WHAT does it take to be a top WWE Superstar? One thing’s for certain – you need a killer finishing move.
From top rope splashes to big boots and gorilla press slams, every great wrestling star has had their own signature finishing move.
To celebrate WWE’s most bone-crunching and death-defying manoeuvres, we count down the ten greatest ever.
Keep up to date with ALL the WWE news, gossip, plus results
10. The Pedigree – Triple H
The finisher that Trips has used since his WWE debut way back in 1995 – and named after his original snobbish blueblood character – has stood the test of time.
Technically known as double under-hook face buster, the Pedigree is unique and genuinely nasty looking. When “The Game” locks it in, you know it’s pretty much, well, game over.
It’s no wonder Seth Rollins has now nabbed it for himself.
9. Swanton Bomb – Jeff Hardy
Of all WWE’s high-flyers – from “Superfly” Jimmy’s Snuka to Rey Mysterio – daredevil Jeff Hardy is the most dangerous.
Mostly because he’s willing to launch his devastating Swanton somersault dive from just about anything – the ropes, a steel cage, even the top of a 20ft ladder.
Other Superstars have used the Swanton, but none are as graceful or gut-wrenchingly hardcore as Hardy’s version.
Related stories
8. Leg Drop – Hulk Hogan
Say what you will about Hogan’s abilities as a wrestler, his running leg drop won him more matches than any wrestler on the planet in the 1980s and 1990s.
Grumpy fans might have tired of the Hulkster’s routine – big boot, leg drop, 1-2-3 – but it’s still as iconic as any finisher in the history of pro wrestling.
7. Sweet Chin Music – Shawn Michaels
As The Heart Break Kid proved many times, there’s nothing like a good old fashioned kick in the chops.
Since adopting the move as his finisher in the mid-1990s, Michaels used the rear kick – always telegraphed with his patented “tuning up the band” foot stomp – to defeat superstars such as Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, and Chris Jericho. He even ended Ric Flair’s career with it.
6. Doomsday Device – The Legion of Doom
The double team manoeuvre is an art form of its own – and the Doomsday Device is the most brutal looking and dangerous of the lot.
It’s quite simple: Animal hoists an opponent up on to his shoulders, while Hawk dives from the top rope to hit them with a clothesline powerful enough to take someone’s head clean off.
What a rush, as Hawk would have said.
5. RKO – Randy Orton
Much like DDP’s Diamond Cutter, the RKO is almost the perfect finisher – a jaw-bashing blow that can be hit from almost any position at any time.
Always finding new and exciting ways to strike – usually when an opponent is hurtling towards him from 10ft in the air – the “RKO outta nowhere” has is not only become WWE staple, but a viral sensation too.
4. The People’s Elbow – The Rock
Completely ludicrous on first glance, this is pure showmanship – and a fitting move for the man who’d go on to be Hollywood’s biggest box-office star.
After delivering his signature pose to the crowd, Rock hits the ropes before gliding towards his opponent and hitting a perfect elbow to the chest – or as it’s otherwise known, “the most electrifying move in sports-entertainment”.
3. Sharpshooter – Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart
There was nothing cool or sexy about submission holds until the Hitman started using Sharpshooter in the early ‘90s.
It perfectly suited his reputation as the “Excellence of Execution” – a technically precise manoeuvre that locks his opponents into place and puts agonising pressure on the back.
Best remembered for rendering a bloodied Steve Austin unconscious at WrestleMania 13.
2. Stone Cold Stunner – ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
If one finisher summed up WWE’s Attitude Era, it’s the stunner – completely unpredictable and like a ton of bricks to the chin.
Everyone who steps in the ring with “Stone Cold” is guaranteed at least one parting Stunner, as The New Day discovered at WrestleMania.
Usually accompanied by a deafening pop from the crowd and sound of glass breaking when Austin’s music hits.
1. Tombstone – The Undertaker
Undertaker has been laying opponents to rest with his reverse piledriver Tombstone for 25 years – and in all that time, only eight Superstars have ever kicked out from it.
These days, it’s the only piledriver that WWE hasn’t banned, which goes to show how important it is to the legendary character.
Though his brother Kane has also used the Tombstone, it undoubtedly belongs to ‘Taker. Rest in peace, indeed.
See all these and more on the WWE Network
Leave a comment