Some of the best finishing moves in WWE
A finishing maneuver or finisher is a wrestler's trademark move; one that he/she relies on most of the time to end a match. For the past few decades, virtually every professional wrestler has his/her own finishing move, usually with a name that suits the wrestler's gimmick. The finisher may simply be a glorified version of a move that other wrestlers use as a regular maneuver, or it may be an innovative attack that no one else had executed before. Regardless, if a wrestler is scripted to lose a match after receiving a finisher, he will sell that move as if it is the most damaging attack in his opponent's arsenal.
In kayfabe the reason for the better effectiveness compared to other users of the move is that the wrestler has perfected the move, thus making him more efficient in using it, and usually more effective in countering and absorbing it. Because of this wrestlers usually either sell less or no-sell the damage caused by their finisher when it is given to them by other wrestlers.
Most finishers take time to set up and execute, and require that the victim be already somewhat dazed or weakened. This convention creates some opportunities for the storyline. A wrestler might attempt his finisher too early, without having worn down his opponent enough -- the finisher will then fail, as the intended victim will extricate himself from the hold preceding the finisher, or simply move out of the way. Thus, a failed finisher can backfire badly if it is a high-risk maneuver.
There are however other finishers that require little or no set-up time and effort, and can be sprung on a fully capable opponent almost instantly. Such finishers are more appealing because they can be performed at any time, often as a counter to an opponent's attack, thus adding to the excitement of a match. These quick finishers are also seen during promos where one of the wrestlers catches the other by surprise, but wishes to render him/her unconscious or incapacitated quickly before help arrives.
Wrestling fans tend to cheer if a face successfully performs his finisher, or boo if it is a heel. This is because they know the match will soon end, with the winner being the wrestler who executed his/her finisher. Only in very rare occasions does a wrestler get back up after receiving his/her opponent's finisher. However, during Pay Per View matches, which tend to be longer than televised matches due to reduced time constraints, it is significantly more common for a wrestler to get up after being hit by his opponent's finisher, and the climaxes of some matches (especially main events) involve both competitors hitting their finishers several times before one emerges victorious.
In Japanese puroresu, there is more often a few signature moves that can end the match, including combinations. As well, some wrestlers have some rarely used moves that are reserved for only after other moves have failed to defeat their opponent.
In Lucha Libre, the 2/3 falls match also lends to the latter, as an opponent may give up a fall early to avoid being injured or weakened for the next one.
* Stone Cold Steve Austin's Stone Cold Stunner.
A swift kick followed by a three-quarter facelock chinbreaker. One of the main draws of this move is that it can come out quickly and without warning. Austin was often portrayed as a foul mouthed rebel and liable to 'stun' every wrestler he met regardless of whether they were face or heel. The Rock was a regular victim of the move, selling it with an exaggerated backflip on more than one occasion. A variation of the same move minus the opening kick (a three-quarter facelock bulldog) was previously used by Diamond Dallas Page, who called it the Diamond Cutter, and by Johnny Ace, who was the first to use a variation on the move, and called it the Ace Crusher. A modified version is currently used by Randy Orton, who calls it the RKO.
* Triple H's Pedigree, a double underhook facebuster.
The set-up of the move is slow enough for fans to realize what he is attempting before he actually does it. The move gets its name from his original gimmick, that of a "blue-blooded" upper-crust socialite Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Christopher Daniels uses a variation of the Pedigree known as the "Angel's Wings," only the move is a Spinning Sitout Double Underhook Facebuster.
* The Rock's People's Elbow.
This is a good example of a finisher that is portrayed as being much more damaging than it actually is. It is basically a simple elbow drop, preceded by a routine that involves The Rock pulling off his elbow pad (and throwing it into the crowd), bouncing off the ropes and lifting one leg as if performing a leg drop. All this time, his opponent has to lie motionless on the mat, waiting to receive the elbow drop. Typically, the People's Elbow was used as a follow-up to a spinebuster or the Rock Bottom, which was supposedly powerful enough to keep his opponent down long enough to execute his showboating finisher.
* The Undertaker's Tombstone Piledriver.
Where the opponent is held belly-to-belly, up-side-down, with head between the thighs. The wrestler then drops to their knees, supposedly sending the opponent's head crashing into the mat. Usually, The Undertaker then lets down the opponent on the mat, back-first, where he takes one hand, followed by the other, placing it on their chest and holding them down for the pin, while 'overshadowing' the opponent, staring off into the distance, extending his tongue. This move is also infrequently used by Kane.
* Bret Hart's Sharpshooter.
It is a submission hold that damages his opponent's legs and back, and can legitimately hurt a wrestler if the person applying the move applies more pressure. Previous to Bret Hart using the move Sting in WCW used the same move, which he called the Scorpion Deathlock, although he placed the opponent's legs below the knee instead of the thigh. Although the name originally referred to Hart's "Hitman" gimmick, it was popular enough that it became the common name for the hold. Many wrestlers, such as Chris Benoit and The Rock, have used the move since. While the invention of the move is often attributed to Bret Hart, the first person to use it in professional wrestling was actually puroresu (Japanese wrestling) star Riki Choshu, who has used it since his debut in 1974. His name for it was the Sasori-game, which translates to Scorpion Hold, which may have had some bearing on why Sting started using the move, as scorpions are a part of his gimmick and are emblazoned on the sides of his wrestling singlet.
* Chris Benoit's Crippler Crossface.
A submission hold applied while the victim is on their stomach. Their arm is secured in between Benoit's legs, at which point the rabid wolverine applies pressure on the opponent's face, using his arm. The Crossface can be applied from almost any situation, including as a reversal to choke slams and clotheslines.
* Keiji Mutoh's Shining Wizard.
This move is so popular that many Japanese professional wrestlers and independent American wrestlers use it. It is a running step-up knee strike done to a kneeling opponent. Mutoh often executed the move from various positions. The most common variant is the Shining Enzuigiri, which ends in a kick to the back of the head instead of a knee strike. Gregory Helms calls his running enzuigiri to a kneeling opponent a Shining Wizard as a tribute to Mutoh, although it bears little resemblance to the actual move.
* Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music.
Shawn Michaels has often used this quick, yet effective move to show authority in the ring, whether in promo interviews or 'clearing house'. In a match Shawn tries to generate heat from the crowd by 'tuning up the band' (going to a corner of the ring and stomping one foot repeatedly) and getting ready for the Sweet Chin Music. The appeal of this move lies in its swiftness as the opponent cannot see when it's coming.
* John Cena's F-U.
Coined by Cena as a take on Brock Lesnar's F-5 finisher. The move is done as Cena puts his opponent on his shoulders in a firemans carry places his right arm over his opponents head and raises his opponents lower body and sends his opponent crashing to the floor either in front of him or to his right. Variations used by John Cena include him landing his opponent in a sit-out version, or falling to the right with his opponent. More recently, it has been a precursor to the STF-U, which is Cena's variation of the STF (Stepover Toehold Facelock).
* Kurt Angle's Ankle Lock.
Another example of a finisher that can be executed in almost any situation. The move, which was originally used by Ken Shamrock, can be placed while being held upside down, out of a pin, and even through an opponent's finisher. If more pressure is applied the lock will cause genuine pain to the receiver. Recently Kurt Angle has been using a modified version by wrapping his legs around the opponents in a grapevine style. This supposedly makes the move virtually inescapable.
* Rey Mysterio's 619.
It is a famed move as Rey hits a Drop Toe-Hold which sends the victim to the second rope as he runs back to the opposite ropes and swings around the top and second ropes, kicking his opponent with both feet and following it with a Springboard Hurricanrana, Leg Drop, Splash or Seated senton.
I naturally agree with the Stone Cold Stunner being a good finisher. If the Stunny doesn't land on their knee's right or aren't in the right position they can easily be injured.
