Bim: Hello, I’m Bim. I’ve been on-and-off WWE fan for a few years now. Professional wrestling first caught my eye when Shawn Michaels put Marty Jannetty through the Barbershop’s glass plate, so I guess some of the more hardcore wrestling fans might consider me a rookie still.
My idea of a good pro-wrestling match is one with unique spots and clean finishes. I’m a house show type of guy. I tend to prefer performers like Christ Benoit, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero. You know, that type of guy.
Maro: Hello there, I’m Maro. I'm a huge fan of professional wrestling, but I'm more biased towards styles from Japan and Europe. I’ve been watching since I was a toddler, and while I don’t get to watch as often you may say that I’m a tad of a wrestling history enthusiast. You might say that I make (often unnecessary) distinctions between “professional wrestling” and “sports entertainment,” although I do enjoy watching WWE.
I could go on gushing about great matches by the late great Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi and that quintessential classic match they had with Taue and Kawada, but there’s a time and a place for that. Plus, we don’t get that programming in these parts regularly so I’ll try to stay on target with the WWE in this list.
Mark: Mark here. I've been a wrestling fan for 22 years, and an honorary member of the Baby Oil Boys' Club since 2010.
I hate it when people dismiss wrestling for being "fake," or as just a showcase for "sweaty men in spandex rolling around in each other's arms." There's a technical term for that, you know. It's called a gogoplata.
My favorite finishing moves involve hitting someone with a pointy part of one's anatomy, or making big WHAM! sounds on the mat. That's what I'm all about. Pointy parts and drama.
Ro: And I am Ro, your host and main wrestling blogger for this site. I’ve been watching since childhood, but only started seriously watching in high school. It isn’t very hard to please me, wrestling-wise; I like mat-based wrestling, I like high-flying lucha libre style exhibitions, I like hard-hitting brawls, and I like a good, old-fashioned street fight. I find that I gravitate more towards creativity; whether it’s making unusual use of a weapon or a submission hold, if it’s different, I’ll give it a chance.
Like Mark, I’m a big fan of finishers that involve a quick strike that’ll knock you right out, huge slams, facebusters of any sort, and submission maneuvers that’ll just straight up break your limbs.
Let’s get started with our #10, shall we?
#10.
Ro: Call me a mark - and that’s totally fine, I’ll own up to it - but I really love a good uranage. What’s an uranage, you ask? Well, a Rock Bottom is an example of an uranage - the simplest one, in fact, because it’s a straightforward slam to the mat. And that’s what’s beautiful about it. No nonsense; your back gets planted onto the canvas, and normally that’s enough to put you away. The Rock just chooses to hit you with the most electrifying move in sports entertainment after that.
Some people hit it from all sorts of positions: they backflip, they swing you from a fireman’s carry, they lift you into a back suplex position. It’s all the same. But I’m going with the most famous for my #10.
Maro: At the bottom of my (difficult to make) list: Tyson Kidd’s Dungeon Lock. We don’t see a lot of Tyson Kidd these days on TV, but the combination Sharpshooter-Triangle Choke submission of the last alumnus of the Hart wrestling dungeon is one of the most innovative moves I’ve seen. True, the setup may take a while - and it can only work on smaller, more flexible wrestlers - but this is one of the few times I’ll give the WWE a lot of points for innovation.
Unlike the traditional sasorigatame, this might as well be considered a “full-body submission.” It stretches the arm, compresses the back, twists the leg, and Kidd kicks you in the head every now and then for good measure. Not since Perry Saturn’s scissored armbar have we seen a maneuver that literally tears you limb from limb. This flashy variation on the Hart family staple is proof that innovation is alive and well in the WWE, especially for (what I hope to be) a future cruiserweight division.
Ro: Damn, I love the Dungeon Lock. That’s a good choice. I loved it the first time he broke it out, and I loved it even more when Tyson started kicking the poor sap - it might have been The Wrestler Formerly Known As Michael McGillicutty, who he was feuding with at the time. It took me a couple more viewings to make heads or tails out of the move, but I already knew that I loved it.
Mark: It’s a great technical move, but I’ve always been a fan of powerslams, from Dr. Death’s Oklahoma Stampede to the British Bulldog’s running powerslam. Road Warrior Animal’s take on the move was particularly vicious, and I love the torque that Goldust and Randy Orton dish out on their versions, even as regular transition moves. But no powerslam comes close to the pulverizing awesomeness of Mark Henry’s World’s Strongest Slam.
Think about it - an angry 400-pound African American man muscling you up in the air like a ragdoll, giving you a second to soak up all the sweat from his famously perspiration-loaded leotards (I’m convinced this is the secret ingredient that makes the move so deadly), then smashing you straight down into the mud, simultaneously crushing you underneath him as he falls flat on your sternum. Can you imagine getting up from that in real life? You can’t. That’s why it’s the World’s Strongest Slam, and THAT’S! WHAT HE DO!
Bim: Finally found time to chime in, you guys. While I agree with most of your choices, my list is bit more flipped over. The Dungeon Lock is in my list, but not at #10.
My number 10 would be the RKO. Essentially just a cutter, and a lot of other people have done a way better version of it. DDP’s Diamond Cutter is in many ways better and felt a lot stronger, maybe because he was meatier, he always used two hands and wasn’t as flat as Randy at the landing. Still, the RKO deserves some props.
Randy can pull it out from anywhere and hit it at any time. This makes Randy a formidable and believable threat in the ring.
Mark: I wouldn’t call myself the world’s greatest Randy Orton fan, but I do have to confess that his timing on the move is impeccable. The way he’s used the RKO to counter high-flying offensive moves like CM Punk’s springboard clothesline or Christian’s second-rope sunset flip shows that even when an opponent is on the offensive with the Viper, he’s never safe.
Maro: You should take a look at how John Laurinaitis did it in Japan. Fantastically timed move.
#9.
Mark: I’m one of those people who believes that Wade Barrett is the future of the WWE. He’s big, he’s built, he has the perfect English accent, and is incredibly good-looking. Kind of like me. But he was going nowhere with finishers as visually unimpressive as the Wasteland and the Winds of Change. Dudes built like him shouldn’t dominate with twirly-whirly finesse slam thingies, they need to knock you the eff out.
That’s why I’m incredibly enamored with his Bullhammer wraparound short-arm elbow strike. It’s crisp, it’s devastating, and looks like it could genuinely give you a concussion. When a man that large smashes you in the temple with his coiled-up elbow, with your own momentum doubling up the velocity, you know it’s game over. Also, the words “bull” and “hammer” are quite possibly the manliest, macho-est words in the world, so any finisher with those words in its name has got to be awesome. Bring on the Barrett barrage!
Ro: I feel slightly... slighted that you ranked the Bullhammer this low. Wait for it to appear higher up later.
Bim: Striking finishers are always cool, but very few of them really look devastating enough to be finishers.
Maro: Damn, Mark, that move just narrowly missed my hitlist. But for this Jerichoholic, I think nothing sums up Jericho's technical wrestling prowess more than the Liontamer.
The Liontamer, for the uninitiated, is an elevated Boston Crab with a knee to the back of the head. This move not only contorts the opponent's body into an unnatural position, but also causes pain on multiple points of the body. Add to that Jericho's calculated intensity, and you have one of the most credible submission finishers of all time.
Ro: I’d have ranked my #9 a little lower, but I feel that this is slightly underrated as a finishing move, mainly because a TNA guy uses it more often. I really like Barrett’s Winds of Change, even if it began life as a signature move. The Black Hole Slam is more smooth and elegant than people give it credit for. It doesn’t quite fit his bareknuckle brawler fighting style as much as the aforementioned Bull Hammer does, but I love the move on its own. Maybe someday a fellow big man can adopt it for his own and give it a better home.
Bim: I’ve always liked the Black Hole Slam. First time I saw it being used by Big Boss Man as the Boss Man Slam, I thought it was a completely legit finisher. Barrett should use that way more often.
My number 9 spot goes to a move that flies a little higher, though. High-flying moves have always been fun to watch, though sometimes they logically wouldn’t hit harder than a regular top rope splash. They heat up the crowd and it more often than not signifies an end to a match.
Rob Van Dam’s Five-Star Frog Splash gets stupid high and his hangtime is incredible. The way he twists his body mid-flight is just incredible! After he hits it, it looks like it really, really hurts everybody involved. Even the cameramen. I imagine this might rank higher for some guys, though.
#8.
Mark: Bim, I’m with you on the frog splash love. I totally agree that RVD’s Five-Star Frog Splash is in a league of its own - and I’m ranking it a spot higher than you did at #8. It isn’t just the altitude he gets on it, or the way he can literally hit the move from ¾ across the ring, or the way he twists his body in mid-air to land just right on his opponent’s chest - it’s the way he just bounces off of his opponent after landing, clutching his own ribs in agony to dramatize that he lands it so hard, it hurts even him.
Bim: See. Told you.
Maro: Looks like we’re gonna have an aerial battle here. I love the Five-Star, but by a hair’s width, I like the Shooting Star Press better. But not just any SSP, be it Liger’s or Kidman’s or London’s or Neville’s; no one gets as much airtime - and hangtime - off the most graceful aerial maneuver in pro wrestling history as Evan Bourne.
Rotations and impact have little to do with why I'm putting it here. Bourne's version is just so graceful and fluid that it's hard not to watch in awe. It will probably get eclipsed soon by corkscrew versions like the ones they're cooking up at NXT, but a move executed with such grace and skill deserves to be in anyone’s Top 10.
Mark: I love me a good SSP too, but I feel like poor Evan’s version will more likely be remembered for Randy Orton’s incredible reversal of it into an RKO, than for him actually hitting it on someone.
Ro: I agree with Maro and disagree with Mark and Bim. First of all, Eddie Guerrero is my all-time favorite wrestler, but even I have to say that frog splash < SSP. Second of all, a lot of people love the Evan Bourne SSP, and it might just be the main reason why the people who miss him do. I love it so much that I wrote an entire piece about it - and that’s why I’m ranking it higher later.
For my #8, I’m gonna go with AJ Lee’s Black Widow submission maneuver. She’s not the biggest or strongest Diva, but you know she’s one of the fastest and if not the wiliest of them all. As a guy who’s frustrated every time someone locks on a generic side headlock or chinlock as their filler resthold, I love it when someone busts out a submission move we don’t see every day. Dean Ambrose’s version of a crossface chickenwing would be on this list if it were a finisher, and that’s the reason why the Black Widow is here. I love it. Kaitlyn, bigger girl that she is, did her part well in selling the move and building up its potential on the pain scale. My baby AJ’s gonna hold on to that title if she keeps trying to tear the other ladies’ arms off the sockets - of course, until Paige comes along.
Speaking of Kaitlyn, I want to throw in an honorable mention here. These two have actually gone out of their way to incorporate different submission finishers; it’s just that Kaitlyn stopped using her Lotus Lock since she moved up to the main roster from (the old) NXT. The first time I saw her hit that move, I knew that this girl was gonna have a future in the company, because that’s when I knew she was willing to do anything to stand out in the ring and deliver. [I’ll put a video.]
Mark: I do love the way that AJ is bringing some legitimate-looking submission bad-assery to the Diva game. It's a small but distinct way to show that these ladies aren't all silicone and fluff. When they're in the ring, they want to maim, cripple, and humiliate their opponent just as badly as their male counterparts do. Hats off to these two mentions.
Bim: I’m actually quite disappointed that Kaitlyn uses nothing but the spear these days. Doesn’t even look good on her.
Maro: In my view there are only two people who do very convincing spears. There’s Goldberg, and then there’s Rhyno. Both aren’t in the WWE anymore, but I agree with Bim: it doesn’t look good on Kaitlyn at all.
Bim: My #8 pick would be CM Punk’s Go To Sleep. As you’ll see later on this list, this move is going to rank much higher for the other guys. Thing is, while I love the move, it sometimes looks sloppy and only Dolph Ziggler can sell it properly. KENTA’s version brings the knee much higher and looks way more painful.
Ro: You have to keep in mind, though, that KENTA’s version is influenced by Japan as a wrestling environment - a lot of Japanese guys are small, including KENTA himself (and he’s also bulkier than CM Punk for their respective heights), so it’s easier for him to make it more devastating. It’s the same reason why Daniel Bryan could work a slower, more power-based style against guys closer to his size, and the same reason why Punk’s GTS looks better on guys like Ziggler. (It also helps that Ziggler is a great bumper.)
#7.
Mark: Triple H’s Pedigree is a bad-ass move in theory, but when you realize that he’s essentially dropping a dude’s face into the mat from a height of just three feet, it kind of loses its luster.
Antonio Cesaro’s Neutralizer on the other hand is just brutal to watch, and I mean that in a good way. The way he muscles anyone up into the move is an amazing feat of strength. Just ask Brodus Clay or the Great Khali. It’s legitimately jaw-dropping. He gets great impact when he drives his opponent’s face into the mat, and why wouldn’t he? He’s taken one great move - the Pedigree - and improved it even further with the laws of physics, adding leverage, weight, and velocity to make it even more face-crushing than any other face-crusher out there. Mr. Cesaro, you can Swiss my cheese any day.
Ro: I’m gonna go right ahead and co-sign that for my #7. It’d be higher if it didn’t look so plain as day and if opponents would bump just a little more for it so that it would look a little more devastating, but I can’t disagree with the pick. Back when Cesaro debuted, I wished he used the Very European Uppercut as his main finisher more, but I realize that that really worked better in the indies, where the average wrestler is around the height and build of Evan Bourne.
Here’s a little something to think about - have you noticed that nobody kicks out of the Neutralizer? Think about it. People kick out of the V.E. Uppercut, but Cesaro has never hit the Neutralizer for someone to kick out of. Notice that if it’s obvious Cesaro is gonna lose, or when Cesaro loses a close match, he doesn’t get to hit it - the opponent manages to wiggle out or counter it. But boy, when your face gets dropped on the canvas, you’re done. That’s both really great and subtle booking. I love it.
Maro: My issue with the Neutralizer is that it isn’t what it’s supposed to be: a cradle piledriver. But with concussion awareness and all (more on that later) I’m going out on a limb here and say that La Mistica by Sin Cara would rank in at #7 for me. May not be a popular choice given that the Wrestler Formerly Known as Mistico is a lucha jobber these days, but there are certain complexities and nuances to this submission that makes it better than, say, the 619.
The tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown may be as common as guacamole in the arsenal of a luchador, but then Sin Cara transitions to a single arm DDT into a Fujiwara armbar. This to me is brilliant, athletic, and - no matter what anyone tells you about all the botching this guy does (undeserved, if you asked me) - smooth. The takedown itself lands with enough force for a convincing pin, and the armbar is itself one of the most convincing looking submissions in all of pro wrestling.
Ro: I think my main problem with La Mistica is that there just hasn’t been any effort to really establish it as Sin Cara’s finisher. Every time he hits it, it sounds like the announcer - whoever it is, whether it’s Michael Cole or Josh Mathews - seems genuinely surprised that he got a three count. It’s like nobody bothers to clue them in on what Sin Cara’s finish is, and that’s also partly the man’s fault; when he first debuted, he never really settled on a move. First it was a C-4 from the top turnbuckle, then it was a senton bomb, then it was the La Mistica, then the last time I saw a Sin Cara match a couple of weeks ago, it was a headscissors facebuster. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! I would prefer he use La Mistica, though - submissions are always dramatic.
Bim: I’m gonna have to go against the grain here for a bit. I think the Neutralizer looks cool and all, and Antonio Cesaro can lift practically anybody. However, if you look at the move, the pivot is coming from where the shoulder of the bumper meets Cesaro’s knees. That means the impact is mostly on the bumper’s lower body and legs, which means it won’t be enough for a finisher.
Contrasting this with my 7th pick, Triple H’s Pedigree, where the impact is directly on the bumper’s chest and head, even if it is just 3 feet down. Plus you’ve got Trips’ entire 255-pound frame crashing down on the victim’s head.
Ro: You mean... his balls?
Bim: Yes.
#6.
Ro: Time for me to start getting into my submissions, because my #6 is the Anaconda Vice. It’s a little underrated because of the frequency it’s used, but it’s such a thing of beauty that every time I see it, I always get reminded of how good it is. And only the best of the best escape the Vice. If the WWE books you to survive it, it means Vince knows you’re special. (Extra Summerslam prediction: Punk is going to beat Brock via the Vice.)
There isn’t any nonsense involved, either; if you find yourself in it, you know you’re gonna have to tap out before Punk breaks something of yours.
Maro: I’ll have to agree with you here, Ro. Punk is quite the submission specialist himself, with moves like the Koji Clutch and a variation of the Lotus Lock. The Anaconda Vice is a little underrated, but you don’t see locks like this very often in the WWE these days. Not since Batista’s scissored armbar (which is a beast of a move). Punk gets quite a lot of flak for pulling off inferior-looking Japanese-style moves (like the GTS, for example, but some people just don’t sell that move well) but the Vice looks genuinely dramatic.
The great thing about Punk executing this move is that he splays himself wide when applying the compression lock, which gives him a lot of leverage and lends a lot of credibility to his jiu-jitsu background. Oh, and this one will be the last submission I’ll list down in a while.
Mark: I especially love the way he chains it with a big offensive move beforehand, either with his usual uranage, or how he floated directly over from a top-rope superplex into the Vice in his recent match with Fandango. It’s a move that’s credible in itself, but with a setup that says Punk means business, and there’s no way he’s letting you know it’s coming.
Bim: The Anaconda Vice ranks much higher in my list because I’m a sucker for submission maneuvers. My entry for the 6th would be Curtis Axel’s One-handed Swinging Neckbreaker, formerly known at the Mcgillicutter. He hasn’t really decided what his finisher is yet. So far, he’s used four - the Perfectplex, that weird neckbreaker into a face-plant thing, a variation of the Future Shock DDT, and the one I mentioned. If he isn't going to use the Perfectplex to finish people, then this should be his go-to move.
That move is the best neckbreaker out of all the variations being used in the WWE today. It works for Axel because of how big he is, making it produce a wonderful thump against the mat and looking like it delivers a lot of force.
Ro: The McGillicutter was the second-most impactful finisher Axel’s ever had, but it really just screamed “signature move” to me, and the Perfectplex looks miles better. I could see it being a respected finisher along the lines of the RKO if it’s booked properly, though.
Mark: I’m dying to put Axel’s Perfectplex in here too. It’s beautiful. But if the only person a move has ever actually finished off is Sin Cara, then that’s not exactly setting the bar high.
And speaking of wrestlers not being able to decide on their finisher, I would be remiss if I didn’t call out Sheamus. He’s had brief flings with the Irish Curse backbreaker and his version of the Razor’s Edge, and seems to have settled on the Brogue Kick as his primary finish (lame 1-800-BROGUE commercials notwithstanding). But I’m a total mark for his White Noise over-the-shoulder back-to-belly piledriver. I’m not a fan of the Sheamus character; he’s a douche, a bully, and has that smug shit-eating grin perpetually plastered on his face. But that move is an absolute showstopper, especially when he plants it on behemoths like the Big Show and Ryback.
Ro: But... but... it’s not even a real piledriver! At least, the way Sheamus does it.
Mark: Ro, if The Rock can ask us to believe that his hella loose Sharpshooter is a dangerous submission move, then Sheamus is completely entitled to ask us to believe that his move is actually a vicious piledriver too.
#5
Ro: I said I was getting into my submissions, and I’m continuing them with the YES! Lock - or the NO! Lock, or the LeBell Lock, call it what you want - for #5.
I was a huge fan of the Crippler Crossface back in Chris Benoit’s heyday (or... when he was still alive). The guy could catch your punch and just take you down with it, and the next thing you know, your head’s cranked so far back that you can’t see your hand as you tap out.
When Daniel Bryan entered the WWE, I thought the Cattle Mutilation was cool and unique, and I’d hoped he was going to use it. But when he started busting out the LeBell Lock after trying to win matches with a heel hold, I was (figuratively) hooked. A crossface coupled with an omoplata? Damn, that was deadly! I couldn’t imagine how anyone would survive that in real life! (Obviously, that means I’ve thought about using it in fantasy fight situations.)
Mark: Ro, I’m all in with you for the YES! (or NO?) Lock at #5. This is the one submission move I could imagine legitimately working in a street fight regardless of on whom it’s applied. The human body is not designed to contort that way - the shoulder getting wrenched out of its socket while the neck gets cranked all the way back in the opposite direction. And I have this move to thank for the wonderfully satisfying audio-visual spectacle of Randy Orton squealing like a pig before tapping out when Bryan hooked it on him with a kendo stick-assisted crossface.
Speaking of the Cattle Mutilation - it’s an awesome move, and I will never forgive the Miz for no-selling it like some weak-ass hammerlock that one time Daniel Bryan locked it on him back in Hell in the Cell 2010. Shame on you, Miz. You only wish your Figure-Four Leglock could someday scale the Mount of Awesome the way DB’s YES! Lock does.
Ro: I remember that spot. To be fair to Miz, Bryan locked it in the middle of a match like it was a resthold.
Maro: The YES! Lock should be ranked higher IMO (I think I’m being blatantly obvious here LOL), but like Bim I’m going against the grain here and go for a move that doesn’t finish “matches,” but does finish people and write them off: the Shield's Triple Powerbomb.
The aided powerbomb is no big deal, but in the wonderful world of kayfabe it can halt careers (insert tables, chairs, or even the bare floor here). Coupled with the skill and power of three of the most promising prospects of the new generation WWE, this move is not only legitimized through career hiatuses: it also looks legitimately painful too. And it’s sort of a testament to how teams and stables should be booked. With this move between all three members of the Shield, tandem finishers are essential.
Ro: Tandem finishers, I believe, are something the company has always gotten consistently right over the years, on all levels - from the main roster, down to NXT. You know they’re serious about a team when they’re allowed to develop those.
Mark: I love tag team finishers. From the golden age of the Demolition Decapitation, Doomsday Device, and Hart Attack, and even moves of relatively recent vintage like the Dudley Death Drop, La Resistance's Au Revoir, or MNM's Snapshot, they're always a hoot.
Maro: You’re right, but the tag team division still lacks the support and push it needs. I mean, how many times did the PTP do their Demolition Decapitation finisher?
Bim: We should do a whole other piece on tag moves after this. But it should be an of-all-time kind of thing.
I think we’re on the right track here with submissions. My #5 pick would be Undertaker’s Hell’s Gate. We know that Taker loves his MMA. And it’s obvious that he took inspiration from the Triangle Choke, and what I love about Hell’s Gate is that it is very reminiscent of fantastic MMA finishes. When a guy like Nate Diaz locks it in, that’s it.
#4.
Bim: My list is going to seem so boring now compared to the rest of yours, because I love submission maneuvers and the rest of my list will consist mostly of finishing holds. The drama and the anticipation, when booked right, can make a crowd go crazy.
That said, my #4 is the Dungeon Lock. While Tyson Kidd isn’t being utilized on TV much, I still think this highly innovative move could be booked to be really dangerous. Like Maro mentioned earlier, it is a full body submission move that we don’t really see in the WWE anymore. I agree that it does take a while to set up, but when it’s locked in, it’s locked in.
Ro: This one will be quick as it was already mentioned earlier down the list: Wade Barrett’s Bullhammer and/or Kassius Ohno’s KO elbow, since they’re essentially the same move. I like strike moves that both need a little “charge” time to set up and look like they came out of nowhere, because they’re such a personal pop moment. (You may have noticed from my running diaries that every time a Bullhammer happens, I’m all “BULLHAMMER!!!!!!!!!”)
Maro: I prefer Ohno’s Rolling (or Roaring) version myself, but I’m taking a trip up the obvious route and go for Daniel Bryan’s YES! Lock as my last submission move for the list. What makes this narrowly miss my Top Three is that I prefer the intensity of the Crippler Crossface, but that’s just me. Not to take away anything from the Yes! Lock but it is executed with a lot of technique and grappling skill. The omoplata is a nice touch, too.
Mark: I totally get that "charging" vibe too when I see Barrett or Ohno loading up their elbows for the strike - in my head, I imagine them as Guile from Street Fighter. BACK TWO SECONDS! FORWARD FLICK! FIERCE PUNCH! SONIC BOOM!
...and on that note, how bad-ass is William Regal's Knee Trembler running knee strike to the head? Nobody hits like an Englishman (see Wade Barrett above), and it's delicious how simultaneously surgically precise yet out-of-control Regal looks as he knocks his opponent out with this move! I'm ranking it as my #4, but I'm betting the rest of you are placing it higher.
#3
Ro: You’re damn right I’m placing it higher, because I was about to put it as my #3, and you just stole my thunder, man!
I love knee strikes. They might just be my most favorite kind of strike. I love Regal for using it as a finisher, I love the GTS (but I didn’t put it here because it’s not always the best finisher), I love Barrett for doing them, I and I even love Jinder Mahal more than any WWE fan should because his striking offense is 90% knees, and he owns it. He totally owns it. He knows his knees are his best weapons. I would love it if someone used a flying knee a la Jinder Mahal as a finisher. If you do that, you will be my newest favorite wrestler.
Mark: This may be the first time the words "Jinder Mahal" and "favorite wrestler" have appeared within close proximity of each other in a paragraph. 3MB is a career-killing gimmick.
A three-man gimmick that ISN'T killing careers on the other hand is the Shield, and I think Dean Ambrose's Headlock Driver is an awesome enough move to place at #3.
Ro and Maro, you guys have pointed out that Derrick Bateman's NXT version was much better, and looking back, I agree. But Ambrose's version is no meatball either. The DDT hasn't seen much innovation in the WWE since Gangrel first introduced his elevated "Impaler" version, later on stolen by Edge and Heath Slater, so hopefully this move helps people remember that smashing someone down on top of his head with this much force is always a brutal, almost guaranteed way to end a match.
Ro: Man, I devoted an entire column on LordsofPain.net to Jinder Mahal. When I get my backups restored I’ll show you.
Bim: Don’t hinder Jinder! Also, Triple H also does knees. I once had a dream where Triple H came to our house and started running after me, trying to hit me in the face with his flying knee attack thing.
Just barely making my top 3 is Alberto Del Rio’s Cross Armbreaker. The only thing this move needs is a catchier name - probably something a little racist, like “The Mexibreaker” or “Arm-Breaking Manual Labor” or something like that.
It has a good set-up that reminds me of Shawn Michaels’ SCM stomping, which never worked after a while because why the hell would it. What’s cool is even if Alberto plays the heel, the crowd still gets way into it. SI! SI! SI! SI! It’s also being booked as severely devastating, which is cool because you can’t have your champ looking weak. SI! SI! SI! SI!
Now if only D-Bry can get in on that SI! SI! SI! action.
Maro: I’ll probably get stoned for this, but here’s where I’m putting Triple H’s Pedigree in the list.
The original Pedigree was as close to a Ganso Bomb as it was (well, it was botched), but when you think “finisher” it’s hard to NOT put this on the list. Trips has won MANY championships with this move, and has hit so many variations of it (by “variations” I mean on a chair, on a table, on steel steps) that it’s hard to ignore its significance as a pro-wrestling move.
Ro: And really, that’s how you book a move as a finisher - by making a guy win with it, and win convincingly. If Hunter’s legacy wasn’t so prestigious, the Pedigree would truly just be dropping the guy on his face from three feet.
Bim: But with Trips’ balls on top.
Maro: But that’s part of the whole appeal of the Pedigree: I’m pretty sure dropping a guy on the face from three feet (yes, Bim, with his balls at the back of the neck) is quite dangerous, too.
Mark: You guys know how I feel about the Pedigree. Although I must confess, I don’t think I’d be particularly compelled to kick out after feeling Hunter’s sweaty nutsack gently caressing the back of my neck either. Maybe that’s the secret behind the move. HOT MAN-BALL ACTION! SUCK IT!
#2
Ro: My #2 is the Shooting Star Press. Yes, I’m a little sad that you guys ranked it so low. But I love this move so much that I wrote around a little under a thousand words on it, as an ode to the most beautiful aerial move in wrestling, which I shall link to instead.
Bim: My pick for #2 is almost a tie with my #1, because I think they’re both awesome finishers; it’s just that my #2 pick doesn’t feel as final as it used to - the YES! Lock. I love it for all the reasons already mentioned. It did appear on the list twice before, so it must be something worth writing home about.
Not only does it give off that Crippler Crossface (which is the #1 finisher I would’ve put on this list if someone was using it today) vibe, but it is uniquely Daniel Bryan. With all of Bryan’s intensity, locking in the YES! Lock makes the viewer feel like it’s a pit bull biting into an intruder.
Maro: Here comes a rather Solomonic decision, and after cutting the proverbial baby in half I decided to rank Regal’s Knee Trembler as the #2 best finisher in the WWE today.
Knee attacks are quite commonplace as finishers in the world of professional wrestling: there’s the Shining Wizard, KENTA’s Busaiku Knee Kick (as a signature), and then there’s Shinsuke Nakamura’s Boma Ye, but none more convincing and dangerous than William Regal’s knee-behind-the-ear. Have to agree with Mark here: the Knee Trembler is so precise, but also looks kind of chaotic. To use Regal’s phrase, “violent venom.” Plus, the brutality of that move is punctuated by his size and (surprising) burst of speed, too.
Perhaps the reason why I’m ranking it 2nd is that Regal never really quite achieved a World Championship reign using this move. Which leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth, but hey, Regal for the HoF.
Ro: Do you remember when Regal won King of the Ring back in 2008? That was supposed to be it, finally. I thought he was on his way to getting at least a token World Heavyweight Championship run soon after that... but then he violated the damn Wellness Policy. That has to be the biggest mistake a veteran as good as Regal can make. Imagine him hitting the Knee Trembler to win the title! Dammit, Regal.
Mark: Just like Maro, my next move was really difficult to place: CM Punk's Go To Sleep. Up until this point, I was torn between placing it at #1 or #2. It’s a real conundrum judging the move - should it be evaluated for how it is in theory, or the way Punk actually executes it 99% of the time?
William Regal once said that he has very few regrets in life, but one of them is that he wasn’t the one who invented the move. He says it’s perfect, and I agree in theory: throw a guy up in the air, and blast him in the face with your knee as he falls back to earth. That’s a legit way to kill a man.
But Bim rightly pointed out how sloppy Punk performs it most of the time, and I blame that on Punk’s less than awesome physique. Hit some deadlifts and squats at the gym for crying out loud, son! It looks terrible when he tries to hit it on a bigger dude, and he’s generally gotten too cautious with it lately, aiming his knee closer to the chest than to the victim’s face.
However, when he does hit the GTS on the right guy, it’s DEATH. John Cena in particular takes the move gloriously, selling it like he’s knocked out on his feet before his body even realizes it. I will joyfully forgive every single sloppy, loose GTS I’ve seen on Punk’s bigger opponents for the sight of John Cena toppling to the mat like a chopped tree after taking a big knee flush to the face. Mr. Punk (may I call you CM?), your mutton chop sideburns look ridonkulous, but your finisher is awesome. Just not awesome enough to be my #1.
#1
Mark: There is arguably no move more legendary than the Undertaker’s Tombstone Reverse Piledriver, and that’s what I’m ranking as the greatest move in the WWE today. From the first time he pulverized Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart at Survivor Series ‘90, we all knew this was a move that would make a permanent impact in wrestling annals.
(Hehe.. I said annals..)
It’s a move that’s figured in many historic moments, whether it was crunching Hulk Hogan on top of a steel chair for Taker’s first world championship, or ending Shawn Michaels’ wrestling career. When the Dead Man slits his throat, picks you up, drives you headfirst into the mat, then folds your arms over your chest for the pin, you know you’re taking a one-way trip to the dark side.
And if anybody dares (DARES!) call this move a “Standing 69,” Imma dropkick his face into tomorrow.
Bim: I’m glad you addressed the elephant in the room and said what we all think - it does look like a standing 69.
For me, as far as finishers go, it shouldn’t be used too often. You use a move often enough and it doesn’t become special anymore. And that’s why I’m putting CM Punk’s Anaconda Vice in my top spot.
It’s good that we barely see this move anymore. Punk has been using the GTS more often and that’s a good thing. He only breaks this bad boy out on those special occasions. And when he does, his face gets intense and the crowd goes wild. What’s awesome is that Punk really yanks on his victim. While it doesn’t look like Punk gets all of the choke, especially compared to the jiu jitsu version of it, it’s enough to know that it is a legit hold that people will tap out to.
Also, since Punk isn’t the biggest guy on the roster, he wouldn’t be able to hit the GTS on huge guys like Mark Henry or probably even Brock Lesnar. The Anaconda Vice gives him a viable option for taking down man-mountains.
Ro: SPEAR! SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR SPEAR!
Let me tell you something - the Spear is the first finisher I truly fell in love with. I thought the Stunner was cool, I thought the chokeslam was cool, I thought the Pedigree was cool, I thought the Rock Bottom was cool, but there was nothing quite like the Spear.
I saw Goldberg do it first, but I really loved Edge’s because I was - okay, still am - a huge Edge mark. A very big Edgehead, so to speak. I know it’s not the prettiest or most dangerous-looking version of the move out there, but dammit, I still loved it like the old, slow dog that it was. It ended matches. It won championships.
I hit my own Spears on people back in the day, even at a hundred pounds, and I probably still would in a real fight. It’s a running shoulder tackle; a very simple low-risk, high-reward move.
I’ve moved on to loving the Spear no matter who does it, Christian’s moved on to adopting it full-time, and I like how it always doesn’t end matches for him. Christian’s far from the biggest guy on the roster, and I think it helps the move by allowing bigger wrestlers, like Roman Reigns and Kaitlyn, to win with it as they deliver it better.
Maro: And now for the #1 finisher. A move so insanely difficult to place given the bar set up there, but as much as I love the Tombstone Piledriver, and I love the Spear, I have to go for the one thing that has kept me riveted to the wonderful world of wrestling. Be it Natalya, Luke Harper, or JBL, the greatest finisher in all of wrestling is the Clothesline/Lariat. With the caveat that if it’s done right. Natalya and Harper precede theirs with a discus. Leo Kruger has a mean one in NXT. And then there’s JBL’s Clothesline from Hell. Kane’s signature clothesline from the top rope. Undertaker’s leaping clothesline. Heck, Ryback’s Meathook. Kobashi’s Burning Lariat. Snitsky, for heaven’s sake, had a very sick looking clothesline. And I could go on a 20-paragraph rant of Stan Hansen’s legendary lariat.
Sure, there are a lot of sloppy variants out there, but when you take a look at the many great examples of this pro wrestling staple, it’s hard to deny its importance in the match, whether as a basic move, a signature, or as the sport’s most underrated finisher.
Imagine you running at full speed, or your opponent running at full speed, and the crook of the arm just hits the jaw with such force. Some may attribute the power of the clothesline to the guy selling it, but we’ve seen people get knocked out and injured with this move in decades of pro wrestling. It’s as close to decapitation as you can get in the sport. It is as basic as hell, but little things done well, like this move, make wrestling so fun to watch.
Ro: And that does it for this edition of the Roundtable. (Yes, there will be more.) Now, it's time to hear from you. What's your favorite finisher(s) in the WWE right now? If you made it all the way here, we'd love to know.
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