Wrestling fans are suckers for good finishers. Over the years, moves like Sweet Chin Music and the RKO have captivated WWE fans and helped enhance the performers executing the moves. In an ideal world, the best and most exciting finishers would be reserved for only the cream of the wrestling crop.
Pro wrestling is far from ideal though. The reality is, there have been and continue to be some disappointing WWE performers who have exceptional finishing moves. Likewise, some elite-level performers, past and present, have possessed finishers that don't necessarily seem to fit their status or level of success.
10 Bad Finisher: Logan Paul's Knock Out Punch
Some readers might see this entry and feel compelled to argue that Logan Paul isn't a great wrestler. They'd be wrong, though. While Paul may very well be pompous and obnoxious, the fact that he's an absurdly talented pro wrestler is pretty much undeniable at this point. In his very short career, Paul has been in the ring with the best and held his own.
Paul has shown incredible timing and selling skills beyond his age. If there's one deficiency in Paul's game it's his finisher. We get it, Paul is a boxer. Furthermore, he's got metal pins in his hands. Having him use a punch as his finisher seems lazy though. Paul's level of talent and insane athleticism would indicate he'd have a more impressive finisher.
9 Great Finisher: Angel Garza's Wing Clipper
It would be unfair to label Angel Garza as anything even resembling a "bad wrestler." If Garza is guilty of anything it's not having a character that WWE officials deem worthy of a strong push. Alas, the fact is that Garza is as far away from the top of the WWE food chain as you can get without being considered an enhancement talent.
This is unfortunate for many reasons. The main one perhaps is because Garza has a great finisher. Garza's Wing Clipper finisher not only looks devastating but it has a clever name. Garza's first name is Angel, angels have wings, and the way Garza hits the move while hooking his opponent's arms gives the illusion of clipping. That's next-level attention to detail.
8 Bad Finisher: Kevin Owens' Stunner
There are very few things in the wrestling business that are genuinely original. Most of the things performers do are derivative of something from the past. While that's to be expected, there's a difference between history organically repeating itself and booking something with the hopes of recreating the past. Kevin Owens using The Stunner is a great example of trying too hard to recreate something.
Owens is undoubtedly one of the best and most well-rounded performers in the business today. He's got a great rebellious character but is nowhere near the anti-authority rebel "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was. To make matters worse, during his time using the move as his finisher, Owens has hit some sloppy Stunners. If only he was allowed to use the Package Piledriver.
7 Good Finisher: Cameron Grimes' Cave In
Much like Angel Garza, this entry is less about being a "bad" performer and more about card placement. Cameron Grimes could potentially find success in WWE but he hasn't found much yet. In NXT, Grimes was able to organically connect with the audience in a way he hasn't been able to, or hasn't been allowed to, on the main roster.
This is a shame because Grimes has the personality and the in-ring arsenal to succeed in WWE. Grimes' best and most explosive maneuver is his finisher, The Cave In. The move is essentially just a running, jumping double stomp but Grimes' delivery makes the move devastating. Hopefully, fans get to see it on the main roster with more regularity.
6 Bad Finisher: Roddy Piper's Sleeper Hold
We're going back in time a bit for our next entry. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper is an absolute icon in the sport of pro wrestling. Piper accomplished everything in the business except winning a World Championship. Not that anything is necessarily to blame for that but maybe Piper would've had a tad more success if he had a stronger finisher.
Keep in mind, Piper's era featured an abundance of simplistic moves as finishers. However, Piper's Sleeper Hold was among the least exciting. The move also didn't seem to match Piper's firey personality. Regardless, Piper became a legend using the Sleeper but just imagine how much cooler he would've been with a different finisher.
5 Good Finisher: Ahmed Johnson's Pearl River Plunge
We're going to stay in the past with our next entry as well. Over the years, wrestling fans have seen a few performers that had an animalistic charisma to them but not much wrestling skills. Immediately, guys like The Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg jump to mind. In the mid-90s, Ahmed Johnson fit that mold.
Ahmed took WWE by storm. By 1996, many wrestling pundits predicted Ahmed would be the first African American WWE Champion ever. While Ahmed wasn't the greatest in-ring worker, he had a stellar finisher, The Pearl River Plunge. The move was essentially just a sit-down powerbomb but Ahmed's delivery always made it look catastrophic.
4 Bad Finisher: Bobby Lashley's Hurt Lock
In 2005, Bobby Lashley debuted in WWE and immediately caught the attention of fans and WWE's upper management. Lashley was, and continues to be an incredible in-ring performer. He has real-life combat sports credentials that very few wrestlers can match. Today, Lashley is one of WWE's top stars.
Unfortunately, he may have the most boring finisher on the roster, The Hurt Lock. First off, the move has been recycled as a finisher many times with limited success. Second, it's just a simple Full Nelson. As kids, many wrestling fans learned to extend their arms and slide out of the hold. The finisher is honestly beneath such a talented performer like Lashley.
3 Good Finisher: Nikki Bella's Rack Attack
The Bella Twins have gotten such a bad rap from fans over the years. To be fair, neither of them has ever been anything close to resembling a great or even passable in-ring performer. However, their passion for the wrestling business can't be denied and has to be respected, at minimum.
While not the greatest worker, Nikki Bella actually had a pretty cool finisher. Nikki's Rack Attack finisher would see her lift her opponent into a Torture Rack position and drop to her knees. The psychology behind the move was solid and anyone who sees the move can imagine that it would be painful to take. Surprisingly, no powerhouse performer has adopted it.
2 Bad Finisher: Rey Mysterio's Dime Drop
It sucks to have to include the legendary Rey Mysterio on a list like this, especially in the top spot. The truth is, in his younger days, Rey possessed a spectacular finisher, The West Coast Pop. The move was springboard Huricanrana in which Rey wouldn't release the head scissors and hook his opponent's legs for the pin. Understandably though, that move is hard to hit on everyone.
When Rey moved up the WWE card, fewer opponents could safely take that finisher. Since then, Rey has alternated between using a Frog Splash and "Dropping The Dime." The Dime Drop specifically is a terrible finisher. Logically, it doesn't make sense. Guys three times Rey's size can't win a match with a splash but Rey can? That's a gross oversight of logic.
1 Good Finisher: Baron Corbin's End Of Days
Baron Corbin has been a loyal soldier for WWE since he joined the main roster in 2016. Sadly, Corbin has never been able to get over with fans as a heel. He has heat with the audience but not as much as WWE officials would hope for. If anything, the WWE audience kind of doesn't care about Corbin.
That's unfortunate because Corbin isn't a terrible in-ring performer. He just can't seem to find a character fans care about one way or another. Sadly, that means one of the best finishers currently in the wrestling business is being wasted. Corbin's End Of Days finisher is a work of art. Corbin always manages to hit it clean and make it look like a million bucks. If only he could find a way to matter to the audience.
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