Finishers

[Codebreaker]

Finishers...We know almost everyone has one, and so today I would like to talk about finishers and how they help make superstars.

What I am going to ask is for your thoughts on finishers that help make a superstart what they are. Not as a gimmick, but as the superstar themself.

Example:

Tombstone Piledriver - Undertaker: This move has made The Undertaker's fans all around the world mark out and scream whenever he sets it up. The finisher is "devistating" and he is one of the few to ever use it in the WWE. The name of the move, the look, the "devistation". This move tops off Takers move set and makes a big part of his matches, unlike it could do for anyone else. Admit that when you see kane pull it off, you do not nearly get as excited, as when Taker does.

So I guess I am asking, what superstars finishers help make them, and what finishers do some superstars pull off that would not be nearly as big of a deal if someone else were too?

 

[Klown_Karnage]

Well, if we're talking about finishers that are more or less inseparable from or help to define certain characters, we can't neglect to mention Rey Mysterio's 619. Frankly, few if any wrestlers in the WWE besides him can pull this one off, let alone are willing to do so. It, as a move, is everything Rey is, acrobatic, flashy, using every advantage available, and putting his whole self into it. I don't think it would really work with anybody else doing it.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I think the question here is what finishers make a wrestler who they are. I guess in modern perspectives, you could say that CM Punk's Go to Sleep move is the most unique move and the definition of Punk's character. And it looks like it legit hurts someone...kinda like how Punk is in real life. Punk's a martial artist and having a move like the GTS helps his character. And no one else does it. That matters a lot.

Randy Orton has a great finisher, but DDP did it before him. Same goes for Edge's spear, Booker T's 'Book End', and Scott Steiner's Steiner Recliner. Having an original move can define a character. Or just doing that move real, REAL good can, as well.

 

[StampedeWraslin]

If you are talking about a finisher making a wrestler a superstar you have to talk Benoit (event though he never existed according to WWE). The crossface was to benoit what the Stunner was to Stone Cold or the Tombstone to Taker. When Benoit got an opponents arm and got them down the crowd would explode, and the intensity that both would sell the move with made it into more than just a move but a signature.

 

[The Gribbler]

I think that the Batista Bomb really personifies Batista, although I know he is not the best wrestler and the move isn't all that original...or original at all...but that move sends the crowd freaking crazy, so you really can't deny that it helps the man get over...

Just My Opinion.

P.S. Personally Batista isn't my cuppa tea but jesus is he over...for whatever reason.

 

[PEP3]

Maybe the point of this conversation is to dissect current/active superstars, but the first thing I thought of when I read this thread is someone fairly "old-school." It was someone who originated a move which is now so common-place, it's not even considered a "finisher" usually. However, in the hands of its originator, it ended almost every match. The move is the DDT, and the originator, of course, is Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

At the time that Jake originated the move, I remember thinking how utterly devastating it looked when he performed it. Unlike so many of today's wrestlers who kind of "spike" the DDT, sending opponents crashing down on the top of their head, Jake's DDT planted opponents firmly on their face. And, trust me, whenever he hit it, the fans went friggin' nuts! I know I sure did!

Now, of course, the DDT is incredibly common, used as just every-day offensive by many different superstars. However, when Jake first started using it, it seemed like he created the move himself, which made it feel incredibly special. He was also extremely quick, so he could seemingly apply it out of nowhere to lethal affects.

Maybe the DDT's not as flashy as some moves which came later, but the fact Jake contributed a hold which has since become a household word for any wrestling fan must say something. And the fact that 20 years after the height of his popularity you can still say his name and everyone knows it was his finisher shows just how inseparable the two really are.

 

[BetterThenU!!!]

I think the question here is what finishers make a wrestler who they are. I guess in modern perspectives, you could say that CM Punk's Go to Sleep move is the most unique move and the definition of Punk's character. And it looks like it legit hurts someone...kinda like how Punk is in real life. Punk's a martial artist and having a move like the GTS helps his character. And no one else does it. That matters a lot

Randy Orton has a great finisher, but DDP did it before him. Same goes for Edge's spear, Booker T's 'Book End', and Scott Steiner's Steiner Recliner. Having an original move can define a character. Or just doing that move real, REAL good can, as well.

you do know KENTA invented the GTS in Japan in say 2002 so he used it before Orton however modified DDP's cutter by jumping and at times using one hand CM Punk to me has never realy originated his own move from scratch besides the pepsi twist......pepsi plunge was done by Chyna against Jericho in their 1999 IC bout at survivor series anacoda vise invented by another japanese wrester and have you seen bubba ray do a rock botton/bookend amazing!i dont mean to argue just stating my point of Punk needs an originak move back or just bring back the poepsi twist and call it the cleen sweep and use it as a secondary finisher.........................................................................................................................one more thing WOOWOOWOO!!!

 

[stryfe604]

Hogans leg drop is possibly the most iconic move in wrestling. It wasn't innovative, pretty looking, or devastating. But it brought the house down. Whether you watched wrestling or not, you knew Hogan's Leg Drop.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

you do know KENTA invented the GTS in Japan in say 2002 so he used it before Orton however modified DDP's cutter by jumping and at times using one hand CM Punk to me has never realy originated his own move from scratch besides the pepsi twist......pepsi plunge was done by Chyna against Jericho in their 1999 IC bout at survivor series anacoda vise invented by another japanese wrester and have you seen bubba ray do a rock botton/bookend amazing!i dont mean to argue just stating my point of Punk needs an originak move back or just bring back the poepsi twist and call it the cleen sweep and use it as a secondary finisher.........................................................................................................................one more thing WOOWOOWOO!!!

You seem like you know some stuff about wrestling. If only you typed like you know your stuff. Anyway, didn't know KENTA! used the move in Japan. But in the states, it's unique to the WWE, which in most fans eyes means he originated it. And DDP and Orton both use the Diamond Cutter/RKO the same way in different variations.

And the Pepsi Plunge won't be used by Punk due to the danger and damage the move does to the opponent and himself. In an interview, Punk says it was too hard on his knees to do that move day in and day out. Not to mention it's just a Pedigree off the top rope. So that move wouldn't fly in the WWE.

 

[CH David]

you do know KENTA invented the GTS in Japan in say 2002 so he used it before Orton however modified DDP's cutter by jumping and at times using one hand CM Punk to me has never realy originated his own move from scratch besides the pepsi twist......pepsi plunge was done by Chyna against Jericho in their 1999 IC bout at survivor series anacoda vise invented by another japanese wrester and have you seen bubba ray do a rock botton/bookend amazing!i dont mean to argue just stating my point of Punk needs an originak move back or just bring back the poepsi twist and call it the cleen sweep and use it as a secondary finisher.........................................................................................................................one more thing WOOWOOWOO!!!

Not to be a prick, but you do know that Lariat was just stating that the GTS is in fact what makes Punk's character which was the point of the thread. To which I agree with him. This isn't who originated what move, it is what finisher made the superstar, he was just stating that originality can help if it hasn't been seen, which a lot of people haven't seen it done in Japan by KENTA. I'm possibly contradicting myself. Onto the thread at hand.

I'm going to go with Jeff Hardy and the Swanton/Senton Bomb. That is the move that made him as big and over as he was. Well that and Whisper in the Wind but WitW wasn't a finisher. Jeff doing the Swanton Bomb was fucking awesome. He didn't originate it, at least I don't think he did, but it made his career. Jeff was known as the one to jump off shit, when it came to ladders and balconies, it was the Swanton Bomb. In fact, my favorite was his at Royal Rumble 2000 in the table match. But it became a staple of his career, and we saw it in his TLC match with Punk. Swanton onto the announce table.

Same move applies for when it isn't as big a deal when others do it. Mr. Kennedy had the Kenton Bomb. But when Jeff came back, Kennedy had to switch, I think having to do with not wanting two people to have the same finisher. Jeff was and probably still is one of the few truly associated with the Senton/Swanton as a finisher, I may be wrong so don't quote me on it, and I know I prefer Jeff doing it than others, but that is just me.

 

[Alex]

Not to be a prick, but you do know that Lariat was just stating that the GTS is in fact what makes Punk's character which was the point of the thread. To which I agree with him. This isn't who originated what move, it is what finisher made the superstar, he was just stating that originality can help if it hasn't been seen, which a lot of people haven't seen it done in Japan by KENTA. I'm possibly contradicting myself. Onto the thread at hand.

I'm going to go with Jeff Hardy and the Swanton/Senton Bomb. That is the move that made him as big and over as he was. Well that and Whisper in the Wind but WitW wasn't a finisher. Jeff doing the Swanton Bomb was fucking awesome. He didn't originate it, at least I don't think he did, but it made his career. Jeff was known as the one to jump off shit, when it came to ladders and balconies, it was the Swanton Bomb. In fact, my favorite was his at Royal Rumble 2000 in the table match. But it became a staple of his career, and we saw it in his TLC match with Punk. Swanton onto the announce table.

Same move applies for when it isn't as big a deal when others do it. Mr. Kennedy had the Kenton Bomb. But when Jeff came back, Kennedy had to switch, I think having to do with not wanting two people to have the same finisher. Jeff was and probably still is one of the few truly associated with the Senton/Swanton as a finisher, I may be wrong so don't quote me on it, and I know I prefer Jeff doing it than others, but that is just me.

I think I might be right in saying th SWANTON bomb was originated by Jeff Hardy the SENTON wasn't, I think its to do with the execution, the senton immediatly landing on your oppenent back first, whereas the swanton is delayed with a swandive first


OT I always thought sweet chin music was great especially when HBK 'tunes up the band' I start marking out then, yeah its not original but HBK has made it his own

 

[klunderbunker]

For the current product, it's Shawn and the chin music. Look back at most of Shawn's biggest matches and you'll see a familiar pattern. Shawn gets the living crap beaten out of him and from out of nowhere, it's a random superkick to take someone down and even everything out all over again. that is the showstopping move that has won Shawn more matches and titles than anyone else. It's Sweet Chin Music now, not the superkick. That's his move. He made it famous, he does it best, and that is the move that fits his character of grinding it out until he can hit one big shot to catch up all at once.

 

[Acid]

Surprised no one has mention Ric Flair and the Figure 4 Leg Lock. I know other ppl use it, but that move is Ric Flair. Another move that made the wrestler was the Frogsplash. It made RVD and it made Guerrero. Granted Eddie used it as a tribute to his late partner, it helped make him who he was. It also had a great mini fued for the IC title it think between the both with Eddie coming out on top. Angle Slam made Kurt. He was officially complete as a character though when he took up the Ankle Lock as well.

 

[CH David]

I think I might be right in saying th SWANTON bomb was originated by Jeff Hardy the SENTON wasn't, I think its to do with the execution, the senton immediatly landing on your oppenent back first, whereas the swanton is delayed with a swandive first

I don't like getting into technicalities. It is the same move, Jeff just called it the Swanton because of how he jumps, and he gets full extension with his arms and legs. You look back to early in his career, they even called it the Senton Bomb. Go back to Royal Rumble 2000 in the table match, JR says "A Senton Bomb from the balcony." It really is the same move, Jeff just does a swandive at the same time.

 

[KANE-A-KNIGHT]

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_LN5PQNzX9U&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_LN5PQNzX9U&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

One wrestler whose move defined him, Scotty too hotty, yeah he wasnt the most recognised wrestler but evryone loved the worm and it was unique to him. The move was shit but it was cool to watch and got the whole crowd one thier feet.

And who could forget the peoples elbow, the most electriying move in sports entertainment. Another prime example to finisher defined for one person. Not the most impactful finisher but again people loved to watch it.

 

[SARIEL]

You guys cant be forgeting to mention the greatest move ever.....Killswitch by Christian. When he grabs the guys hands you know it time and everyone marks out.

 

[GSM]

I have to go with Stan Hansen and his Lariat, his Lariats are legendary and they made him "Mr Lariato" in Japan, his Lariat really helped him to become the big star he is today and his stiffness played an important role in that too, but combined these two factors really helped Hansen in his run in Japan.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

I think this is a really interesting discussion. For the ultimate finisher it needs to be simple, but have a distinct effect whether it looks devastating or just fun.

I remember (and still do) Kane's chokeslam always got me, I know it was the same as a secondary move by undertaker but i loved it!

I think its a shame that the more modern finishers are so complicated in an attempt to be original that it loses value as a move to something just technical. I know they look cool but its just a techinical move not something "devastating."

 

[Hulkamaniac]

There are three moves that come to mind that indelibly tied to the wrestler.

1. Jake Roberts and the DDT. This move was absolutely devastating and the only guy who did it was Jake.

2. The Rock and The People's Elbow. This move just reeks of the Rock. Flashy and playing to the crowd, this move embodies the Rock.

3. Curt Hennig and the Perfect-Plex/Bridging Cradle Suplex. The move was highly technical, complex, and took perfect execution. It fit perfectly (pun intended) with Curt's character.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Hulk Hogan and the Atomic Leg Drop. We see leg drops in 75% of matches today, but none compare to the scene that was Hogan's leg drop. As soon as he hit the big boot, the crown would go insane, and as soon as he dropped the big leg across his opponent, the 1,2,3 was soon to follow. Even though Hogan was a power guy who could pull off much more impressive moves, I can't imagine him using anything other than the leg drop.

 

[Acid]

Some more moves would be the Diving Elbow from Macho Man. Was awesome. Also who could forget the Ultimate Warriors clothesline barrages/military press and then the splashes. Let's not forget Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. His top rope body splash was excellent and he was so huge it is to this day, the most devestating looking splash that I have seen.

 

[terran]

John morrison/Johnny Nitro-Starship Pain: In my opinion this is one of the most flashy, innovative, most difficult moves to pull off. Not much devistation though.

Rob Van Dam-5 Star Frogsplash: Taking nothing away from Eddie Guerrero, Art Barr, or any one else who does/did the Frogsplash, but no one has ever made the move look as exciting and RVD.

Randy Orton-Punt Kick: It's not flashy, fun to watch, it's not done in many matches, and it's only done every few months, but any time you see Orton setting up for it, you pray his apponent moves out of the way. The Punt Kick mixed in with Orton's recent tattoo work adds the perfect edge to his Viper gimmick.

Petey Williams-Canadian Destroyer: This Sunset Flip Piledriver spells INNOVATION, INNOVATION, INNOVATION!!!

Bill Goldberg-Spear: It wasn't really his finisher but when he nailed his apponent with the Spear he literally ran his apponent over. There have been many people who used the spear (Edge, Lashley, Batista, etc.) but no one will ever execute the spear the way Goldberg did.

John "Bradshaw" Layfield-Clothesline From Hell: Come one, who didn't enjoy seeing JBL tear his apponent's head off.

 

[pyrusane]

As I was watching Smackdown the other night, a thought struck me that fits in perfectly with this conversation. At one point in the Undertaker's match, he whips his opponent to the ropes, meets him coming back with a big boot, then follows that up with a leg drop. Watching this series of moves, the first thought that came into mind was "If that was Hogan, the match would be over right now." Seriously, its been years since I've seen Hogan wrestle a match, and yet upon seeing that specific progression of moves I immediately recognized it as his finishing series. Even the way Taker ran to the ropes to set up the leg drop reminded me of Hogan.

My point is, Hulk Hogan was certainly neither the first nor the last wrestler to use a leg drop in a match. Hell, Matt Hardy used to routinely do a leg drop from the top turnbuckle, or the top of a ladder. The move isn't flashy, it isn't really that high impact, and in most cases it would merely be a time-filler to set up for a bigger "spot". And yet Hulk Hogan took this simple move and built a career off of it. Not just "a" career, but "the" career. When I think of the three most memorable moments in the greatest career in professional wrestling, two of the three involve that simple finisher. In no particular order, (well, actually in chronological order), they are 1) Dropping the leg on the Iron Sheik to win his first WWF/E title, beginning the first reign of Hulkamania, 2) Bodyslamming Andre, an act that was followed by a slightly less memorable leg drop, and 3) Dropping the leg on Randy Savage, the leg drop that launched the NWO.

Really, has any other finisher been involved in so many memorable and pivotal moments in wrestling history?

 

[pyrusane]

You guys cant be forgeting to mention the greatest move ever.....Killswitch by Christian. When he grabs the guys hands you know it time and everyone marks out.

While the Killswitch does look like it would hurt, it also looks very improbable, and easily escapable. This is one of those moves that, to me at least, really hurts the suspension of disbelief because it takes so much work to set up. While the end result is impressive, the setup just seems to take too long for my taste. I had a similar problem with Gregory Helms' old finisher in the WCW days, the Vertebreaker. While it looked like it could literally kill someone (which, incidentally, is why it was banned shortly after he joined the WWF/E, because, well, it could) it wasn't exactly a move that could surprise anyone or be hit suddenly and unexpectedly.

On a side note, I really prefer the old name of the Killswitch, the Unprettier. It just made perfect sense at the time, since Christian was feuding with his "brother" Edge, a feud started by Christian's jealousy over Edge's success. Edge was more popular, and more successful, and Christian couldn't stand it. So to name the finisher he began using during that feud the Unprettier was, to me at least, comedic gold that never really got appreciated or pointed out like it should.

 

[The Kingpin]

I gotta say my favorite finisher I've ever seen has got to be the Gut Wrench Power Bomb that Jack Swagger, I just love it to death, I think it really portrays that " OMG you're done" factor that a finishing move needs.

Top 5 would be:

1.) Gut Wrench Power Bomb
2.) Tombstone Piledriver
3.) Sweet Chin Music
4.) Starship Pain
5.) 6-1-9