Kozlov's Finisher

[NSL]

Vladimir Kozlov has been using the headbutt/Battering ram as his finisher recently, and it's been quite effective. The problem I have with it, is that he uses it during the entire match, and it has been his only offense at times.

While watching his squash of Helms tonight, I though of a great finisher for him. He had Helms on his shoulders, and dropped him on the turnbuckle, and while he had him on his shoulders, I thought he'd go for the Torture Rack.

Think about it...He's being billed as the unstoppable monster, much like Lex Luger was before he slammed Yokozuna. He has the demeanor to pull off a finisher like that, and has shown time and again, that he has the strength for it.

It would be utterly dominating to see him put down a guy like Umaga or HHH with a Torture Rack, and would solidify him as a top notch heel.

Do you think it would be a good finisher for him, and what ideas would you have instead?

 

[fishy]

That sounds like a great idea, although the headbutt is a bit of anti climax as a finisher it still shows the power he has, without having to have the usual powerbomb that all the big guys use.

I would love to see if he could make the torture rack look as affective as lugar could.

 

[Khalifa]

While the torture rack was a great finisher for Luger. i don't believe it would be good for koslov. His finisher now is horrible and i think it just needs to be some type of slam so it can symbolize his true power. think about it all the giants have slamming moves except for khali but he sometimes still uses the Khali bomb. Also submission isn't the style for koslov so i think he needs the slam

 

[NSL]

Also submission isn't the style for koslov so i think he needs the slam

It isn't, but it could be. Having a slam is nice, but it would only turn him into a generic big man, and there wouldn't be anything to separate him from Khali. If he can be a dominating big man for the whole match, and just beat his opponents from pillar to post, he can put them in the Torture Rack, and they'll have no choice but to tap in mere seconds. It would make him dangerous. No one would want to fight him.

Just like in boxing, they could have an angle to where the big name champ keeps ducking Kozlov, and giving title shots to nobodies, until Kozlov is the only guy left, and then Kozlov and the champ put on the match of the year, and Kozlov wins the belt by making the champ tap. It would set up a lengthy run, and give a number of people a chance at going for the belt...

 

[Khalifa]

But can you imagine Koslov actually doing the TR. HE would look like a headless chicken. Him at Survivor Series showed me that submisson isn't his game. with Triple H doing all the holds Koslov just did some punches, a few headbutts and then Triple H would have to do the technical stuff again. I jsut don't see Koslov having a TR. mabye That hold the Khali does but not TR.

 

[NSL]

But can you imagine Koslov actually doing the TR. HE would look like a headless chicken. Him at Survivor Series showed me that submisson isn't his game. with Triple H doing all the holds Koslov just did some punches, a few headbutts and then Triple H would have to do the technical stuff again. I jsut don't see Koslov having a TR. mabye That hold the Khali does but not TR.

Survivor Series was ages ago in WWE time. He had a little bit more offense in the match with Helms, including the times he had picked him up and dropped him on the turnbuckle. He's adding some kicks to his regular arsenal of punches and headbutts, and is becoming a bit more mobile. The Torture Rack is unique, in that it is a submission move, but doesn't require a lot of skill to do. It's not in the class of the Sharpshooter, Figure Four, or STFU, but it is painful, and it sells well. Since he is at the main event level right now, he'd be in matches against the likes of HHH and Hardy, and they could sell the move.

Lex's Torture Rack worked because when the camera showed the "victim's" faces, you could feel the agony that they were feeling. You could see their back tightening and bending, and you were begging for him to drop the hold...

Kozlov is the only person in the WWE today that can pull it off, and he needs a better finisher than a move he does 5 times a match.

I used to loathe him, but he is growing on me slowly, and I think that if he's given the right amount of time and grooming, he can be a good heel champ for a short time.

 

[Khalifa]

Actually now that i think about it this could work. But then again i think he is a tad to big for it . Like in height. if he were 6.4 . this might work. heck it still could work but i would think it would make better sense for koslov to have a power move. Even know the TR is power he needs like a slam. heck maybe a choke hold could work. Wait a modified TR for koslov would work. not lifting there entire body but just there front half and like choke them of his shoulder could work for him. But maybe your right the TR might be able to work for koslov but i just think it would look weird for koslov using it.

 

[NSL]

Actually now that i think about it this could work. But then again i think he is a tad to big for it . Like in height. if he were 6.4 . this might work. heck it still could work but i would think it would make better sense for koslov to have a power move. Even know the TR is power he needs like a slam. heck maybe a choke hold could work. Wait a modified TR for koslov would work. not lifting there entire body but just there front half and like choke them of his shoulder could work for him. But maybe your right the TR might be able to work for koslov but i just think it would look weird for koslov using it.

I just checked Kozlov page on Wikipedia, and apparently, he did use a variation of the Torture Rack in OVW. He set the opponent up for it, but instead of holding the move, would turn it into a backbreaker...This is OK, but as a finisher, it's fairly weak. It's the equivalent of Big Show using a sidewalk slam. He's also trained in judo and MMA, so he definitely has the physical abilities, and talent, to pull off a good Torture Rack.

The fact that he is 6'6 would only make it more devastating IMO. He's obviously going to fight mostly smaller opponents, and the idea of having him take someone like Kendrick, and just mangle him with a Torture Rack, makes me think he really could turn into the "Moscow Mauler" they bill him as...

 

[Khalifa]

I just checked Kozlov page on Wikipedia, and apparently, he did use a variation of the Torture Rack in OVW. He set the opponent up for it, but instead of holding the move, would turn it into a backbreaker...This is OK, but as a finisher, it's fairly weak. It's the equivalent of Big Show using a sidewalk slam. He's also trained in judo and MMA, so he definitely has the physical abilities, and talent, to pull off a good Torture Rack.

The fact that he is 6'6 would only make it more devastating IMO. He's obviously going to fight mostly smaller opponents, and the idea of having him take someone like Kendrick, and just mangle him with a Torture Rack, makes me think he really could turn into the "Moscow Mauler" they bill him as...

Yeah it would work but for smaller opponents. it would just look silly on triple h/taker/edge. But on smalelr opponents it would be ok. but they would have to be Jeff Hardy/ TBK/ Helms/ Mysterio etc etc. If he only used it on smaller guys i would be fine with it. I do know what your saying that it would make him look incredibly strong on people like HHH and so on but to me it would look weird so i am not up for that idea.

 

[NSL]

Yeah it would work but for smaller opponents. it would just look silly on triple h/taker/edge. But on smalelr opponents it would be ok. but they would have to be Jeff Hardy/ TBK/ Helms/ Mysterio etc etc. If he only used it on smaller guys i would be fine with it. I do know what your saying that it would make him look incredibly strong on people like HHH and so on but to me it would look weird so i am not up for that idea.

It may look weird, but if they're smart, they wouldn't show his whole body. They'd do the same thing they did with Luger, and do the classic close-up of the opponent screaming in pain, begging to be let go. Luger was 6'4, and never had a feud where the Rack wasn't used, except for Yokozuna, and that's for obvious reasons. Everyone loves HHH. Everyone thinks of HHH as unstoppable. If Kozlov had him up in the rack, and had him writhing in pain, people would loathe every fiber of his being. They'd want HHH to kick out, and they'd be waiting for someone to come along and knock Kozlov off his perch. It would never work on 'Taker, but it's rare to find any finisher that would. Big Show will probably always be a heel at this point, so I don't see a situation where Kozlov would have to use it on him. Most of his opponents would be smaller. For the larger opponents, a move like the Battering Ram is effective. It shows him putting his body on the line, and it shows the sheer force of a move like that, by using it to take down guys like 'Taker or Umaga.

 

[Showtime]

The ScottyPippenINC vs NightShiftLoser death match this thread is turning into boys. lol. Perhaps I might be the only one on this Earth who actually liked Kozlov's original finisher, the reverse DDT. I know, maybe not the most effective looking finisher who a guy who's supposed to be Godly strong, but I just always loved the deliver, setup and smoothness of his reverse DDT finish. How he'd flip the guy up for a powerslam casually because he's shit strong, then slide their head under his arm, land them on their feet just perfectly, grab their other arm to prevent any struggle, scream really loud and drop them. I loved it every time, and then he started using that shit headbutt.

Don't get me wrong, it looks impressive for just a headbutt, I can see why most wouldn't get up after it, but come on, this is the 21st century, not the 1980's, a headbutt is just not enough anymore. Besides, he also does those headbutts where he's holding the guys arms while doing them. That's like how JBL uses clotheslines as regular moves too, he just puts less force behind the standard ones and it makes his big clothesline seem weaker and more overused.

The Torture Rack is an intriguing idea and perhaps if Kozlov sticks around long enough maybe he will develop said submission finishing move or even another one. What I've noticed is almost anyone who sticks around long enough and becomes mainevent usually develops a submission finisher. Cena started using the STFU some six months after winning the WWE championship. Angle didn't use the ankle lock regularly till after he lost the WWF title to the Rock over a year after his debut. The Rock eventually used the Sharpshooter with increasing regularity as his career progressed in its final stages. Undertaker using the triangle chock and Hell's Gate in the twilight of his career. Edge developed a submission move called the Edgeucator that he used for a while during one of his many tries to break into the mainevent scene, Lesner had a pretty sick looking submission finisher that he used during his last run as champion. What I'm getting at is the submission finishers are commonly a natural progression for many wrestlers because a key submission can add so much to your character and give them new dimensions and layers. It also provides them with an exciting way to end matches.

Perhaps Kozlov too will adopt a Torture Rack submission and use it in the future, but for me, I would love to see him go back to using the reverse DDT as his finish.

 

[2012isbs]

I like the Chokeslam because of how he does it, it looks like a Spinebuster chokeslam combination. I think the TR would be a godd finisher especially if he did something like spinning then jumping up and down jerking his opponenet while in a painful Submission hold.
For people like taker he could use a headbutt variation where irishwhips his opponent lifts them up in the air a bit then performs a battering ram. Imagine an Umaga or a Taker sized man writhing in pain while Vladimir standsd over them with his foot on his chest liek khali 1-2-3 it's over.
Slams he could use a Millitary Press of the top or second rope. That would be the most devasting finsher in WWE right now next to maybe the TR he might do.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Personally, I sort of dig Kozlov being a guy who is able to finish you with any number of moves, IE his chest kick thingy, the battering ram headbutt, or the reverse DDT he does. I think it further pushes his character as a sambo/shhot fighter, in that he can strike with a variety of devistating moves, from anywere, at anytime. It helps enhance the realism of the character, with the implication that he is much more than just a mere pro wrestler (who rely on their one big finisher to win a match)

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I have to say that after watching his match against Matt Hardy during the time limit stipulation a few Smackdown episodes ago, I feel that he's only been showing off his strength. That's good and all for him, but there's just something missing. It feels like there's not much excitement after a while. When I see Kozlov, all I see is a big guy that can destroy his opponents. There's no charisma or distinction that makes him stand out in other areas. I know I said good things about him in another Kozlov thread, but over the course of his run, I feel that he needs some kind of device to further his presence. The torture rack would be refreshing.

 

[justinsayne]

Vladimir Kozlov has been using the headbutt/Battering ram as his finisher recently, and it's been quite effective. The problem I have with it, is that he uses it during the entire match, and it has been his only offense at times.

While watching his squash of Helms tonight, I though of a great finisher for him. He had Helms on his shoulders, and dropped him on the turnbuckle, and while he had him on his shoulders, I thought he'd go for the Torture Rack.

Think about it...He's being billed as the unstoppable monster, much like Lex Luger was before he slammed Yokozuna. He has the demeanor to pull off a finisher like that, and has shown time and again, that he has the strength for it.

It would be utterly dominating to see him put down a guy like Umaga or HHH with a Torture Rack, and would solidify him as a top notch heel.

Do you think it would be a good finisher for him, and what ideas would you have instead?

Finally someone else who sees the potential of the Torture Rack as a great finisher, every time I see a big man come out I hope that they have him use the Torture Rack, and for what ever reason they never do, and for the life of me I can't figure out why, it's a great move especially for a monster heel who's suppose to be punishing his opponents, Kozlov should most definitely adopt the Torture Rack as his finisher, it would certainly look more devastating than the reverse DDT or that stupid headbutt, neither moves really say match over to me, and just seem to lead to nothing but an anti-climatic finish, two other moves that I think could work for him also are the F-5 and the Dominater, both moves are high impact power moves, and would work great for Kozlov, though I definitely think he should use the Torture Rack as his primary finisher

 

[Shocky]

I don't mind the Headbutt, it's pretty damn effective. When Koslov wraps his arms, and has you cradeled against him with his arms locked in, and then drives that head in someones chest repeatedly, it's pretty damn good looking. It's a very innovative way to use the age old headbutt. It's simple, yet pretty damn effective. The thing that's great about it, it's sudden. Koslov can pretty much end the match at any point, without you really realizing it.

The Torture Rack is a pretty damn good finishing move, and it does raise the question on why no one uses it anymore. I'm not sure how many people can actually pull that maneuver off anymore. I seem to remember Luger struggling with it from time to time in WCW. It's a good looking move, but it seems like it could be a bitch to pull of, especially if you've gone 20 minutes in the ring.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

While the Torture Rack could be a good submission finisher, I'd prefer he go another route. I'd like to see a move that Koslov can do on anbody, at any point in the match. That's why I think that he should go with the ankle lock.

Kozlov is a shoot fighter.. He's an MMA guy. The ankle lock looks very much like something that someone might use. I'd rather he not do the standing up one like Kurt Angle, but one where he lays down and locks it in really well, using his legs to keep an opponent still. (Kurt did it occasionally.) It looks devastating and believable.

I'm not a fan of the DDT. I do like the headbutt. And while I think a slam would work, I don't think it's the best route. He'd be a bit too generic for me. Could you imagine him making HHH tap to the ankle lock? Oh, buddy. Talk about heat.