The Diamond Cutter vs The Stone Cold Stunner

[IrishCanadian25]

While the debate rages on about the subtle nuances between the Sharpshooter and the Scorpion Death Lock, in this thread I want to examine and contrast another pair of finishing moves that are the same.

And yet different.

Both of these maneuvers represent some form of the simple three-quarter facelock into something resembling a snap mare. The Stunner becomes a seated Jawbreaker, whereas the Diamond Cutter takes on more of a bulldog format.

Despite their differences, these two moves, use predominantly by Stone Cold Steve Austin and Diamond Dallas Page, respectively, opened up a whole new world of finishers out of the three quarter facelock. Marc Mero added a spin and hit his, whereas Randy Orton created the now devistating RKO from the same model.

And to give credit where it is due, it was Mikey Whipwreck, NOT Steve Austin, who originally started using the Stunner as a finisher. The Stunner is also illegal in seven states due to the risk to the opponents neck.

Both moves were touted for their "quick, out of anywhere capabilities." Both ended matches and won titles for the users.

But which move is better? And who executed it better?

The clear choice here is...yeah, Austin. Despite Page's move being first, Austin took it to a whole new level. His opponents sold it (seeing Shane McMahon spew beer everywhere after one was priceless) and the vision of Austin dropping to his ass with a Stunner, only to roll over and flip off the fallen body of his opponent, was as iconic a moment of the Attitude Era as you'll ever get.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well, I know you don't want everyone to pick the Stunner, because it is the easy choice, but I think it is the right choice. I loved DDP, and when he hit the Diamond Cutter, it was over. But the Stone Cold Stunner was on a whole different level. It was an incredible hit, whenever it was put on it was over, and then it was over for the next person Stone Cold saw, and the next. It was a move that could hit a group of people like cannon fire. The Rock was especially prone to been destroyed, and he played the part perfectly. I think the Stone Cold Stunner will go down as the most exciting move of all time.

 

[NSL]

Without taking anything away from DDP, The Stone Cold Stunner is a runaway win...

Austin's attitude and charisma, in and out of the ring, sold the Stunner. You watched an Austin match, knowing he was never out of it, because the Stunner was always a kick to the abdomen away. Anyone that received a Stunner sold it, and it was the highlight of a number of feuds.

DDP's Diamond Cutter was a great move, but it never seemed to be nearly as effective, and was never as sudden and powerful as the Stunner.

 

[The Big Gunnzbowski]

I'm going to have to tweak my answer a little and say, that in this situation, with these particular moves, it was always about WHO was on the recieving end. Hulk Hogan couldn't sell a Diamond Cutter to save his life, whereas Vinnie Mac sold the stunner in such a way, it looked like he was almost killed. It's all about who's selling the move, as opposed to who applied the move...

 

[theneil450]

I'll give the nod to the diamond cutter because the application of it flowed better. Too many times after Austin hit someone in the gut it would be awkward as he grabbed their head to deliver the stunner. Whereas DDP would reverse moves into the set-up very smoothly(Reversing the jackhammer is one instance that comes to mind) Even without reversing a hold into it I still think DDP executed it better simply because he just went for the head without all the stomach kick and try to grab you stuff.

 

[Gelgarin]

The only argument for the stunner is that it was Stone Cold doing it.
DDP did infinitely more with the cutter than Austin ever managed. The Stone Cold Stunner honestly wasn't much of an 'out of nowhere' move, we just kept getting told that it was by JR.

Conversely, DDP could hit the Diamond Cutter from the front, the back. Whilst running. From the top rope (both from in front and behind). From a fireman's carry TKO style, and as I recall even the Ossca variation at one point.

The Diamond Cutter was a fantastic finisher by its own merit. The stunner (like the leg drop) got over based on who was using it.

 

[Mr. TM]

Hmm that is a good thought, DDP really could hit the Diamond Cutter out of no where. There was always that pause where you knew the stunner was coming. I think in general, a lot of the moves that were similar in the WCW to the WWF hit more smoothly. The stunner needed time, the Sharpshooter needed a lot of time, the rock bottom, all of those moves. But was it because WWF wanted to show off their finishers more, while WCW kept to a more realistic impact of the moves? I am not sure.

 

[Thriller Ant]

I'm going to have to tweak my answer a little and say, that in this situation, with these particular moves, it was always about WHO was on the recieving end. Hulk Hogan couldn't sell a Diamond Cutter to save his life, whereas Vinnie Mac sold the stunner in such a way, it looked like he was almost killed. It's all about who's selling the move, as opposed to who applied the move...

I could not agree with this statement more. You look at similar moves being used today, such as the RKO and the Twist of Fate, and it becomes even more evident that the person taking the move makes or breaks it. Someone like John Cena or Jeff Hardy will sell these moves well, but guys like William Regal and Batista make them look stupid.

With that said, I have to go with the Diamond Cutter. I'm going to lead off by saying that I watched WCW, not the WWF/E during the Monday Night Wars, and that probably influences my decision. I will concede that the stunner looks more painful, but also looks dumber. The cutter had DDP pull someone's head and slam it into the mat, while the Stone Cold Stunner just had Austin fall down while holding someone's head to his shoulder.

Another reason is the suddenness that others have already mentioned. The stunner was always preceded by the kick to the gut, making it much easier to anticipate. The Diamond Cutter, and by extension the RKO, literally can come out of nowhere. If you go to youtube and look for the best cutters, you can see them being countered out of nearly any move, and/or being performed right after DDP (or Orton) had just been hit with a devastating move from their opponent.

So, both moves were extremely powerful in their own way, but I have to give the edge to the Diamond Cutter.

 

[GameOver]

The Stunner was a better move visually, not only cause of the deliverer but the seller on the other end too.

The Diamond Cutter resulted in the opposition just gooing limp.
The Stone Cold Stunner 9 out 10 times resulted in the opposition being catapulted into the ropes or atleast springboarded

That and i find DDP a boring ass

would be interesting to note though that both the Stunner and Sharpshooter were WWF's versions of WCW main eventers at the time. Pretty sure the "WCW" versions came first

And now it's WWE Diva's doing TNA Male Main Event finishers.
McCool does the Styles Splash, Melina does the Canadian Destroyer.

Cheap Shot or what?

As for Impact of moves between WCW and WWF/E
at the time WWF was more about having moves that were visually appealing and very theatrical. And adding multiple finishers into the equation was a) to draw matches out b) to keep the high spots going.

Whereas WCW was about having generally slow boring matches end in a finisher, no ifs ands or buts