Image via Complex Original
26.
You've heard it since you were a little kid, "Every good thing has to come to an end." Great dynasties. Great movies. Even great novels. Obviously there's no reason that wrestling matches would be different. Today we examine the exclamation points of the squared circle. The finishing moves that left us with a satisfying conclusion, rather than a routine pin. If you grew up in a house with negligent parents you no doubt practiced these endlessly on trampolines, couches, and king-sized beds with many partners, both willing and unwilling. Now that you're older and wiser, you'll have a better idea of how to properly pull these off. Here are the 25 Greatest Finishing Moves in Pro Wrestling History.
25.Rock Bottom/People's Elbow
Wrestler: The Rock
More of a fan favorite than a great finisher (there's no denying that the crowd used to go ape shit when Johnson would start bouncing off the ropes). It's one of about three moves on here you could try on a trampoline without chancing a lawsuit.
24.Attitude Adjustment
Wrestler: John Cena
He's hated by many and loved by more. We assume that translates to this move as well. Remember, "Never give up," unless it calls for it in the script.
23.Killswitch
Wrestler: Christian
You may not be a Christian fan, but this is not a bad move. All that weight coming down on your face? Try it at your own risk.
22.Go To Sleep
Wrestler: KENTA/CM Punk
Though (from what we can tell) this originated from KENTA in Japan, we're just going to use CM Punk's rendition because...well, we really don't have a reason. It's just readily available. And while Punk (and his opponent) can, at times, phone this move in, a "source" tells me that this is extremely painful.
That "source?" Taking a knee to the fucking face.
21.Styles Clash
Wrestler: A.J. Styles
Learn how to take a move or suffer the (often) painful consequences. The "Styles Clash" has claimed victims from independent wrestler Roderick Strong to British wrestler Lionheart, with the latter breaking his neck. Next time someone tells you wrestling is fake here's a wikiHow to prove them wrong.
20.Sharpshooter
Wrestler: Bret Hart
If you're wondering where the Walls of Jericho is, it was absorbed by this slide (well they're not really slides anymore, but you know what we mean). It's also an excellent position to try if you want to break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever.
19.Razor's Edge
Wrestler: Razor Ramon
First Razor spreads the opponent out like a crucifix, then he slams them to the mat. The result is a devastating impact to the canvas below. We're not sure where the inspiration for this move came from since (in our opinion) the Bible had an appallingly pathetic lack of powerbombs.
18.Figure 4 Leg Lock
Wrestler: Ric Flair
"To be the man, you gotta beat the man!" And to do that you got to risk going through life without an ACL.
17.Black Widow
Wrestler: Gail Kim (also, A.J. Lee)
This is pretty much the extent of diversity on this list but it's not just a bone being thrown to the single female reader who clicked on an article about "Finishing Moves" in pro wrestling. This is both legitimately athletic and our attempt at erasing sexism. That's not our style.
Besides, speaking of "throwing a bone" I think I just got one in my pants at 0:08, hahahah--oh, wait.
16.5 Star Frog Splash
Wrestler: Rob Van Dam
If you want, replace this with Jimmy Snuka's Superfly Splash you go right ahead. You can't really go wrong either way as both moves treat opponents like the surface of a pool. This move has been emulated by many, but equaled by none. The sheer altitude of Van Dam's jumps? Let's just say there are better silhouettes for a Jumpan logo.
15.Corkscrew Shooting Star Press
Wrestler: Adrian Neville
The body mastery of an Olympic dive with the pain of a 200 lb. man dropping all his weight onto you. Would you rank Neville's technique, or Van Dam's massive air higher? I wasted five seconds of my life figuring that out so you wouldn't have to.
14.Cattle Mutilation
Wrestler: Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson
A throwback to an era before Daniel Bryan blew up. We're not aware of what happened to this submission hold, but do we want it back? Well as his own fans would say "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Sure...if he feels like it.
13.RKO
The People's Elbow, the Sharpshooter, the GTS, we can all see those coming, but the RKO rises above because its quick delivery usually takes us by surprise when it brings an abrupt and sudden conclusion to a match.
12.Diamond Cutter
Wrestler: Diamond Dallas Page
If we're going to put the RKO up, we should top it with it's inspiration. Here is what we believe to be the definitive "Diamond Cutter." You either have (or will) remember where you were when you first saw this. Maybe it was at a friend's sleepover. Maybe it was on the living room floor with your brother. However, more than likely, it was during an agonizingly boring day at work when you finally decided "Eh, let me check what Complex decided to post today."
11.Tornado DDT
Wrestler: Masato Tanaka
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And by that we mean a bunch of wrestlers have stolen this.
10.F-5
Wrestler: Brock Lesnar
Watching Brock Lesnar is intense, he doesn't give the impression of either knowing how to pull punches, or giving enough of a shit to learn. He's the perfect rebuttal to people who say "This is fake," before an audible puft of condescending air escapes their lips. If anybody still feels this way after you botched the "Styles Clash" and gave them a brain hemorrhage, follow up with an F-5 (or better yet, just have them watch a few Lesnar clips on YouTube).
9.Sweet Chin Music
Wrestler: Shawn Michaels
It's extraordinarily basic, until you try it at home and realize "Damn, Shawn Michaels is flexible." Many a youth has torn their scrotum figuring this out.
8.619
Wrestler: Rey Mysterio
Some of these require feats of brute strength. Some (okay, few) are expertly crafted submissions. Yet Rey Mysterio's 619 is probably the most dazzling display of raw athleticism on here. Plus, anytime a wrestler incorporates the ropes like a balance beam (even for a split second) our ears perk up and our tits dicks get hard.
Not that we'd ever admit that in public.
7.Brainbuster
Wrestler: Austin Aries
We're not sure how many hits like this a person can take. The only way we can think to simulate comparable brain trauma is to cross over the middle against James Harrison or watch Scrubs on Netflix for like, five minutes.
6.Jackhammer
Wrestler: Goldberg
Spears are basic, and that's why we left them off this list. But Goldberg following up with a Jackhammer...well it's not quite a fatality. But it's close.
5.Pedigree
Wrestler: Triple H
This is a love or hate move, but we tenuously love it because it looks like it would legitimately hurt. According to Chris Jericho this move was indeed painful as hell because there's no way to protect yourself when you're on the receiving end. Whenever Triple H got a competitor's head latched between his legs, inches from his taint, you knew he was about to eat mat.
4.Jackknife Powerbomb
Wrestler: Kevin Nash
Considering Kevin Nash is about ten feet tall, this is pretty much the equivalent of being slammed off a ranch-style house. It's a lot like "Razor's Edge" except Scott Hall ducked a little upon release. Kevin Nash? Nah, he's just going to toss you to the ground neck first. A.K.A. the last way you'd ever want to be tossed to the fucking ground!
3.Tombstone Piledriver
Wrestler: The Undertaker
Anybody who actually did emulate these trained professionals on a trampoline *looks in mirror* quickly learned that a piledriver was a recipe for memory loss and, probably, lifetime migraines (or a neck brace). It's wrestlers code to follow the lead of an opponent but when he said the dreaded "piledriver" you prayed that you hadn't just used your legs for the last time.
That was when you were just selling it in front of your friends and the fear of being called a "pussy" was worse than the fear of elevators and wheelchair ramps. Selling it in front of packed arenas and a pay-per-view audience needing justification for their $60 purchase? You better believe the Deadman is making it look real.
2.Canadian Destroyer
Wrestler: Petey Williams
There's a few things Canada undoubtedly dominates: Hockey, Sasquatch sightings and this legendary finishing move that drops jaws of first-time viewers. Canada...you now have our respect.
Oh, wait there's one more? Then never mind, no you don't.
1.Stone Cold Stunner
Wrestler: Stone Cold Steve Austin
An iconic move that summed up the Attitude Era by combining three seemingly simplistic maneuvers into a single act of defiance. Chug a beer, kick a guy in the nuts and then use your weight to break an opponent's jaw. This is the type of move that convinced many of us that we wanted to be wrestlers before signing up for the team and finding out that executing this move was the same as hitting a guy with a folding chair. Meaning: dismissal from the team, and a probable expulsion from school.