Finishing moves: Favourite grapples, drops, submissions and aerial maneuvers.

[Y2Jericho]

I was just thinking today about some of my favourite finishers, and came down to 4 main catagories (if there's one I've missed, kindly let me know?) and they are - Grapples i.e. your Stunners, Chokeslams and so on... Drops i.e. Hulk Hogan's Leg Drop, Submissions and Aerial maneuvers i.e. Jeff Hardy's Swanton Bomb or a Mysterio Seated Senton.

My favourite grapple would have to be Triple H's Pedigree. Even though he's my favourite wrestler, I genuinly believe that the Pedigree is one of the best finishers around, as it drives the opponent face first into the mat.

I've never really been a fan of drops... But Randy Savage's Diving Elbow Drop is easily my favourite, even though so many people elbow drop, there was just something about Savage that made it better.

My favourite submission is probably both The Walls of Jericho AND it's Liontamer variant. The sight of Jericho physically destroying his opponent with this submission is still one of the few things left for me to admire in wrestling today.

My favourite aerial manuver is another Jericho tactic, the Lionsault. It's a good showcase of his athleticism I feel, being able to run toward the ropes, jumping off them in a backflip and landing on the opponent in succession, I mean, I know for a fact I'd never be able to pull that off, haha.

What are yours for each catagory? Don't worry if you can't think of one for something, I had a hard, hard time remembering today.

 

[Judah's Lion]

"I've never really been a fan of drops... But Randy Savage's Diving Elbow Drop is easily my favourite, even though so many people elbow drop, there was just something about Savage that made it better."

would this be a "drop" or an "aerial maneuver" in your categories? i'm not sure which this would be classified under. but still a good pick. nobody did a better Elbow Drop than the Macho Man Randy Savage.

"The sight of Jericho flipping someone over to wrench their legs backward still excites me to this day."

were it me posting this, i'd probably choose my words more carefully...

my favorite four would have to be, in no particular order:

Grapple: Sweet Chin Music / RKO tie. i'm not sure that SCM classifies as a Grapple, but i wouldn't know where else to put it. what i liked and still like about both of these finishers is the ability to come from nowhere. the same cannot be said for Rock Bottom, Stunner, Pedigree or any other number of amazing finishers. but these can seriously come from nowhere... like after a an opponent springboards (HBK vs. Shelton) or after a Shooting Star Press (Orton vs. Bourne) etc. just amazing to see them when it's least expected.

Drop: People's Elbow. it's the most electrifying move in sports entertainment, so it's good enough for me.

Submission: Crossface. just looks totally punishing.

Aerial: any Shooting Star Press, whether it's Kidman or Bourne or any other that can pull this off. always looks amazing. honorable mention goes to the Swanton Bomb, but mostly because of the crazy stunts that Jeff Hardy did and not so much for the move itself. just doing it off a ladder or stage or roof or titantron makes it look crazier than usual.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

My favorites growing up were always powerbombs in all their variations. I'd say if I had to pick a favorite out of all those it would be Nash's jacknife powerbomb.

In terms of submission it would have to be Jericho's Lion tamer before they turned it into a basic Boston Crab. I understand why, as it would put a lot of strain on someone's neck. But originally it just looked so painfully uncomfortable. Not to mention the position he would put them in made it so they couldn't make their way to the ropes really like they can with his current version.

As far as aerial maneuvers I'm actually tempted to say the Air Bourne because he does it so perfectly, but I'd have to go with Jeff Hardy's Swanton Bomb because he was so good at setting it up, and the fact that he would do it from anywhere and any height made it so much cooler. His 30ish foot drop on Orton that time was awesome.

 

[nightmare]

grapple: F-5, looks fantastic & brock can hit it on everyone

drop: banzai drop, yokozuna was massive & anyone he squashed was doomed

submission: (tie) crippler cross face, tazzmission. both moves came from nowhere in a split-second. very effective.

aerial: (tie) 5star frogsplash, shooting star press. rvd from anywhere in or out of the ring- fantastic & whether kidman, bourne or paul london the ssp looks great.

 

[e72882]

My favorite Grapple would have to be the Nightmare on Helms Street / Eye of the Hurricane. I like this move because of how it applies pressure to the neck before landing a devastating elbow drop to the throat and then having the head slammed into the mat to finish 'em off.

My favorite Drop would be the Atomic / Hollywood Legdrop made famous by Hulk Hogan. This one is a nostalgia pick for as I was a huge Hulk Hogan fan growing up in the 80's and you knew it was over a soon as he hit it. I do like Randy Savage's elbow drop and it had the same effect that Hogan's leg drop did, but for me Hogan as a wrestler, not as an authority figure, is one of the all time best Pro Wrestlers and entertainers.

My favorite Submission is the Sharpshooter. Again this is a nostalgia pick (Bret Hart, duh!) When Hogan left the WWE and Bret Hart was pushed into the main event and became the top face of the company I got my first glimpse of the Sharpshooter. I know he isn't the inventor of the move, but it fit his character well and he always knew how to make it look good. I also like Jericho's Liontamer, Tajiri's Tarantula and the Undertaker's Dragon Sleeper.

and My favorite Aerial maneuver is Hayabusa's and Tyler Black's Phoenix Splash. To me this has to be one of the most difficult aerial moves to pull off and it always amazes me when I see it. I also enjoy Jericho's Lionsault, Christopher Daniel's B.M.E. and Eddie Guerrero's Jack knife / Frog Splash.

 

[TheRockSays:]

Favorite Grapple: The Tombstone Piledriver.....Although I place heavy priority on finishers that can come out of nowhere, in terms of grappling finishers, one must consider a move that not only looks devastating, but a move that truly has no variations for multiple superstars to use. This move is arguably the most imfamous move in wrestling...

Favorite Drops: IMO, Booker T's Scissor Kick.....It can come out of nowhere and seems to be a drop that would hurt more than a standard leg drop etc...Although I will be the first to admit, I am not a big fan of drops

Submissions: This is tough, I wanna say Undertaker's Hells Gates, but he doesn't use it enough nor has it become one of his signature moves....Truly a sad thing, for it looks like a great submission...and if this is the case, I would have to say the figure four leglock was the most intuitive submission ever created....and as all of us fans know "don't try this at home" we have, and it hurts like a bitch

Aerial Maneuvers: Honestly, Justin Gabrielle's 450 splash looks like it would hurt the most and would be the hardest to pull off....Imagine the torque he generates while in mid air....I feel like a swanton bomb looks cool but wouldnt really hurt....Remember, wrestling is fake, but the more real you make it look the better it is....One significant factor is how painful the move looks...THis is why John Morrison's starship pain is arguably one of the worst finishers....

Disclaimer: Also, when giving my opinion I did not take into account what the move has meant to wrestling....for example, hogan's leg drop

 

[TJWWE]

Grapple: this one might sound abit out their but the DDT. it was first created by jake the snake roberts after he accidently fell backwards & since then, it has been varified to different styles, tornado, snap.

Drops: the one that put smackdown on the map & abit overrated but the people's elbow.

Submission: dunno which one to pick really, i'll go with the walls of jerchio, the crowd love it everytime it is appalied. the STF by Cena, is overrated.

Aerial: This is a no brainer for me, it deffiently goes to Evan Bourne & Justin Gabriel for their respective moves, they always pull it to perfection & they are putting their lives at risk for these moves, many people have failed to do these moves.

 

[Boondocks]

Some of these may have slight bias because of the fact that they're mostly all my favorite characters' moves.

Grapple: I like the GTS. Yes, I know full well that it's easy to botch and extremely dangerous to be doing to people (see Rey Mysterio), but aside from those facts, if he hits it right, it can look pretty painful.

Drops: People's elbow, hands down. I know it's just an elbow drop with theatrics, but I think it's my favorite because it's just THAT electrifying to a crowd.

Submission: I'm a MASSIVE Jericho fan, so the Liontamer/Walls of Jericho. As the Liontamer, it legitly looked like your neck would be killing you and you'd want to sit for the next week. And the Walls of Jericho, because in some cases, he can pull it out of nowhere (See Kofi Kingston), and that's pretty sweet.

Aerial: I like the Lionsault. Whether it's Jericho or Hayabusa, it takes althleticism, and I love to see it. Jericho can still do it well, which proves he has no reason to quit any time soon.

 

[ANKHOR_MAN3]

Alright i have a lot of grapples but i will give my top 3 as far as power it goes to the F-5 and thats just simply said powerfull, Suprise factor goes to RKO/SCM i mean come on did you guys see the RKO on bourne PRICELE$$ and of course every one has seen the SCM on shelton and finally the decisive factor goes to the Undertaker unless your his brother one Tombstone and your done son

Drops has to go to yokozuna bonzai drop was just devastating/peoples elbow close second he is the peoples champ

submissions there are sharpshooter, crossface, kurt angles ankle lock and the triangle choke by undertaker looks painful oh and the lion tamer when he was in WCW knee to your neck instant tap out

Ariel goes to any 450 splash or 5 star frog splash there was also any high top move performed in wrestling society X they did some amazing top rope manuvers

 

[-WRESTLING-GOD-]

I am also a bit biased so here it goes:

Grapple: Jbl powerbomb. That is different than most powerbombs, and also reminds me if the jacknife powermomb. Also, honorable mention goes to the Jackhammer made famous by Goldberg. *Side note* Are running attacks possible because i would list the clothesline from hell.

Drop: The Worm. I know, its out in the open, but it just looks hilarious. It even looks like it hurts for no reason. Scotty 2 Hotty perfected this move and it looks perfect, so i have to list that.

Submission: The Ankle Lock. Kurt Angle made this move what it is today. I find it pathetic how Jack Swagger uses it now.

Aerial Maneuver: The Shooting Star Press. My favorite memory of this move was Wrestlemania 19. I was in the crowd watching Brock Lesnar do the Shooting Star Press (which i cant still believe) Also Evan Bourne does it pretty good so it looks awesome. So that is my list.

 

[The_Misson]

My favorite grapple has to be lil petey williams Canadian destroyer. It simply looked so devastating and honestly if i was a wrestler i'd be scared to death of that move.

For drops i give it to Yokozuna bonzai drop. have that fat of man drop on you is sure to hurt...

submissions i have to give it to either the crossface,ankle lock,figure four or sharpshooter. All of these look very painful.

and for high flying i have to go with one that would literally break ur bones, the vadersault or the vader bomb both of which look extremely painful again kinda like the banzai drop but higher and a lil cooler looking.

 

[Marks "R" Us]

For a grapple i would have to go with the Vertabreaker, amazing move to see done and i acutally think it looks more dangerous than the Canadian Destroyer.

For drops it goes to Yokozuna's Bonzai Drop simple but incredibly effective and believable.

Submission would have to go to the Tazmission, I was one of the few submission holds that looked like you could actually slap it on someone in a fight and have it really be effective.

High Flying i have to go with The West Coast Pop, or any variation of flying rana that lands in the pinning position, when its done right it looks so amazingly fluid.

 

[lunarseed]

I am also a bit biased so here it goes:

Grapple: Jbl powerbomb. That is different than most powerbombs, and also reminds me if the jacknife powermomb. Also, honorable mention goes to the Jackhammer made famous by Goldberg. *Side note* Are running attacks possible because i would list the clothesline from hell.

Drop: The Worm. I know, its out in the open, but it just looks hilarious. It even looks like it hurts for no reason. Scotty 2 Hotty perfected this move and it looks perfect, so i have to list that.

Submission: The Ankle Lock. Kurt Angle made this move what it is today. I find it pathetic how Jack Swagger uses it now.

Aerial Maneuver: The Shooting Star Press. My favorite memory of this move was Wrestlemania 19. I was in the crowd watching Brock Lesnar do the Shooting Star Press (which i cant still believe) Also Evan Bourne does it pretty good so it looks awesome. So that is my list.

Submission: The Ankle Lock. Ken Shamrock made this move what it is today. I find it pathetic how Kurt Angle uses it now.

Fixed.

 

[CorkscrewBackElbowDrop]

Favorite Grapple : would have to be the codebreaker, i love jericho's character now and it really suits him and it just looks punishing

Favorite Drop: would have to be peoples elbow, something about it makes me like it, probably the showmanship

Favorite Submission: would to be the combo Walls of Jericho and Big Show wrenching on the persons neck

Favorite Aerial move: would have to be, and hear me out, Standing shooting star press, by John Morrison, something about it just makes afraid for his life when he does it, i mean, its hard to do a backflip and do more of a rotation than one, so yeah, thats my picks

 

[lvis42oo]

Grapple-I don't know about everyone else but I really like the Miz's Skull Crushing Finale/ Mr. Anderson's Mic Check. It looks pretty bad a$$ to me. Honorable mention to the spear/gore.

Drop-Randy Orton's modified back/neckbreaker. Oww that is all i can really say. Honorable mention goes to Jeff Hardy's jaw breaker of the top of his head.

Submissions-This category has to go to Mr. Bob Backlund and his crossface chicken wing. I loved doing this when I was younger even on my dad and older brother. Honorable mention would have to go to The Regal Stretch.

Aerial-Justin Gabriel has blown me away with that 450 splash just whenever he hit it I cringe but I don't even know if he can actually wrestle. Honorable mention would have to go to Air Bourne because it looks so pretty.

 

[Ezekyo]

Grapple: The Brainbuster. imo, there was something about this move that, if done right, would get that big collective groan out of the crowd. Just the name sounds deadly too. I think I liked Koko B. Ware's the best, and others I liked were by Hashimoto, Saturn, Eddie (I hate Chavo's btw), and I also thought Kid Kash's Dead Level was cool. My second favorite is Muhammad Hassan's Complete Shot. A cool out-of-nowhere move that's not as notorious as the RKO.

Drop: Big Daddy V's Elbow. The way the opponent would get engulfed with body mass and the sight of V crashing down with it made this a believable finisher imo. Plus a refreshing change from the Big Splash most big guys use.

Submission: I like unusual holds such as the Pendulum, Octopus, and Schweingatame, but as far a classic that everyone knows, I say the good old fashioned Sleeperhold. I also thought HHH's Indian Deathlock was real cool.

Aerial: Dick Togo's Senton, with Kaval's Warrior's Way a close second. Perfect for those who say wrestling's fake.

 

[RT]

Favorite Grapple- My favorite grapple finishing maneuver would have to be the Canadian Destroyer i like this finisher because i thought Petey Williams was a great star in TNA and also because it took a lot of athleticism to complete the move.

Favorite Submission- My favorite submission of all time would have to be the Crossface this was my favorite submission because it was used by my favorite wrestler of all time Chris Benoit.

Favorite Drop- The Rocks' peoples elbow this was perhaps the best drop move ever because every time it would connect it would always bring a crowd to its feet.

Favorite Aerial Maneuver- This would go to Evan Bournes shooting star press or also known as Air-Bourne I love this move because every time i see this move done by any wrestler it seems to always bring me to my feet

 

[Vintage]

Grapple : Gringo Killer

Favorite Submission - Texas Cloverleaf dean malenko style

Favorite Drop - The Ric Flair Flop, so cool he doesn't even need to land on anyone.

Favorite Aerial Maneuver - Too Cold Scorpio's finisher, I think it was a 450 off the top rop but I'm not sure, it's been a while since i saw it