated powerbomb. What makes the last ride so devastating is that one lifts their opponent another height in the air while already in mid-air, adding to the impact once slammed. Tucker is 6’10, so that’s a massive extra height to drop down.
7
Sharpshooter
Ricky Choshu credited with inventing it
Much like the DDT, another move that started out as a finisher before it was standardized as a regular maneuver, it’s easy to take for granted the power of the sharpshooter today. however, When it was first introduced, it was treated as the most painful submission that anyone could be in. In fact, as far as wrestling moves go, it may actually be the most painful position someone can be in, as several wrestlers have professed how much this move legitimately hurts.
It shouldn’t be surprising just how much a move like this really hurts when you consider the strain on an opponent’s legs and knees while sitting on their back. A moment as stone cold, Steve Austin, passed from the excruciating pain of being in the sharpshooter contributed to sell this to the audience as a dangerous maneuver, and Bret Hart, which was his signature finish, was the cherry on top.
6
Hell’s gate
The Undertaker is credited with inventing it
On the January 25, 2008 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, The Undertaker was seen going one-on-one with Big Daddy V, as they had done many times over the decades under the latter’s many past aliases (ie Mabel, Viscera) .However, this match would end very differently than past encounters, as the Deadman would lock in a submission never seen before.
Undertaker was notoriously a submission and MMA enthusiast, often using the triangle chokehold, but this was different. He locks Big Daddy V in An MMA-inspired gogoplata, a triangle choke with his ankle under the opponent’s chin. Tucker held the submission until blood poured from his opponent’s mouth. It was immediately terrifying to witness and continued to be a horrifying sight when Taker used it going forward. It’s a move that hints at the dangers that can happen in a WWE ring.
5
Piledriver
Wild Bill Longson credited with inventing it
A wrestler puts their opponent’s head between their legs practically in a powerbomb position, but instead of lifting them over their shoulders, they turn them upside down before falling on their head. What makes this move all the more devastating is knowledge How easily it can go wrong and legitimately hurt someone. If the opponent’s head is not properly secured in position, they run the risk of seriously injuring themselves. Stone Cold almost getting paralyzed by a sit-out piledriver from Owen Hart is a prime example.
Surprisingly, the tombstone piledriver is among the safest ways to take this maneuver – the head generally never hits the mat, as the person doing the move typically lands on their knees on impact – but as a reverse piledriver, it still looks fatal. On the other hand, Kevin Owens’ Package Piledriver feels and looks as dangerous as possible, which led to his ban in WWE.
4
Clothes from hell
Popularized by John “Bradshaw” Layfield
While normal clotheslines, or similar but different lariat moves, can look devastating if done correctly, this entry is specifically about the closeline from hell popularized by JBL. Every time Bradshaw threw his arm in the air like a wrecking ball and collided with his opponent, it looked like he was trying to knock the poor man’s head clean. And often, it looked like he did.
The trick to make the move look as vicious as it is two-fold dependent on the person who takes it and the person receiving it, as is often the case with wrestling moves. JBL has to give it his all to look like he wants to decapitate his opponent, and the opponent has to ragdoll sell it like he just got hit by a freight train.
3
The basket stomp
James Harrison is credited with inventing it
Seth Rollins originally called it the Blackout back in his NXT days, but truthfully, the name Curb Stomp immediately shows how wild the move is. It is a straight-up basket stomp, driving his foot directly onto the back of the opponent’s head and planting it in the mat. A tame stomp in real life is a literal form of assault and a criminal offenseHat is known to lead to the death of its victims. This may explain why former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon called the move to be banned for a few years.
The actual wrestling move, believe it or not, is one of the safer moves to take in WWE because Rollins doesn’t put as much impact on the head as it looks. It is to the selling of the opponent to make the move look brutal, but Vince nevertheless cited concern for children who try to duplicate the move to justify banning it in 2015. After two years, the finisher has since been reinstated.
2
Point kick
Randy Orton credited with inventing it
The punt kick helped showcase Randy Orton’s killer instinct And twisted psychology that he adopted in 2007 when he transitioned from the Legend Killer to the Viper. The move consists of kicking a knee or clawing the opponent as hard as possible in the head, which happened when Randy would “go to that spot” (as Michael Cole would call it), and showed a complete disregard for his opponent’s well-being. .
Related
The punt kick is actually a pretty dangerous move as Randy admitted it was to make it look “real” while keeping his opponents safe. in 2009, Randy performed the move on Vince McMahon, giving him a concussionWhich led to the banning of the punt kick for more than a decade. When Randy came back from injury in 2020, he was able to convince Vince that he was now able to perform the move safely under any condition, and the Viper is currently free to kick people in the head in WWE, but he is still using Move sporadically for greater effect.
1
Game Styles Clash
AJ Styles is credited with inventing it
Perhaps a surprising number one entry, but the mystique of the styles clash goes beyond how dangerous it looks. While a casual fan might see this as AJ gently brushing his opponents’ bellies to the floor, true wrestling fans know that perhaps the biggest metric of how dangerous a move is is how easy it is for the opponent to defend themselves while taking it. The Styles Clash essentially locks all of the victim’s appendages in place, leaving them no chance for protection.
Another famous aspect of this move is that it can lead to serious injury if AJ’s opponents are not careful. To take the styles clash safely, one must raise their chin and tuck their head back, which is the exact opposite of what wrestlers do with any other move – something that has been drilled into them since training. Yoshi Tatsu famously forgot this important detail, which led to a serious neck injury. Fortunately, no one was ever injured by the styles clash in WowBut the move still looks as dangerous as ever.