28. Swanton Bomb
Always having a flair for the dramatic, the enigmatic Jeff Hardy popularized this top-rope high-risk maneuver. It’s one thing when a cruiserweight hits a high-flying move, but Hardy is not a small man by any means (registering around 220 pounds). Hardy’s willingness to attempt the Swanton from any type of launch pad — including off of a ladder or even atop the TitanTron — made this move look even more dangerous.
Image Source: Geek.com
27. GTS (Go 2 Sleep)
Knee strikes has made a roaring comeback to professional wrestling over the past few years. Stars like Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakmura and Kenny Omega have all implemented some form of a knee attack into their expansive repertoires. One of the moves starting the revolution was the Go to Sleep — which is a dropping fireman’s carry transitioned into an upward knee strike. The GTS was notably used by CM Punk, though it was actually created by current NXT star Hideo Itami.
Image Source: WWE.com
26. Eclipse
While staying on the subject of NXT, we have to mention the best current finisher in WWE’s developmental system. Ember Moon’s awe-inspiring signature move is a sight to behold, and truly must be seen to be believed. The body control of one of NXT’s brightest stars is some of the best the company has to offer. If you have yet to see this flying corkscrew stunner in action, do yourself a favor and check it out.
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25. Kill Switch
This inverted face-buster was an underrated finishing move used by an underrated wrestler. Made popular by WWE’s Christian, the Killswitch (aka the Unprettier or the Impaler) has been a fan favorite over the last decade. Although the move itself doesn’t have the highest of impacts, Christian’s great storytelling ability gave it life and allowed the move to thrive.
Image Source: Wrestlezone
24. Phenomenal Forearm
The Styles Clash is great, but the ‘phenomenal’ A.J. Styles looks most comfortable when he’s flying through the air delivering painful forearms. Styles made a name for himself both in Japan and TNA — taking part in classic feuds with now-current WWE stars (Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura). After an exceptionally brief stint with the company in 2002, Styles made the full-time jump to the WWE in 2016 — shocking everyone with an appearance at the Royal Rumble.
He’s been one of the company’s hottest stars since joining. Styles recently capped off arguably one of the greatest “Rookie” years in WWE history. His signature forearm is both majestic as well as hard-hitting, and it’s amazing that Styles can still make it looks so easy at 40-years old.
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23. Clothesline
Although not a requirement for every move in the sports entertainment business, finishers that legitimately look like they could hurt somebody only adds to the mystique. Very few wrestling attacks look as brutal as a stiff-arm clothesline. Bradshaw did it better than anybody, delivering the lariat with immense force, power and explosiveness. Today, Kazuchika Okada of New Japan Pro Wrestling has his own variation – the incredibly popular Rainmaker.
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22. Ankle Lock
Carrying a sense of legitimacy will always help the overall quality of a finisher. How much more legitimate could one get than utilizing a move used by a slew of former professional athletes? From Olympic stars Kurt Angle and Chad Gable, to former UFC fighter Ken Shamrock, the ankle lock has been passed along by wrestlers that know a thing or two about physical competition.
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21. Lion Tamer
What makes the Walls of Jericho so great is in its simplicity. The move itself is just a high-angle Boston crab — a hold that virtually anybody could apply to their opponent. Memories of applying Chris Jericho’s famed submission on your best buds resonate with fans of today’s product or the Attitude era. Jericho was able to transcend this modest hold over generations of fans, making it an instant classic.
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20. AA (Attitude Adjustment)
In the modern era of wrestling, being able to surprise a very well-informed crowd is imperative to success. One facet of that unpredictability is having a finishing maneuver that can be done anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. Standing strikes, turnbuckle dives, and submissions can mostly be done to virtually any sort of opponent. However, rarely can a superstar execute bombs and slams to the bigger wrestlers. That is…until John Cena emerged. Say what you will about Cena’s Attitude Adjustment, but the sheer strength of the 16-time world champion is on full display during his finishing move. When he gets Big Show or Mark Henry up for the AA, he’s rightfully earning the nickname “SuperCena”.
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19. Bank Statement (Crossface)
Formerly utilized by Chris Benoit (Crippler Crossface) and Daniel Bryan (YES lock), Sasha Banks’ Bank Statement sits as an homage to two of the greatest in-ring performers the wrestling world has seen. Banks has rapidly grown her own following due to her unique ability and charisma. Her finishing move serves as a great representation of her character, and her execution of the back-stabber as a set-up to the submission is done to perfection.
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18. Code Breaker
When Jericho returned to the WWE after a brief hiatus, the future Hall of Famer knew he had to change his move-set just a tad to subtly reinvent himself. Jericho knew that relying on the Lionsault less and less would add years to his career. As a result, the Codebreaker was born. The double-knee facebreaker has put a bevy of top superstars away recently, and it was a fresh looking maneuver that hadn’t really been seen on WWE programming up until the last few years.
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17. Curb Stomp
Ah Vince, why did you have to ban such a great move? The Curb Stomp was Seth Rollins’ signature move for the better part of his early career in the WWE. It fit the Architect’s character absolutely perfectly. It could be landed on any wrestler on the roster, it could come out of nowhere, and above all else, it looked great. Unfortunately, the Boss pulled the plug — likely due to its dark connotation and safety issues. Now all we have left is memories of Randy Orton reversing the move into the most beautiful RKO’s the world has ever seen.
Image Source: eWrestlingNews.com
16. Rock Bottom
Let’s be honest, the Rock Bottom isn’t the most exciting of moves on its own. The Rock’s innate charisma made this move what it is. Everything that went into it — from The Rock stalking his opponent, to the fleet of cameras flashing in the crowd. Easy to emulate, The Great One had fans performing his finisher on their friends throughout a majority of the late 90’s, and even all the way up until the present time.
Image Source: Sportskeeda.com
15. Red Arrow (or any Shooting Star Press variation)
Transitioning from the Rock Bottom – which was often emulated – we go to a move that was (nearly) impossible to imitate by the common man. The Shooting Star Press has been one of the most galvanizing turnbuckle dives in pro wrestling history. Whether it’s a textbook Shooting Star, or Neville’s corkscrew variation (the Red Arrow), the SSP is an electrifying move with a high-impact on the receiving end. It takes some intense body control to pull this off, and only the most athletic of WWE talent have been able to do so effectively.
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14. Pedigree
Currently playing a major part in the development of NXT, it wasn’t long ago that Triple H was putting superstars away with his patented Pedigree. The Cerebral Assassin picked at his opponents methodically. He slowly and surely exposed their weaknesses while imposing his will over the match. The double underhook face-buster was even more brutal when it was first unveiled, but has since been tamed down in recent times. Still, the move is painful looking and can’t feel good getting up from. Hunter was born to play the heel, and his finisher completed the Triple H character.
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13. Jackhammer
When the world saw Goldberg pick The Giant (also known as The Big Show) up over his head in a suplex position – his legacy was sealed. One of the most intense wrestlers in the history of pro wrestling, Goldberg’s insane physique and inhuman strength made this move a crowd favorite. It was highly protected during his run in WCW, and was even used to put Brock Lesnar away at the 2016 Survivor Series.
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12. Spear
Whether it’s being delivered by Goldberg, Edge, Rhyno, or even Roman Reigns – everybody loves a good Spear. The football-like running tackle looks spectacular when delivered with force and explosion, even though the move itself is rather basic. It can be used on every wrestler on the roster, and even former Women’s Champion Charlotte has incorporated it in her arsenal. It’s a clear crowd-pleaser when execute properly.
Image Source: Bleacher Report
11. F-5
Everything Brock Lesnar does looks cool, and his finishing move is no different. When the Beast Incarnate first appeared on WWE television, he delivered what would be the first of countless F-5’s to helpless opponents. There’s something oddly satisfying about the raw strength of a monster like Lesnar picking up 200-plus pound grown men over his shoulder and spinning them through the air like they’re a sack of old potatoes.
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10. Splash (Superfly/Frog Splash/Five-Star)
With wrestlers now able to do multiple spins and flips in the air, let’s take the time to acknowledge the greatness of a good ol’ fashioned body splash. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka brought the original splash to the mainstream. Aided by his innate charisma, Snuka made an incredibly simple move one of the most iconic finishers of that era. Fast-forward a couple of decades and you have all-time greats like Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam putting their own unique spin on the historic maneuver. It’s a bit of a throwback, but nothing beats the classics.
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9. Razor’s Edge
If we’re keeping this “kayfabe”, then the Razor’s Edge reigns supreme on this list. The originator of the move, Razor Ramon (better known as Scott Hall), is said to have refused executing the move in a match that he wasn’t going to win. Thus, the Razor’s Edge stands as one of the few finishers to have never been kicked out of. On top of that, it’s just a great looking move in general. Typically standing next to guys like Kevin Nash, it’s easy to forget that Hall himself is a large man (6’7”). This crucifix powerbomb was no joke, and you can see the devastation even today as current WWE superstar Sheamus utilizes this move quite well.
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8. RKO/Diamond Cutter
Whether you prefer Randy Orton’s RKO or Diamond Dallas Page’s Diamond Cutter, the cutter is a fantastic move that always deserves a place within the roster. The greatness of the cutter lies within the ability to execute it out of nowhere. Page would land the Diamond Cutter on opponents out of thin air during the heat of the match. Orton took the “Out of Nowhere” sentiment a whole step further, creating an entire brand around that aspect. The amount of situations that we’ve seen Randy land a RKO out of is staggering, and the list only grows larger as his Hall of Fame career continues.
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7. Figure Four Leglock
You don’t become arguably the greatest professional wrestler of all-time without an all-time great finishing move. Ric Flair was the top heel in the industry for almost the entirety of the 80’s. He oozed charisma, and was second-to-none when it came to mic skills. To this day, Flair is still in a tie (with John Cena) for the most world title reigns in the company’s history with 16. The Nature Boy earned a majority of those reigns thanks to his grueling submission hold. We’ve seen countless reversals leading to historic moments from this move, and Flair has made some of the greatest wrestlers the company has ever seen tap out to the Figure Four. Flair’s daughter, Charlotte, has adopted the move herself and applies it with a flair that would make her old man proud.
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6. Diving Elbow
Top-rope moves are typically delivered by smaller wrestlers. Cruiserweights, and guys that float around that 200 pounds range live in the air due to their agility advantages. And then there was Randy Savage. At a solid 240 pounds, Savage drove his huge elbows through the hearts of his poor, prone opponents on a nightly basis. Savage played to the fans as well as anybody in the business, always making sure to reach his hands to the sky before unleashing his greatest weapon. The top-rope technique lived on through multiple other stars including Shawn Michaels, Bayley, and CM Punk.
Image Source: Bleacher Report
5. Powerbomb
Simple and devastating. Sometimes, those two attributes are all you need in a quality finisher. The powerbomb one of the most versatile moves in wrestling. Countless popular wrestlers have adopted the powerbomb and effectively given their own spin on it. Kevin Nash’s Jackknife utilized a sudden drop on the opponent’s back. Undertaker lifted his recipient far above his shoulders. Kevin Owens uses a “pop-up” for extra impact. Batista did a sit-out variation. Even Seth Rollins has his patented “buckle-bomb”. The powerbomb is here to stay.
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4. Tombstone Piledriver
The Deadman pioneered one of the most iconic finishers in WWE history. Rather than relying on unpredictability to get the crowd behind the Tombstone, Undertaker relied on his character and aura to build up to the finishing move. From the moment he did the throat-slash motion, you knew what the next few seconds would consist of – and it wasn’t going to end well for his opponent.
The name and the execution fit in perfectly with his gimmick. It was also fittingly adopted by his “brother” Kane, as the two would later form the fan favorite “Brothers of Destruction” tag team.
Although Undertaker added other finishing moves over the years (Last Ride, Hell’s Gate), he still used the Tombstone as his ultimate move. Not many wrestlers can say they used one specific move throughout a 20-plus year Hall of Fame career. There’s a reason he was so successful at Wrestlemania, and it was because of the Tombstone Piledriver.
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3. Sharpshooter
The memory of Stone Cold – face completely covered in blood – screaming in agonizing pain while being held in the Sharpshooter is forever etched into the brains of 90’s wrestling fans. Many have adopted the move over the years, but nobody executed the Sharpshooter like The Excellence of Execution himself. Bret Hart was a natural wrestler, and every time he slapped on his finisher it looked perfect. Although Bret did it best, we’d be remised if we didn’t mention another great user of the maneuver — Sting — who quaintly renamed it to the Scorpion Death Lock.
Image Source: Bleacher Report
2. Sweet Chin Music
When Shawn Michaels went into the corner and started “tuning up the band”, you knew it was about to be over. The super kick had been around for years, but Michaels made it his own by adding some theatrics and dubbing it “Sweet Chin Music”. It helped The Heart Break Kid become one of the most popular wrestlers of his generation. Who could forget Michaels delivering Sweet Chin Music to Marty Jannety in Brutus Beefcake’s Barbershop — sending his former teammate through a window and effectively tearing apart one of the most popular tag team of the 90’s? Absolutely classic – and it marked the birth of a future legend in the industry.
Image Source: Bleacher Report
1. Stone Cold Stunner
No move exemplifies the Attitude era better than the Stone Cold Stunner. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the epitome of attitude — a beer-drinking, finger-flipping, ass-kicking machine that had a severe distaste for his boss. He was incredibly relatable to followers of pro wrestling, and fans gravitated toward him as soon as he adopted the “Stone Cold” gimmick. His delivery of the Stunner was perfection, and watching opponents flop and flail around after being hit with the move was a treat to watch.
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