Best finisher in TNA history?

[It's Damn Real!]

Characters are born, characters live and characters die (in a literary sense) in the world of professional wrestling. Characters are what compose the entire wrestling industry, and from time-to-time these larger-than-life modern-day gladiators woo us as fans with their ability to capture the audience on the microphone, and even with nothing more than their look. But even in the vast ocean of characters throughout the history of the business, one thing sets the best apart from the rest more than anything – their finisher.

That said, in seven years of TNA's history, we've been privy to a rather large list of characters, all of whom had an original finisher they used in signature fashion just prior to winning (or even losing) their matches. In your opinion (and I want to know why), who had the best finisher in TNA's history? Who got you to scream "OH!" the loudest the first time you heard it? Who got your anticipation to skyrocket when you could feel the move coming?

This poll allows for a maximum of fifteen options, so I've listed fourteen of what I feel were the most popular/best finishers in the companies history, however there is an option to vote for your own if you feel another wrestlers finish was better than any of the ones listed. Please use that to vote and specify if you do so which move by which wrestler, and why.

 

[Avitus25]

Good idea for a thread.

A lot of the time it's difficult to judge between finishers due to the different nature of them. For example, Ankle Lock and The Canadian Destroyer are both very different, but equally exciting, even if in a different way. The Canadian Destroyer was exciting because of the rarity of which it was used (mainly because only a few people could perform it correctly) and because of the danger aspect of it. The idea that it could snap someone's neck with a slight error adds an edge to the move every time it was used.

Then there's the Ankle Lock. It's not a particularly exciting move while Angle's setting up for it, mainly because it's locked on suddenly quite often. The excitement when it's properly synched in, and it's the end of the match, and everyone's expecting a tap out is just electric, the same with any submission finisher to be honest.

I'd have to say though, that my favourite TNA finisher is definitely the Scorpion Death Lock. It's used very effectively, and is hardly ever broken. Plus, it looks like it really hurts, and could really make someone tap out. The drama when it's locked in is perhaps the most created by any submission move in wrestling today., and therefore it is my Favourite TNA finisher ever.

 

[wrestling fan 666]

Canadian Destroyer by a mile. I've seen Petey Williams pull it off out of nowhere and it's just amazing. It's too bad the writers have no story for him, he's got the talent, use him.

 

[MRA858]

The Canadian Destory is far by one of the best finishers I've seen. I would rewind on my dvr just too see how he pulled it off. That takes a lot of strength and agility to hit a move like that. All the others are common finishers, cept this one!

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Seriously? People are voting for the freaking Canadian Destroyer? It's the fakest looking finisher, possibly ever. I mean, the guy on the receiving end has to do an OBVIOUS back flip just to take it. The Gringo Killer and the Muscle Buster are the two best looking finishers in TNA, with the Cradle Shock and the Unprettier coming in just behind them. Both moves look legitimately devastating, and not fake. No offense meant to Petey Williams, who I'm not trying to diss here, but his finisher looks ridiculously fake. Homicide and Samoa Joe look like (and Christian and Chris Sabi) look like they legitimately devastate their opponent.

 

[Wilkisoft]

Seriously? People are voting for the freaking Canadian Destroyer? It's the fakest looking finisher, possibly ever. I mean, the guy on the receiving end has to do an OBVIOUS back flip just to take it. The Gringo Killer and the Muscle Buster are the two best looking finishers in TNA, with the Cradle Shock and the Unprettier coming in just behind them. Both moves look legitimately devastating, and not fake. No offense meant to Petey Williams, who I'm not trying to diss here, but his finisher looks ridiculously fake. Homicide and Samoa Joe look like (and Christian and Chris Sabi) look like they legitimately devastate their opponent.

The question isnt "what is the most realistic finisher"? Perhaps for another thread....? If that were the case, half of the finishers would be eliminated. I think you're reading a little too much into the question.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

A bit of a difficult decision for me, because quite frankly I have a difficult time in picking an all-time best as the feud, and who the move was performed on have/had varying effects on the power of the finisher, but there hasn't been a finisher that got me to scream "WHAT THE FUCK!?" like I did with the first time (and pretty much every time) I saw the Canadian Destroyer applied.

But while I'm here, I do want to also add that among current TNA stars (though this isn't the purpose of the thread), I do feel that Matt Morgan now owns the most devastating finisher in the company, because unlike "the big boot", historically speaking, he actually uses the move while running toward his opponent, which gives the entire maneuver an entirely different feel than when a guy like Kevin Nash did/does it and let his opponent run into his foot/walk over him.

I'd also like to add, that the second most "devastating" finisher IMO, though the build wasn't always as powerful was Senshi's "Warriors Way". Whether he did the double foot stomp by leaping from the rope to anywhere in the ring, or whether he performed it close knit on an opponent stuck in the tree of woe, it looked like it could cave the guys chest in, or take his head off at the chin and quite frankly scared me personally as no matter how much training I'd gone through, I'd never want to be on the receiving end of that!

 

[thebigbadfox]

The Candian Destroyer is cool and almost would have been my answer but recently a diva became a knockout and brought my favorite move with her... Taras Widowers Peak (Spelling????) is awesome and quite franckly underappreciated it looks devestating....... love the move!!! so I voted for other

 

[MoneyMack]

I voted for the Canadian Destroyer: just because the 1st time I saw it, I had to rewind the tape a few times to figure out how it was pulled off! Of course the guy taking the move has to do alot to get the move accomplished- but why should that take away from the move itself? It looks fuckin awesome! I remember Trevor Murdoch almost killing someone tryin to pull it off in a WWE ring. I forget who it was.

NOW- I must say that thebigbadfox brought up a move I had recently forgot about! The Widows Peak (as it was called in WWE) just looks like a move that could easily break a neck! Its like "The Rude Awakening" X2! No offense & god bless!
When I 1st saw "Victoria" use that move, I was like: DAMN! why didnt they give that finisher to a guy? Now that "Tara" is in TNA- Someone in WWE needs to start using that as thier finisher! It just looks devastating!!

 

[Dexter]

Yeah, this might have been a better discussion if we'd said "second best finisher" and eliminated the Canadian Destroyer. That's just a phenomenally devastating finisher and a joy to behold.

Eliminating that, I'm going to say the Styles Clash... not because I think the move itself looks particularly good, but I love the rollover/pin thing he does after it. It's this one smooth, fluid motion that matches so well with AJ's smooth, fluid wrestling style. It suits him perfectly, and it's my choice for #1.

But of course, since the question was "Best Finisher", I picked the Destroyer.

 

[mdc2575]

There is absoultly no contest.. The Canadian Destroyer is a move that like most people have said I had to watch it like 5 times to believe what I saw. I post a Youtube link on facebook every so often, and people who watch think that it it doctored.

 

[Cartoon2]

Canadian Destroyer all the way. I know it takes a lot to pull it off, but it takes a special guy to even be ABLE to do it! Like MoneyMack said, Trevor Murdoch tried to pull it off...didn't turn out so well. Anyways, unlike Murdoch, Petey Williams really had the form down, so the move looked devastating, awesome, and outright painful.

 

[Rasha]

"Signature Move" might have been a better choice of words than "Finisher," seeing as how you've included moves like the "Spinal Tap" and "BME" which are rarely used to actual win matches ("Styles Clash" and "Angel Wings" are the true finishers.)

That said, I voted "Other" because I had to give some love to the "Lethal Combination." The fact that it's a two-shot move and still comes off so fluidly when Jay hits it is tough to beat. "The Gringo Killer" is definitely the most visually "dangerous" of any finisher and Morgan's big boot is awesome for impact, but Lethal gets my vote.

 

[classicviolence]

Canadian Destroyer.

It has the best name, it looks awesome and it actually finishes matches when Petey hits it.
Followed by the Muscle Buster, because it is devastating.

 

[The_Instant_Classic]

I was the first to vote for christian cage's unprettier, its now called the killswitch in wwe which is ******ED cuz it was called the unprettier when he first started using it in the E'. anyways the reason i voted for it is because the move looks like it legit hurts. i mean all of his weight just dropped right on the back of a dudes head driving his face into the mat. jesus la-weezus.

 

[JBSMan]

For me, possibly the Cradleshock. It's looks flash, it's realistic and it gives the impression the guy receiving it is getting completely crushed. Possible the Unprettier too, but he was using it in the E first, so...

 

[Greenlight13]

I know everyone's going to go with the Canadian Destroyer, and it is undeniably cool because fake looking or not, the first time you saw it you went "ohhh!". The problem with it was not everyone took it properly. Austin Aries (Austin Starr in TNA) took it the best of anyone. Most people take the move and then go back up to their feet and go down which emphasizes how fake it is.

Of the options listed I'd go for the Gringo Killer because it's just flat-out sick. The first time he hit it on AJ was inhumanly epic. I'm a fan of the Muscle Buster and the Cradle Shock too but my vote is going to something not on the list.

I vote for Doug Williams' Chaos Theory. He's only hit it like 3 times to my knowledge but it's ridiculously good and it has the advantage of not looking fake or being particularly dangerous unlike Homicide and Petey Williams' moves. It is however limited in that the person taking it has to be athletic enough to do it, just like the Destroyer. You won't seen him hit it on Abyss or Scott Steiner.

So because of that I'll put forth a secondary vote for the best finisher that is readily usable on almost all of the roster. In terms of best looking, probably: Matt Morgan's Hellevator. Most devestating? In all honesty I don't remember anyone kicking out of the Gore, but the Styles Clash has probably won more matches than anything else and AJ has a tonne of ways to counter into it and set the move up.

 

[Caustic]

For finishers, the Canadian Destroyer was one of the first TNA clips I ever saw and it stopped my channel flipping. That move had me hooked when I tuned in the next week to TNA and Petey Williams pulled off a running version of the move. My jaw dropped. Yes the opponent is the one who does the backflip and prays that his neck isn't broken, but it is a definite finisher. You won't get up after taking that. Has anyone kicked out from a Canadian Destroyer?

Someone else mentioned Tara and The Widow's Peak. Aye, when executed well it looks devastating. Definitely my pick as second place.

 

[Mr. TM]

The first ten seconds of TNA that I ever saw was the Canadian Destroyer. It worked better than any promo, signing, angle, or persona in getting me interested in something known as NWA:TNA. Petey Williams became the first wrestler in TNA I would follow and for that I vote it the best TNA finisher ever.

 

[Undertaker the 5th]

For me it is the canadian destroyer because it looks amazing and it's one of the few things I like from tna, even my brother who bashes all wrestling for being fake liked that move, so my choice is that one and close second widow's peak.

 

[McNewfall]

My favorite move in TNA's short history, and one of my favorites of all time is Matt Morgan's Hellevator. It's visually appealing, and no more unrealistic or unbelievable than an average vertical suplex, but you can really get behind the physics of it. He's using all his opponents weight as leverage and getting HUGE momentum before slamming them on the back of their head. I was immensely disappointed when he stopped using it, until he really mastered the Carbon Footprint, which is easily my second favorite.

 

[Maestro48239]

wow! I thought I was the only totally blown away by the Canadian Destroyer, granted it takes 2 to make it work, and a lot of times it is a bit over-sold, but holy shit! fkn epic finisher if you ask me!!!

honorable mentions go to the carbon footprint, the widows peak, and the muscle buster!!

 

[spanishninja]

Don't see a lot of talk about the Knockouts' finishers, but I always enjoyed Raisha Saeed's Damascus Drop. Granted it's better suited for a woman to take that move because they tend to be more flexible, that finisher still looks like it hurts quite a bit.

 

[matman8540]

When I first saw TNA when it was on Fox Sports Net, I saw the usual suspects. Even your usual heel stable; Team Canada. However, two things stood out at me from them. 1. A synthesized (Hope I spelled that right) version of O Canada. 2. The Canadian Destroyer. The best way to describe that move was this. When I saw it, only two words came out of my mouth...Holy Shit!!! I've watched wrestling for nearly 40 years, and that is the only finisher to get that reaction from me.

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

For the record, since Hogan is in TNA, the Leg Drop is now my favorite finisher in TNA history. Hogan is the greatest wrestler of all time and I'd rather see him drop a leg on anyone than watch Petey Williams do one flippy piledriver.