Our Ten Best- Episode 38: Most Influential Wrestling Finishers

Over the past 15 years, professional wrestling has gone from revolutionary in terms of athletic prowess to well… mediocre. It’s not that the athletes aren’t still amazing, but in terms of the moves used in the ring, the innovation of the ’90s hasn’t carried over into the next millennium. As a result, many of the moves that made wrestlers superstars a decade before are still being used today and because of that, the sport lacks the same appeal it once had.

In this piece, ReviewFix.com Editor-In-Chief Patrick Hickey Jr. counts down ten of the most influential finishing moves in the industry.

10- Clothesline from Hell:
Stan Hansen made the move famous in the ’80s, but John Bradshaw Layfield made it a household name in the ’90s. Other wrestlers like Rick Steiner, Masato Tanaka, Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg had vicious clotheslines in their arsenals, but it was never a finisher for them. For guys like Hansen and Bradshaw however, the move induced a plethora of victories.

9- Frog Splash:
Used by everyone from Eddy Guerrero to Di-Lo Brown, the frog splash is essentially a modified splash off the top rope, but when done right, it can steal the show. Just ask anyone who ever saw the late-Mike Awesome pull it off back in his ECW days. The same thing goes for former NWA champion Christian Cage, who used the move to take himself from a mid-carder in the WWE to a main eventer in TNA.

8- Frankensteiner: Scott Steiner may have made the move famous and while it will often be regarded as his, countless cruiserweights, [Rey Mysterio especially] have modified the move and put their own stamp on it. Often used as a set-up move nowadays, the move is still a stunning one when done by the right competitor.

7- Super Kick:
The list of wrestlers that have used this move is insanely long, ranging from Lance Storm and Chris Adams to “The Heartbreak Kid,” Shawn Michaels. Able to turn the table during a match in a second, it’s one of the most devastating moves in the industry. It’s also the move that ended Bret Hart’s career.

6- Figure-Four leg lock:
Ric Flair may be the last wrestler in the sport to use it as a finisher, but as long as the industry is alive and well, athletes will use this move. Able to get the crowd back in the match, nothing gets the crowd going like seeing the move reversed.

5- Elbow drop:
Much like the figure-four, Randy Savage pretty much retired this move as a finisher when he retired, but that will never stop countless other wrestlers from using it.

4- Powerbomb: Again, for as long as there is a sport, huge wrestlers with a lack of ingenuity will use some variation of the powerbomb as a finisher. From Kevin Nash’s delayed “Jacknife” to the late Andrew “Test” Martin’s side-swipe diving variation of the move, it’s been done to death. Nevertheless, it’s a hard move to top in terms of devastation. While many have done the move however, only a few have done it will a sheer ferocity to make it truly their own. Of the few, performers the likes of Sid Vicious and Scott Norton stand tall among the best who have used it.

3- Chokeslam:
Much like the Powerbomb, big guys will always use the Chokeslam. While the Undertaker and Kane have made a living from the move, guys like 911 managed to squeeze a few more years out of his carer with it.

2- Ace Crusher: Johnny Ace’s modified neckbreaker not only paved the way for “The Stone Cold Stunner” and “The Diamond Cutter,” but the “RKO” as well. Even the Disco Inferno used the move, tabbing it “The Chart Buster,” after his wrap-around jaw breaker went flat.

1- The DDT: Who would have thought that Jake Roberts tripping while having someone in a headlock in the early ’80s would change the industry forever? Simply put, if you are a wrestler, you’ve used this move. Scott “Raven” Levy continued the legacy of the move as a finisher through the ’90s and into the millennium, but it appears its time as a finisher is over. Nevertheless, when someone like Hulk Hogan, who was locked into a move set for nearly 20 years, manages to use it, [the first big Nitro during the New Blood storyline was the night] that’s saying something.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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