The 7 Best Finishers in Wrestling History

The finisher. No explanation necessary. Even non-wrestling fans can surmise by its very name what a finisher is – the move or hold that ends the match, finishing the opponent once and for all.

These are the 7 best finishers in professional wrestling history.

7. Figure Four Leg Lock

By today’s standards the Figure Four is not an exciting finishing move, but this is a case where “The Man” made “The Move”. Popularized by “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, this moved bruised the shins of 80s era adolescent little brothers everywhere. My guess is 60%+ of the people reading this have attempted or been on the receiving end of a Figure Four, or some modification thereof.

6. Choke Slam

Used by many wrestlers (typically “bigs”), this move insinuated superhuman strength on the part of the administrator. Imagine trying to lift a 200+ lb. human with one hand. Now do it by their sweaty neck. Like all of the finishers on this list, the victim had to sell the move, meaning they had to do their fair share to make the maneuver work. In this particular example, the “choke slam-ee” had to jump off the mat to give the effect of being lifted off their feet and slammed to the ground by their throat. Kane had an excellent way of building anticipation for the move with an impressively audible open-hand “neck slap” to begin the festivities.

5. Diamond Cutter

Whereas the Ric Flair made the Figure Four cool, this is a case of “The Move making The Man”. Diamond Dallas Paige was somewhat of a toiling mid-card talent with WCW in the mid 90s. Never overly impressive as a grappler, Paige’s finisher was truly his trademark, and his double open-hand diamond signal is still used by pro athletes today. There was even a mini-beef with Jay-Z over who used the hand signal first. Noted for his ability to initiate the move from any position, at any time- the Diamond Cutter opened the door for the “quick finisher” to rise to popularity around the turn of the century, undoubtedly inspiring future finishers such as Randy Orton’s RKO.

4. Rock Bottom

The Rock was (and is) The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. The electrifying man had a host of electrifying signature moves such as The People’s Elbow, but the Rock Bottom was his most effective finisher. Standing face to face with a dazed opponent, The Rock would drape their lifeless arm behind his head, cradle their chin in the crook of his right arm, lift them off the mat and slam them backwards, while driving himself face first into the mat as well. Like the choke slam, this move required a fair amount of cooperation from the victim (jumping at the right time), but it also provided us with the facial expressions and theatrics that only The Rock could convey.

3. Sweet Chin Music

Tune up the band. Dubbed Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels undoubtedly took part in some of the most epic matches of all time. After a long, intense build up, the Heartbreak Kid would back into a corner, stomping his foot on the mat until his opponent came to long enough to stagger into an energetic boot to the chin. Anyone who has attempted to mimic Sweet Chin Music has respect for how limber and flexible The Showstopper had to be to land this finisher, especially on his taller opponents.

2. Power Bomb

Many wrestlers have employed this finisher since its inception, but for me the one who comes to mind instantly is Kevin Nash. The many variations of this move over the years (Batista Bomb, Last Ride, Crucifix Power Bomb/Razor’s Edge) signify its lasting impact on the business.

Kevin Nash Power Bombing Rey Mysterio on WCW Nitro was one of the hardest non-object bumps I’ve ever seen.

1. Stone Cold Stunner

No surprise here, although the surprising nature by which this finisher routinely came about is the reason it sits atop the list. In most cases, fans could clearly see when a wrestler’s finisher was being set up. From Jake “The Snake” Roberts trademark finger spin (based on an MLB umpire’s home run call), Shawn Michaels’ “tuning up the band”, to Randy Orton pounding the mat with his fists, many superstars over the years gave theatrical indications that their signature move was imminent. Not so with Stone Cold.

The fact that the relatively gentle gut kick always came from nowhere and was followed quickly with a stunner was perhaps this finisher’s most charming quality. While the tempo of the match often dictated the timing of the stunner, there were plenty of instances in which it came completely unexpected, and that shock factor is the lasting legacy this move has left on many fans.