Limitations from finishers

[Schoolboy-Chris]

I have been thinking recently about whether it is a good thing or not that the use of finishing moves is so visible in wrestling. While it is exciting to have a build up to a wrestlers signature finishing move I wonder whether this has evolved to a stage where it limits the wrestlers on possibilities for their match endings. This limitation is especially prevalent in WWE, where it is unusual to see a match ended any other way than a rollup or a signature finisher. We do not see Kane win many matches without the chokeslam, nor did we ever really see Steve Austin win without the stunner. Undertaker has a number of moves that he could finish matches with (Tombstone, Hells Gate, Last Ride, maybe chokeslam) but over time the chokeslam and Last Ride have lost their impact and are rarely if ever match finishers now. In WWE a wrestlers arsenal seems toned down in order to give the fans a more clear cut list of what to cheer for.

In TNA this rule seems less enforced; it is not unusual to see someone such as AJ styles win with a variety of moves. The Pele Kick, the Styles Clash, the springboard 450 splash and the Spiral tap have all been used to end matches in a satisfactory manner. Admittedly Styles is something of a special case, but there are also examples of others such as the Motor City Machine Guns, Daniels (Angel’s wings, BME, Last rites, STO into clutch), Samoa Joe (muscle buster, rear naked choke, island driver, chimera-plex) and even Suicide (double knee gutbuster, DOA, suicide solution). These are examples of wrestlers who have achieved popularity without relying on a single signature move, though for the most part having dependence on a varied selection of moves.

My question is do you think the idea of a wrestler being limited by their finisher is something only visible in WWE or that TNA will follow suit, or is even already there?

 

[Alex]

I think it's more a WWE thing. If you look at Christian and Jeff Hardy's matches while they were in TNA they finished matches in a more varied way (Christian more than Hardy) Christian would use the Frog Splash, Unprettier (Killswitch) or his submission move (forgot the name) now he always finishes a match with the Killswitch, Jeff Hardy would use the Twist of Fate, Swanton Bomb and occasionally Whisper in the Wind, when he was in WWE the Twist of Fate and the Whisper in the Wind were usually a set up for the Swanton.

 

[CardiffCam]

Yeah, I agree with you on that one- I think it would be a lot better if the fans hadnt been conditioned to think only a finisher can win a match. But it can be a good thing, because if someone kicks out of a deadly finisher- (Michaels out of the tombstone for example) then it makes a match instantly more interesting, gets a big pop, and instantly puts over whoever kicked out.

But it would make matches generally more interesting if any finish was believable. Even things like a superplex aren't believable any more.

But then, on Monday, The Miz beat Mark Henry with a DDT, so you never know.

 

[Dagger Dias]

My question is do you think the idea of a wrestler being limited by their finisher is something only visible in WWE or that TNA will follow suit, or is even already there?

It is already there, but this happens for what I happen to think is a good reason. You are right that Finishers limit the number of ways a match can end if they are relied on so much.... but the fans really enjoy the Finishers!

This is kind of a strange analogy to make, but it works. In fighting games every character has "special moves" used by pressing certain buttons in a certain order, these moves are more popular and more powerful than the regular attacks. A wrestler's Finisher is his special move. It is like a real life version of those special moves from fighting games. They rely on those to finish the match, hence the name "Finisher" and it makes for great moments for the fans that are watching because we mark out for the Finishers.

As for the question of whether TNA will follow suit.... I honestly think they rely on Finishers just as much if not more than WWE sometimes, but I don't think that's a bad thing that either federation does it because it is to make things more entertaining for the fans.