There are two things in a pro wrestling match that people usually look forward to seeing - a wrestler’s entrance and the finish of a match. The entrance is obvious, simple, and self-explanatory: when the first note of a wrestler’s theme hits, you know that he is here, that he has arrived; and whatever reaction follows is a product of the collective effort put in by the wrestler himself, the booker and the writers, and to a smaller extent, the fans as well. That means you’re either happy or really sad and annoyed he’s here.
The finish, however, is a little more complicated. When I say finish, I’m talking about the last minute; the last few moments of a match leading up to the bell ringing and the “official” result of a match. Usually integral to that final sequence is a wrestler’s finisher, the move in a wrestler’s arsenal that generally serves as a plot device - the climax of a match’s story, more often than not. What happens after the finisher gets hit or locked in - whether or not the opponent stays down or taps out - is the resolution.
Here’s the thing, though: not every finisher is created equal. There are some finishers that are more devastating than others, just by how they look. There are some finishers that are more complicated than others, but that doesn’t necessarily make them better than the simple ones. In any discussion, a wrestler’s initial impact on a fan is often judged by how good his finisher is - because that will be his calling card, because it will be the moment fans remember the most. If he cannot stand out with his finish, or at least make the fans go “daaaamn” or wince in pain for the poor guy on the business end of the move, he will most likely be forgettable. It can be broken through (and it’s been done before, but we’ll get to that later) but for the most part, it will be a demerit.
Today, we’ll be talking about the 10 best finishers in the WWE right now. I say “we” because I am joined by fellow members of the Geek Out community, as this idea really sprouted from a fun little Twitter conversation we had on which finishers we did and didn’t like. You may have noticed that Geek Out isn’t just stocked with comic book, video game, toy, and movie geeks - wrestling fans have a place here, too (or else I wouldn’t be here).
So hello, gentlemen, why don’t you introduce yourselves before we get started?