Finishing Manoeuvre's of up and coming stars

[Bobby B]

This is a real worry of mine looking at some of the newer stars coming up in the WWE.

For me, a finishing manoeuvre can make or break a star. Before I go onto the problem, I'm going to list 4 things that I think each great finishing manoeuvre needs atleast one of:


Surprise -

[YOUTUBE]WKxHBqYFWsM[/YOUTUBE]

When I think of great finishers, I think of ones that can be done in the blink of an eye - from nowhere - BAM! Think the Sweet Chin Music, think the RKO, think the Stone Cold Stunner. Great finishers - that can have an instant impact, without needing 5 minutes to do.

As surprises go - this one came out of the blue...

[YOUTUBE]Vq4V_W-xz7U[/YOUTUBE]

A crash to the mat -

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No better way to end a match with a huge bone crunching crash to the mat below. Think The Last Ride, think The F5, even think of Mark Henry's world strongest slam. Come from high, to down low.

A Pause -

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Now these are probably more rare than the other three (and it contradicts the "Surprise" element). But think The Tombstone Piledriver, think the FU - where you can hold the wrestler in place while you give the main camera a great stare before sending your opponent to the floor.

Air -

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Ok, now this is a separate element compared to the other three, but they don't matter if you can fly through the air before smashing down to your opponent below.

Ok - patronising breakdown of finishing manoeuvre's over - JPK, where are you going?

Well, having looked at quite a lot of the upcoming stars in the WWE, so many of them have finishing manoeuvre's that don't have any of these qualities. Lets take a look at a few wrestlers who aren't far off a main event spot:

The Miz -The Skull Crushing Finale

[YOUTUBE]fn4mPAbSQN4[/YOUTUBE]

Barrell loads of talent, his finisher, the "Skull Crushing Finale". Ok, maybe it has the impact that you need (and to an extent, all of them do). But it isn't a stand out manoeuvre. It doesn't end the match the same way that a Stone Cold Stunner did, or an F5. It looks like a regulation move. I can buy this guy as a World Champion - but I can't buy that move as a World Championship winning finisher.

Wade Barrett - The Wasteland

[YOUTUBE]orz-OXbK4NY[/YOUTUBE]

Wow, it's literally the only thing about Wade Barrett that sucks right now - but this one sucks big time. Much like the Miz, this is the only thing wrong with him right now.

I could go on, and there are so many more - John Morrison, Ted DiBiase, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Drew McIntyre - but I'll end on one more

Cody Rhodes - Cross Rhodes in this video - the kick Rhodes hits on JTG just before has much more impact that his main one.

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They're all so regulation, they don't stink of "game over" like a spear does, or a powerbomb.

Apologies for my walk down memory lane with some of the old finishers - but they used to be so good. I worry for the next generation when - in two years time, the Miz and Wade Barrett win at Wrestlemania, with those two anti-climatic finishers.

There are some exeptions, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston - but this doesn't seem to be the trend.

To end on possibly my favourite finisher of all the stars coming up, I give you, Alex Riley - The TKO:

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[AmericanDragonSW]

I have to agree about Barrett's finisher. It's like why? That has to be the stupidest finisher I've seen in a long time. And as for the Miz, here's what I don't get. He had a decent one when he started off with the Mizard of Oz. Then it was the Reality Check which was lame because all it was, was a knee lift/neckbreaker. Now you have the Skullcrusher finale or as we know it better, the Stroke by Jeff Jarrett. I agree with the statement that for Barrett and Miz, their finishers are the only things crappy about these two.

 

[Lyson Rayne]

I agree with the concept of this thread, but not entirely. Dolph Zigglers ZigZag has the surprise, much like the rko or stunner it can be set up, or appear from out of nowhere. McIntyres FutureShock DDT has the impact, just look up the execution on Matt Hardy, a prime example of a believable finisher. DiBiase's finisher isn't THAT bad, since it does have the pause and impact, it just seems like it's rarely executed or sold well. Those are the only examples you gave that I disagree with, and it really is disappointing to see talent like Barrett using such a lackluster move. And a sidenote, the killswitch may not be a great finisher, but Christians been using it so long there's no point in changing it, especially since he's not getting any younger.

Sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors, I'm attempting to post from my iPod, which is proving difficult.

 

[CorkscrewBackElbowDrop]

I don't know if you necessarily mentioned R-Truth's finisher, but there has already been much talk on the IWC about it and it fits in your topic
this is my thought, keep the lie detector, only make it and a spinning back elbow drop off the top rope (the lie detector is a spinning back elbow), this would be slick, and would give the Lie detector the Ooomph factor it needs to be legit

 

[Steve Rogers]

You butchered "maneuver" but oh will hit happens, good post.

I really think surprise factors do not matter for moves that are going to be setup first. Moves like the cross Rhodes, or the Attitude Adjustment get that "Is he going to hit it?" pop which is just as exciting as seeing an RKO or a Stunner from nowhere.

I however do think a move should at least look they have impact even if the move does get a good pop. IE the lie detector..seriously a really dumb movie

 

[gorechild]

my favorite finishers would have to be the superkick and the rko. to be clear, i would call it the sweet chin music, but its so much better when it comes out of nowhere and he doesnt stomp to build it up, tho i understand it was first used to kind of fit his character and give the name "sweet chin music" a purpose. i mean the rko is almost as good. they both make you go "damn i heard that shit!" and "wow i wasnt expecting to see that so soon". i guess both moves can be built up if they so please i just love the surprise of all of a sudden "BAM! Match OVER!""

 

[Kayoh]

My favorite finishers of all time are all ones that, the first time you see them, make you think the guy that received the move might be legitimately hurt. The Canadian Destroyer is the perfect example. Sweet Chin Music is another good one. Brain busters, DDTs, and pile drivers are the main moves that I like to see variations of in finishers, as well as high impact kicks, like Kaval's stomp or a Super Kick. I love Drew's Future Shock DDT. I love Tyler Black's super kick to kneeling opponents. I love Tyler Black's small package driver, "God's Last Gift". I love seeing Edge use Edgecution. These are all moves that feel like finishers to me. I could never truly buy any kind of back-based slam as a finisher. Power bomb, F-U, Angle Slam...they all have decent impact but honestly they seem more like prefixes to the real finisher. And in some aspects they are, with Kurt having his ankle lock and Cena having his STF. Barrett's finisher is powerful looking, but I do feel like he needs to follow it up with something. Maybe take a page out of Jericho's book and use a moon sault. Could you imagine 6'6" Wade Barrett flying? lol, me neither. I dunno, he does need something more, though. I also think Miz needs a more VICIOUS finisher. He's a heel, a complete prick, and his finisher is a full nelson face slam. Bleh. Lame. They can keep these moves, they just need a follow-up that's more like a TRUE finisher.

 

[JJYanks121]

Great effort on the post, especially with all the youtube clips to support your theory. However, you picked the wrong young guys to pick on. I don't know why people have a problem with Barrett's finisher. It is basically Cena's, only the guy gets thrown forward with more velocity, thus more impact. If you don't like Barrett's, I must assume that you do not like Cena's, which is fair. The move is high impact though, which should work for any heel.

I also do not agree with your assessment of Cross Rhodes. If he has the right opponent (not Lucky Cannon), the thing looks absolutely devastating. That is reason enough to like the move. Cross Rhodes is every bit as effective as the Pedigree, which has worked just fine for Triple H over the years.

As for the finishers you should be worried about, MVP can't seem to find one that doesn't suck, Christian's has never been good, Zack Ryder's is jus awful. Those are the ones that should be focused on more. As far as Christian being too established to change, see Chris Jericho adding the codebreaker as evidence that you can add another finisher to your repertoire. Ryder is the most obvious though as he finisher is simply landing your crotch on the other guy's chest and letting your force bring you down in a leg drop. It's awkward to say the least. If he had a better finisher, he would lack nothing in terms of growing into a big star.

The finisher topic is a good one, just next time, pick the right ones to criticize!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

God, Barretts finisher SUCKS! With the size and strength of the guy, he DEFINTELY needs a more devastating looking move, some sort of death valley driver or powerbomb would suit him well.

I dont mind the Cross Rhodes, its kinda like Last Rites used by Christopher Daniels. Its not amazing, but its ok for Cody at the moment.

As for the Skull Crusing Finale? Again, that is a move that should not be used as a finsher. It would be good as a signiture, but doesnt look powerful enough to end a match, I could see Miz using an "X-Factor" type move as a finisher

 

[Bobby B]

You butchered "maneuver" but oh will hit happens, good post.

US English and UK English spell that word rather differently.

As for some of the finishers, yeah they're ok - but some of them take so long to lock in aswell, they all seem to be based around a similarish formula - being compact, a spin, and a drop from about waist height.

As for the thread, I posted it at 3am UK time - I'm surprised I picked out the video's as well as I did - although granted MVP is right down there too.

 

[dotty_84]

I don't get why everyone thinks Barretts finisher is stupid it's not something you see all the time it makes a nice impact.

Truth is wrestler should have what Sheamus has his Finisher and his Signature.
The Celtic Cross is awesome for impact but for a surprise he has the boot to the face.

Someone like Cody should use the leg feed enzuguri if you get the snap it sounds fucking awesome. It only takes someone known to sell it well and gets good recognition as a surprise move.

 

[The Insano Shiekh]

I agree about the TKO- it was amazing when Test used it too. Alex Riley has the appropriate strength and size to execute it perfectly. That applies to the "Impact" category that you mentioned.

As for surprise goes, I'm surprised you didn't mention Kaval's finisher, because it can just come out of nowhere. It just gives you surprise and the "umph" factor that you need to have a finisher.