Top Ten Finishing Moves of All Time

The finisher. The match ender. The moment you know that the guy on the receiving end is likely not getting up. Normally a finishing move has some extra flare. Whether it be an action of the prevailing wrestler to set it up or just an added fold to get a pop, a finishing move is the be all end all of a wrestling match. The best finishing moves are the ones that perfectly fit the performer, and once you see the list, you will understand why I’ve said that. One thing we all seem to have come to a consensus on is the excellence of a move called the Canadian Destroyer by Petey Williams. If you haven’t seen it, you need to. You will understand why we think so highly of it. Hope you enjoy some staff picks of the top ten finishers of all time!

Wes Hoffmaster

Honorable Mentions:

– Mandible Claw: Mankind

– Five Star Frog Splash: Rob Van Dam

– Flying Elbow Drop: Macho Man Randy Savage

– Lionsault: Chris Jericho

10. Frankensteiner: Scott Steiner

9. Sweet Chin Music: Shawn Michaels

8. Jackknife Powerbomb: Kevin Nash (Diesel)

7. Figure Four Leg Lock: Ric Flair

6. Diamond Cutter/RKO: DDP/Randy Orton

5. Pedigree: Triple H

4. Stone Cold Stunner: Stone Cold Steve Austin

3. Sharpshooter: Bret Hart

2. The People’s Elbow: The Rock

1. Canadian Destroyer: Petey Williams

 

AJ Stevens

Honorable Mentions:

– Tombstone Piledriver: The Undertaker

– Sharpshooter: Bret Hart

– Figure Four: Ric Flair

– Doomsday Device: Legion of Doom

10. Elbow Drop: “Macho Man” Randy Savage

Tell me you didn’t try this move on a sibling or a friend. From the top of the couch, flying through the air, and driving the elbow right through the chest.

9. Frankensteiner: Scott Steiner

This kind of move is unreal for guys the size of Scott Steiner to pull off. Rey Mysterio does a move very similar to this. It’s basically an oversized hurricanrana.

8. Diving Splash: The Usos

The amount of distance they cover and air time they get is incredible to watch.

7. Sweet Chin Music: Shawn Michaels

I wasn’t a huge fan of ‘tuning up the band,’ however I loved how smooth and quick he could hit it. Just ask Shelton Benjamin.

6. Eclipse: Ember Moon

I still remember seeing this move for the first time at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. We lost our minds!

5. One Winged Angel: Kenny Omega

I love how this move is like a package pile driver. TOO SWEET!

4. Razor’s Edge: Razor Ramon

As a kid I thought this was a devastating move. As an adult, I wish someone would bring it back. Maybe Cody Hall?

3. Rainham Maker: Will Ospreay

Ospreay will hit this move from anywhere. It doesn’t matter if he is on the top rope or the middle of the ring. I recently saw someone try to steal it and use it on him, but he countered and hit it himself.

2. 630 Senton: Ricochet

Ricochet is one of the smoothest wrestlers today. I first saw this move on Lucha Underground and had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

1. Red Arrow: Neville

I would love to see Neville squash his beef with the WWE and return to the company. The things he could do in the ring were amazing. Among those is my favorite move, The Red Arrow.

 

Nate Keller

Honorable Mentions:

– 630 Senton: Ricochet

– Eclipse: Ember Moon

– Sharpshooter: Bret Hart

– RKO: Randy Orton

10. Jackhammer: Goldberg

The first time I saw Goldberg hit this move I thought he split the opponent in half. The power and athleticism required to pull this move off to perfection is unreal, and it was the perfect finishing move for a physical beast like Goldberg. While some WWE fans may remember him for his spear, I will always remember Goldberg for his powerful and devastating Jackhammer.

9. Muscle Buster: Samoa Joe

In my opinion, this was one of the most devastating finishing moves I have ever seen. Not only did it work in kayfabe, but it nearly paralyzed Tyson Kidd when Joe used it in NXT. If you haven’t seen it, it is basically a suplex grip but Joe is holding the opponents knees holding them in a cradle suplex position. He then would just sit down, jumping off of his feet and onto his butt. Before this move was disallowed, the muscle buster was one of the most insane finishers of all time.

8. Sweet Chin Music: Shawn Michaels

Like AJ said, this move was always hit so quickly and smoothly. I can remember his match against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 21. After having the ankle lock applied multiple times and taking a heap of punishment, Michaels was pulled to his feet face to face with Angle, only to deliver Sweet Chin Music before falling back to the mat.  One of the most legendary moves in all of wrestling history, and it will forever be connected to  HBK.

7. Swanton Bomb: Jeff Hardy

I know it’s not the most impressive finisher or the most awe inspiring, but Jeff Hardy’s Swanton Bomb was one of the first true high flying moves during and following the Attitude Era in WWF/WWE. Not to mention, Hardy performed this move off of ladders, while jumping over a ladder, through tables, off cages. Pretty much any elevated position one could find, Jeff Hardy has probably done a Swanton Bomb off of it. This finisher was the one everyone wanted to do as a kid in the late 90’s, but nobody could execute it with such perfection like Jeff Hardy.

6. Crippler Cross Face/Diving Headbutt: Chris Benoit

Despite the controversy and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the name of Benoit, his finishers perfectly embodied the kind of character he was. He would give the notorious throat signal, much like The Undertaker, and would deliver one of the most reckless finishing maneuvers of all time. The crippler cross face was a revolutionary submission, and nobody applied it and sold it better than Mr. Benoit himself. Much like Jeff Hardy would deliver his Swanton, Benoit would deliver the headbutt from anywhere elevated. In the Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 21, Benoit delivered it right off of the ladder onto a helpless Kane. The move was delivered with such reckless abandon, but was never overused. It looked devastating, it definitely felt devastating, and it was a finisher unlike any we had seen. The cross face was inspirational, and you can still see variations of it today with Daniel Bryan’s “Yes lock” and Sasha Banks’ “Bank Statement.”

5. Diamond Cutter: DDP

DDP was one of the first wrestlers to deliver this type of inverted neckbreaker, and he could hit it from almost anywhere. He inspired the popular RKO that Randy Orton has made famous. He could be on the mat, seemingly dead to rights, and then out of nowhere would hit the opponent with the Diamond Cutter. He also knew how to set it up if he wasn’t hitting it in surprising fashion. He would make his diamond sign and then go about the move. DDP was one of the most interesting and entertaining wrestlers of WCW in the 1990’s and his finisher often doesn’t receive the respect it so rightly deserves.

4. Splash: Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka

Jimmy Snuka was the first real ‘high flyer’ that the wrestling world saw on a consistent basis. He hit this splash with such authority and crispness, it could never truly be duplicated. He delivered it from the top of a cage, he was never afraid to fly. He and this move inspired high flyers for decades to come, and you can even still see a variation of his splash performed by his nephews The Usos. His finisher inspired the Five Star Frog Splash of RVD and the Frog Splash from Eddie Guerrero, and other variations seen since his pioneering of the high flying move. At its introduction nobody had seen anything like it, and nobody has ever performed it with such perfection as Superfly Snuka.

3. Canadian Destroyer: Petey Williams

This move… What can I even say about this thing. Imagine you’re in a position about to be powerbombed or piledriven, but instead the guy does a front flip into a piledriver. The first time I saw it I thought Petey had it countered by his opponent. There is truly no finisher like this one, and once you see it, you will never forget it. It is so quick and jaw dropping, and for a guy like Petey Williams to pull it off makes it all the more impressive. If you haven’t seen it, look it up and thank me later.

2. DDT: Jake “The Snake” Roberts

The DDT. At it’s inception, the most devastating finishing move in wrestling. Fans had seen the piledriver which was destructive on its own, but upon seeing the DDT fans were in shock. It was simply a reverse headlock and then driving your opponents head and face right into the mat. It is said that the move was created on accident. Roberts had a headlock on an opponent, when he tripped backwards and drove his opponents face into the mat, receiving quite the response from the crowd. Nobody ever got up from this move, and it has also inspired a wealth of variations of this move. The DDT is now just a normal part of a match, and some wrestlers like Randy Orton, Tommy Dreamer, and Bobby Roode have put their own spin on it as their signature move. The DDT will always have a legendary spot in professional wrestling history.

1. Burning Hammer: Kenta Kobashi

Some of you may not know this move or even the guy who delivers it. But you should. You absolutely should. It is basically an inverted death valley driver. It looks absolutely devastating and nobody has ever gotten up from it in a match. The move has only been used a total of seven times. Seven. That’s when you know it is special. I have never seen anything like it, and the fact that it is so devastating and so rare makes it the perfect candidate for my number one spot.

 

Lee Walker III

10. Vader Bomb: Vader

9. 360 Tombstone: Justin Credible

8. 630 Senton: Ricochet/Jack Evans

7. Bitter End: Pete Dunne

6. Five Star Frog Splash: RVD

5. Jackhammer: Goldberg

4. Canadian Destroyer: Petey Williams

3. Corkscrew 450 Splash: Blitzkrieg

2. Red Arrow: Neville

1. Diamond Cutter: DDP

 

This was a really fun list to put together. I know it kind of displayed our diverse takes on wrestling and what we all perceive as impressive and impactful. Let us know what your favorites are either in the comments section or on our social media pages! Thanks for reading!

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Nate Keller

Avid sports fan. Been a fan of WWE since I was 3 years old. Bachelors degree from Alvernia University.

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