The Top Ten Marvel Casting Choices

Right now is an incredible time to be a comic book fan.  New movies and TV shows keep coming out all the time, the quality of comics (in general) has now completely recovered from the disaster of the 1990’s and based on the success of the movies, being a nerd is much easier now.

My local mall now has a comic book shop in it that is over 1000 square feet and it is always packed.  I see girls in there regularly.  Imagine this occurring in 2004.  Wouldn't happen.  Also the media has drastically increased the popularity of the characters and for uber-nerds like myself, finding cool merch has never been easier, the shelves are just flooding with new stuff all the time.

One big reason, why it took so long to get to a nerd-friendly time is the quality of the movies (where the largest mainstream reach is) was bad for a long time.  When comic book properties first started being made, it was obvious studios just wanted to rush them onto the big screen for an easy buck and several were just atrocious.  The fantastic four series, Daredevil, the first few Punisher movies, a direct to DVD version of the Man-Thing, and Superman Returns all hit the populace at large wondering how nerds loved this stuff so much and also left nerds disappointed on a regular basis.

Two large events can be credited with the turnaround: Marvel Studios launch and the culmination of the Avengers project and the Nolan Batman trilogy.  Those two things created movies that were not only pleasing their intended fan base but were executed well enough to reach the general movie going populace.

Today, I will be analyzing the actors that have helped the cause.  Breaking down and ranking the:

Top Ten Marvel Comics casting choices

Please note the word “Marvel” above, Ledger isn't here because I don’t care about DC Comics. 

Just missing the cut: Michael Chiklis as the Thing, Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull, William Dafoe as Norman Osborn, and Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus

10. Chris Evans (Human Torch)

Chris Evans at this point is significantly more well known for his role as Captain America, which he has done okay with, but one reason that comic fans were so resistant of this casting when announced was not because he had already played a different character in the Marvel cinematic universe, but that he had done such a great job playing a character that is so opposite what Cap is.  Don’t get me wrong, I hate these movies, and I hate the Human Torch.  However, I hate the Human Torch because he is exactly the character that Evans perfectly plays in these films. 

9. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury (All Marvel Studios Movies)

Samuel Jackson could probably be a little higher on this list but based on the fact that he has never been even one of the top three most important characters in any of the movies he’s in, you could also argue he doesn’t belong on the list at all.  For fans of the classic comics who first saw him, it probably seemed horrible, I remember the first time that I saw Daredevil and for the life of me didn’t understand why they had cast the Kingpin as a black man.  There have been a lot of controversies over the years about comic fans getting riled up over the race of the actors cast, but this is not because they’re racist, it’s because nerds are sticklers for details and do not like to see them changed for the big screen.  However, this role is not one of those cases.  In the early 2000’s Marvel launched a new line of comics known as “ultimate comics.”  These were recreations of classic characters but told in a different universe so that they could start all over and modernize some classic stories for a new generation.  When they did so, the change was made to Nick Fury to appear like this:

Since the plan for the Avengers movie was to follow the "Ultimates" story, there could not have been a more spot-on choice to play Nick Fury.

8. Ian McKellen as Magneto (The X-Men Trilogy)

Magneto is a villain that has incredible depth to him and takes a special actor to pull off correctly.  McKellan is obviously that actor.  Magneto is undoubtedly a antagonist to the X-Men but many would argue he is not a true villain, because he does not fight for his gain, he fights for a cause.  The cause being the freedom of his “race.”  McKellan does a phenomenal job of showing you the wear of his past in his current character to seem a sympatric yet despicable character in any given moment.   Additionally, he has that look that Magneto should just have.  I feared when the movies were announced that a younger man would be cast for the sake of more believable action but McKellan’s casting not only is well executed but stays true to the source material.

7.  Brian Cox as William Stryker (X2)

The early X-Men movies had a lot working for them in regards to excellent casting.  For me, William Stryker is probably the second best villain to ever appear in a Marvel movie.  Cox brings so much to the role.  One frequent mistake made by actors playing a villain is that they can’t truly commit to the role.  A villain has to believe in his cause and be able to convey that.  This is the reason why villains like Dr. Doom and Venom were so hated on the big screen, the actors did not seem to believe their own cause.  Stryker does and every word he speaks oozes with mutant hatred.  He is so sleazy and yet so justified at the same time.  When a powerless villain is stealing the spotlight in a cast of superpowered heroes, then something is going very right, and Cox is the main reason that until very recently X2 was my favorite comic movie ever.

6. Chris Hemsworth as Thor (Thor, The Avengers)

Thor is a very tricky part to cast, and to be honest, I never had hope these movies could be any good.  Thor in the comics is a pretty hokey character and brining Norse mythology into the mainstream Marvel Universe, never really seemed like it could be done well in a cinematic environment.  Seeing Thor was about the happiest I have ever been to be wrong.  Hemsworth, and his supporting cast do a wonderful job of making the story work.  Hemsworth in particular does a great job of playing the arrogant god that grows to love and cherish the human race despite himself, while still clinging to that arrogant streak that lands him on earth in the first place.  Additionally, if we are going off looks alone, Hemsworth was the best choice there would ever be for the part.  Casting someone to play Thor that can look a believable level of totally jacked without looking a nasty level of roided up at the same time was never going to be easy.  Hemsworth was the best of a small pool that could ever hope to look the part, we were just lucky that he navigated the acting well too.

5. Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier (X-Men trilogy)

The moment Patrick Stewart was cast as Professor X, it actually became irrelevant what kind of performance he actually had.  Every fanboy knew as soon as the announcement came through they would be happy even if Stewart walked half-heartedly through the whole thing.  He had the look of Professor X, he was perfect there, and everyone knew it.  He is one of the greatest actors of his generation and has proved this across multiple mediums, so whether the actually performance would be great was never really in doubt.  Finally, he already had fanboy cred.  A nice, long run on Start Trek let all of the fanboys know he could be trusted with their little movie.  A Stewart, as always delivered.  Professor X is not a superhero, he is a teacher with superpowers, and that is what he plated and perfectly.  Never rushing out on the mission but always ready to command as needed to start a mission and even better at being the patient mentor in one on one interactions with all of the X-Men.

4. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (Avengers)

The journey of the Hulk on the big screen has been unpleasant one but it has a great destination at least.  The debut of Hulk on the big screen was played by Eric Bana and was a disaster on almost all levels.  The next was Edward Norton, an actor that loved the Hulk character and strongly lobbied for the part long before it was awarded to him, given Norton’s resume and abilities it seemed a sure home run.  It wasn’t.  Norton did a fine job but it was nothing up to the standard his fans have grown to expect.  Ruffalo’s casting came out of nowhere and most fans honestly had no idea what to expect out of him.  He was absolutely brilliant in the role and brought something that Norton had ignored: confidence.  Ruffalo showed the brilliance of Banner and was able to understand the advantages of the Hulk and displayed that he knew how to use it throughout the film, while also showing all the quirks that make Banner the opposite of the monster in him.  Ruffalo gives the best performance I have ever seen in a Marvel movie and the only reason that is not number one is that he has only worked in a single movie and not in a single starring role.  Time may show Ruffalo deserves to be on top of the list. 

3. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (X-Men trilogy, Wolverine)

 It’s easy to see why people were so upset with the third X-Men movie, the first two were far and away the first two great comic movies of the modern era, Jackman is the fourth actor on the list from these movies.  Regardless of the script of the third, Jackman shines bright in all four movies where he has played the part.  Unlike most of the other casting choices on the list, Jackman was not an obvious choice.  Most of his roles previous were in romantic films or musicals, he was the polar opposite of the action star most expected.  Once in the role though, I don’t think anyone can say he did not excel.  He was a bad-ass, he was cold, snippy, ruthless, and sensitive in all the ways Wolverine is known in the comics and he looks the part.  Pulling off this part is much harder to pull off than most comic roles based on the sheer amount of material that has been out there for one of Marvel’s flagship characters that so many layers have been created for him.  The fact that he is about to release his fifth film in the role and has yet to deliver a poor one is always quite impressive.

2.Tom Hiddleston as Loki (Thor, The Avengers)

Hiddleston, as Loki, is without a doubt the greatest on-screen villain that Marvel has yet to produce.   He is brilliant in the role and displays every level of the character perfectly.  From the beloved brother of Thor, to the envious cast out, to the rebel that refuses to accept that is still beloved by his family, to the heavy-hearted traitor to his family, to a would be conqueror, to the spoiled child that knows he can’t win but simply wants the respect he feels is warranted.  The best part is that you can watch the “trickster” grow in him throughout the films and you can never tell exactly what he is thinking, only that it is more dangerous than those around him suspect.  Hiddleston is the gold standard of Marvel villains and I hope we see a lot more of him in the future.

1. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man trilogy and The Avengers)

Without a doubt, Downey is Iron Man.  Over the course of the four movies he has appeared in so far, there has never been a moment where you felt anyone else could do the part justice.  Stark is an over the top business yuppie whose ego knows no bounds and has a beautiful knack for improvising one-liners that can make a movie.  Iron Man started the Marvel Studios project that built to the Avengers. Without it’s success, and arguably Downey, then the Avengers may never have happened.  Downey doesn't play Iron Man, he is him, and he is flawless in the process. 

50 Greatest Finishers: 10-1

Missed the rest?  Catch up before reading the rest:

50-41
40-31
30-21
20-11

10. Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music

While many have used a superkick as a finish, none have ever done it as well as Shawn Michaels.  That is no surprise because no one has ever been a better professional wrestler than Shawn Michaels.  The move is not only very believable (I mean, it's just a straight kick to the face) but it also can come out of nowhere.  There are very few moves that are believable finishers, that do not require some time to set the move up first.  With Sweet Chin Music, you almost never saw it coming.

9. Taz's Tazmission (Katahajime)

The final submission hold on this list may surprise a few but I strongly believe it belongs here.  One thing to keep in mind about Taz is that he is very short for a wrestler, standing at only five foot nine.  With a small size, there are not many holds that are effective to use and hard to escape but Taz found the perfect one.  The tazmission is nothing more than a choke.  The way he locks it in makes it virtually impossible to escape.  The hold traps an opponent's arm by leaving it raised in the air in a way that does not allow it to be used for leverage to break the hold, then uses the same arm that is trapping the opponent to force their head down onto the other arm that is lodged on the opponent's throat.  The hold is not a show, it is a legitimate, bad-ass way to knock someone out it real life. The size of opponent does not seem to matter much either, as Bam-Bam Bigelow found it easier to break the ring than the hold.

8. Homicide's Cop Killer/Gringo Killer

Homicides Gringo Killer/Cop Killer is one of the scariest moves I have ever seen performed.  No matter how many times I see the move used, it never ceases to amaze me that the performer being hit with it is able to get up afterwards.  It is risky not only because the opponents arms are trapped so that they cannot brace for the landing but also that they are being held in a position where Homicide himself has little he can do to control it.  Most piledriver-type maneuvers involve the executor using their legs as a buffer between the opponents head and the mat to minimize impact.  With the Gringo Killer, there is no such option.

7. Samoa Joe's Muscle Buster

The thing I love most about the muscle buster is the uniqueness of the setup.  It is very rare to ever see an opponent so tightly balled up like Samoa Joe does to hit a big impact move, usually it is done for a submission or is roll-up or pinning maneuver of some sort.  Joe uses this technique to maximize the impact to a given area, leaving an opponent in a position where their shoulders are completely exposed and have to take the full brunt of the impact.  Joe also does a great job of using this move to embody his whole character, that of a big bad-ass dude who flies around the ring like some of the smaller guys.  Batista at one point tried to incorporate the muscle buster into his arsenal but it didn't get over.  The reason that Joe's works so well is that, unlike most big men, he doesn't try to make it a simple power move.  The easy way to deliver would be to just drop back and drive them to the mat.  Joe runs with the opponent and leaps up to add extra height to the impact.

6. KENTA's Go To Sleep

This is a move most people know now because CM Punk has been using it for a few years.  As great as CM Punk is, he will readily admit he is an "old school guy" and that he draws a lot of his moves by taking them from older wrestlers and channeling the feel of 80's wrestling.  That is all well and good but occasionally  you have to rip off a new school guy to find a great finish, especially when the Anaconda Vice is getting you no where on WWE television.  If you are looking for a fresh, devastating finisher, it is hard to find a simpler way to do it than the Go To Sleep.  The concept is simple, lift your adversary onto your shoulders, drop him forward and throw your knee into his face when he is coming down.  In a sport with as many horribly thrown fake punches and missed big boots as professional wrestling tends to offer, the Go To Sleep has offered up a strike that is truly to be feared and is easy to buy as a move that could knock an opponent out.

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin's Stone Cold Stunner

This is the move that is number one on the WWE DVD and if you are looking exclusively at the WWE, I think that is a fair choice.  While it is far from the most traumatizing move you'll see on the list, there has never been one that is more fun to watch.  This is another move that benefits from it's unpredictability because Austin could hit it anytime, anywhere, and on anyone.  The move is legendary because of how many times you expected to see it.  It doesn't matter what the situation was, Austin was so unpredictable he would hit it on anyone just because, and since the move can be hit with as little impact as needed, he can safely hit anybody with it.

Stacy Keibler doesn't like the beer I've shared with her.

Stunner.

Donald Trump is helping me celebrate.

Stunner.

There are about 30 people around me in a Pier 6 brawl.

Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner. Stunner.

I have a tag team partner.

Stunner.

It just never got old.

4. Kenta Kobashi's Burning Hammer

And now we have reached the lists top "scary" move.  It has been about 15 years since I stumbled across the existence of this move.  When creating my own wrestler in WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64, I ran across a frightening move I had never seen before called the burning hammer.  I figured it must be a move some programmer simply made up for the game as it looked far too dangerous for anyone to ever use in real life.  About five years later, I saw my first Kobashi match, and I'll be damned if the move ain't real.  Not only real but frequently used.  Kobashi has been using the thing to win matches for about 20 years now and for the life of me, I still don't get how he doesn't break the other guys neck when he uses it.

3. Brock Lesnar's F-5

No matter how many times I see the F-5, it never ceases to amaze me how easy Brock Lesnar makes this move look.  The move itself just serves to show just how monstrously strong Brock really is.  The move starts out like many others: in a fireman carry.  It doesn't end in any type of body slam or drop, rather Brock then spins his opponent out of this position and lands them flat on their face.  There have been wrestlers that have shown great feats of strength lifting wrestler into similar position, however when the move itself is executed by most professionals, it looks like shit when used on a bigger man.  Just watch John Cena hit an AA on Mark Henry and tel me he doesn't just drop him while moving around him because he can't dead lift enough to get him over.  When Brock does it on a big man through, it looks just as good as on the smaller guys.  Watch the above video and just see how great it looks on giants and midgets alike.  The most impressive thing is that he essentially does it with one arm.  Once in the carry, Brock has to use one arm to lift the opponent off his shoulder AND then push with enough force to spiral them to the other side of his body. The F-5 has been used by a few others on the indies but no one else compares, as it takes a once in a lifetime specimen like Lesnar to really make the move look incredible.

2. Undertaker's Tombstone Piledriver

Most of the finishing moves that big name wrestlers use have the exact opposite effect as the Tombstone, they seem less effective with time.  It is commonplace in the world of wrestling today to see a wrestler debut, rattle off a winning streak with an established finisher, and then as they move up the card, please start kicking out.  The Tombstone, however, has gotten better with age.
As the long career of the Undertaker has gone on, he has incorporated several different finishing moves: a chokeslam, The Last Ride, and The Hell's Gate.  As the years have past, these were the finishers commonly used, and really the only ones that anyone kicks out of.  Additionally, it has become significantly less frequent that anyone uses a piledriver of any kind on WWE television.  The Tombstone in 2013 is not just a move, it's a special event.  A wrestler can kick out of a Tombstone, still lose the match, and make a career out of it.  For my money there is no move in WWE history that outdoes the Tombstone Piledriver.

1. Petey Williams' Canadian Destroyer

Quite simply, you won't find a move that is cooler than this one.  This list has featured a lot of variation of piledrivers but only Petey's Canadian Destroyer is breathtaking to watch because of the athleticism it takes to pull the move off.  Most piledrivers look dangerous and some show incredible strength, but the Destroyer and the Destroyer alone show true athletic talent.  Nearly a decade after I first saw this move, the logistics of how it can be safely executed still baffles me and that is the biggest compliment you can give any move in an era where everyone knows that wrestling is faker than a Kardashian.  Ladies and gentleman, the greatest finisher ever: The Canadian Destroyer.

50 Greatest Finishing Moves: 20-11

Missed the rest?  Catch up before reading the rest:

50-41
40-31
30-21

20. Hernandez's Border Toss

   

The Border Toss is a move most will know better as the Razor's Edge.  It is simple maneuver that has a huge impact on an opponent's shoulders and neck.  The reason that I prefer Hernandez version as opposed to the more classic version is that with most opponents, Razor Ramon would hold his opponent in position and then just fall forward to drop them as he did not have the pure upper body strength that Hernandez has.  Hernandez never settles for simply dropping them, he will pick them up and throw them, making for a much better visual.  On smaller opponents especially, it is awesome to witness.  I could not find the video I wanted on Youtube to link but if you really want to see someone fly, look up the one on Gail Kim.

 19. Goldberg's Spear  

While the Jackhammer was Goldberg's most commonly used finishing move, there were more than a few occasions where he chose to skip it and just finish the opponent early with a spear.  The spear has been duplicated since Goldy hung his boots up, most famously by Edge, but never duplicated.  Goldberg looks like a hard-hitting tackle and his NFL background really shows when it is used.  While many spears look like they just run at the opponent and sweep the legs, Goldberg plows through them full force and usually just picks the opponent off his feet and launches them to the mat.  Goldberg's unstoppable persona was so easy to believe based on how brutally he delivered this basic move.

 18. Bryan Danielson's Face Stomps

   

The third and final appearance on the list by Bryan Danielson is similar to the last appearance.  It is not so much a wrestling move as it is a series of MMA strikes.  Danielson is truly a master of his craft and there is no American wrestler who can outperform him in a wrestling match.  As MMA has grown significantly, it has been not surprise that it's fanbase has a lot of crossover with that of professional wrestling.  Danielson understands this and in late 2007 started to incorporate several MMA type maneuvers into his arsenal.  None were more devastating that when he would simply grab his opponents arm to incapacitate them and stop their face until they were unconscious. 

 17. Nigel McGuinness' Jawbreaker Lariat  

This move brings something to the list that nothing else does.  While the move is great, it actually led to fans turning of ROH to turn on Nigel in late 2008.  The move itself is great and ROH fans loved it, the problem was Nigel's overuse of lariats as a result of it's popularity.  There were matches when he would attempt the lariat, or some other variation of a lariat, 20 or more fans in a match.  Fans starting booing the move and if you have ever heard a "same old shit" chant start up in a John Cena match, this is were they took it from.  That being said his reliance on the move to make his matches work does nothing to lessen the greatness of the move.  It is easy to see as a brutal move because it is.  At various points in his career, Nigel has missed time from injury because he tore both of his biceps delivering it and one time broke Jimmy Rave's jaw.

 16. Mark Briscoe's Cutthroat Driver  

I don't think I have to explain much about why this move is one the list.  One view of the video above shows how nasty the move is.  Rather, I feel that I need to explain why it's this low.  The real reason it's not higher is that Mark Briscoe rarely uses it.  The strong majority of Mark Briscoe's career has occurred in tag matches where the finish came of double team moves with his brother Jay.  However, on the rare occasions that the cutthroat driver is broken out, the match ends in short order.

15. Brock Lesnar's Brock Lock  

This is the first of two appearances on the list by Brock Lesnar.  The Brock Lock is not a finisher he utilized very frequently, but was always a treat to see.  While Brock is not a terribly charismatic individual and his "character" leaves a lot to be desired, his ability to do things in the ring that other simply can't cannot be questioned.  One thing that makes submissions tricky in the WWE is the size of the competitors.  It is frequently difficult to believably place large competitors in a hold that appears so harmful that many of the larger wrestlers could not easily escape from.  With Brock, not a problem.  Brock used this hold on wrestlers of all shapes and sizes and I'll tell you that this is easily the most painful hold I've ever been in.  Once locked in, an opponent was done for.

 14. Rikishi's Rikishi Driver

   

This is again part of a trend on this list of a finisher that is not the move that the wrestler most famously used to finish their opponent's.  With the Rikishi driver, however, it's easy to see why: it's a dangerous move that could not be used regularly.  Arguably, it would be impossible to use on a typical WWE heavyweight wrestler.  The speed at which the opponent is drive to the canvas and the looseness at which the opponent is held makes it virtually impossible to protect a large person while using.  It was rare to see Rikishi bust this one out but was awesome to see whenever he did.

 13. Dragon Kid's Dragonrana

   

This is the last appearance of a top rope maneuver on this list and it is a dandy.  The Dragonrana has the same impact at the end of the West Coast Pop shown earlier, landing the opponent head first with legs rolling upward into a pinning position, but has the added visual of completing a flip in the air first.  The speed at which Kid reverses his direction is amazing to see and the impact is incredible.  Dragon Kid has often used this to finish opponents twice his size in matches and the true statement of greatness here is that it is completely believable when he does.

 12. The Eliminators' Total Elimination

   

This is the final double team maneuver on my list.  The Eliminators are not one of the more prominent tag teams in history.  They'll never be in anyone's hall of fame, they won't make any top ten tag team lists, but they will always be memorable for their finish.  It's so simple it's hard to believe no one thought of it sooner.  One wrestler sweeps the legs and the other kicks the face, resulting in devastating impact of a body being twisted in two directions at once.

 11. A-Train's Train Wreck

  

A-Train is wrestler that has really been through the ringer in his career.  A-Train better known as Prince Albert/Albert/Giant Bernard/Tensai has been wrestling for years with his largest accomplishment (in North America at least) was a 27 day reign as Intercontinental Champion that was ended by Lance Storm.  This again, is not the move that A-Train was best known for finishing opponents with, and like the Rikishi driver, is likely due to the fact that it was too dangerous to use on larger opponents.  The move offers the person being hit no protection, being their spine around A-Train shoulder, the comfort being the level to which A-Train to could hold them right at the point of contact in a very awkward position to carry anything.  He didn't hit it often but when he did, it signaled a rare A-Train victory.

50 Greatest Finishing Moves: 30-21

Missed the rest?  Catch up before reading the rest:

50-41
40-31

30. Bryan Danielson's Elbow Strikes  

This is not Bryan Danielson's first appearance on this list and will not be his last.  Many know him for his goofy tag team with Kane in the WWE but before he ever stepped foot in a WWE ring, he was a legend in Ring of Honor and virtually every independent promotion in the United States.  One reason for his popularity was the long list of holds he could utilize and I could name about 8 ifferent moves he used regularly as finishers.  Above was one of the most impressive.  Trap the arms and bash your opponent with elbows until they either submit or you can roll them into a pin after turning their brains to mush.

29. Chris Jericho's Walls of Jericho  

The walls of Jericho is maybe the most well known submission move on my list.  The interesting thing about the Walls of Jericho is that the hold is not always delivered the same way.  The video above is the version that I rank here, although often it is just a basic Boston Crab.  What makes the Walls so great is the knee placed in the center of the back, adding a spot the back has to stick on a bend around which drastically increases the pain of the hold.  

28. Jay Briscoe's Jay Driller  

The move is simple and really needs no description.  Butterfly the arms, drop on head, count to three.  

27. Ric Flair's Figure 4 Leg Lock  

The Figure Four almost got left off my list because it is starting to be seen by so many wrestlers.  However, while many use the hold, only Flair ever got it over as a legitimate finish.  The hold itself hurts like hell and virtually every wrestling fan can attest to this as they have likely been stuck in it at some point.  The move is brutal in that it uses one of your opponents legs to attempt to break the other by crossing them and applying pressure directly into each other.  Flair has used it to many countless titles and it has been used to torture even more countless fanboys the worlds over.  

 26. The Dudley Boyz 3-D  

The greatest sign that any finishing move has caught on with the fans is when there is a signature sound that floods the arena when it gets hit.  The figure four gets a "Wooo", Sweet Chin Music is precluded by the crowd tuning up the band, and when the 3-D gets set up, the crowd yells "3-D!!" in unison.  No tag team finisher has every been more popular and been able to maintain its greatness over a period so long as the almost 20 years now that the 3-D has had fans cheering and the move has brought in more tag team championships than any other move in history.  

 25. Jerry Lawler's Spike Piledriver  

The piledriver is the most dangerous move in wrestling. It has been used by years, broken a lot of necks, and is actually banned by WWE and several states.  That is now, this was then.  I don't know who created the piledriver but no one has made their own like Jerry "The King" Lawler.  The move itself always felt ironic when used by Lawler because of his character.  He was generally a cowardly, loud-mouthed heel who was more sneaky than tough.  The piledriver was a great layer to the character showing that he was dangerous, whether his character showed it or not.  When the match ended, you would be incapacitated.  Don't try this one at home kids. 

 24. CM Punk's Pepsi Plunge  

Remenber when I said the Pedigree had been outdone   Well here is where that happened.  Before he was ever dropping pipebombs in the WWE and using poor GTS's and top rope elbows, CM Punk had an awesome finisher.  The move we all know as the pedigree, only Punk never used it from the mat, only off the top rope.  Sadly, when he moved to the WWE, HHH was the man.  That meant there would be no upstaging of his trademark finisher and the Pepsi Plunge was left behind on the indy circuit.  I still hold hope that one day down the line Punk can start busting it out for big Wrestlemania matches as a special occasion, the way Undertaker does with his dive over the top rope.  

 23. Low Ki's Warrior's Way  

If every Warriors Way was hit the way it is the posted video, I'd probably have it in my top five.  The regular version of the move occurs with a prone opponent laying on his back in the ring and Low Ki would leap off the top rope and land with both feet on the opponents chest in a vicious double stomp.  Even at a mere 175 pounds it astounds to me to this day that the move has never resulted in a major injury.  

 22. Tajiri's Buzzsaw Kick  

There is not much to say about the Buzzsaw kick.  It is a nasty, fast, kick to the side of an opponents head.  Tajiri was never a main eventer but even at a low spot on the card, this move was a legitimate finisher that I can only remember ever seeing some one kick out of one time.  Sometimes the move speaks for itself. 

 21. Mr. Kennedy's Green Bay Plunge

There are a lot of moves that start in a fireman's carry, however, none have ever looked as devastating as Kennedy's Green Bay Plunge.  The Plunge was a rarely used maneuver, I assume because there were a small number of wrestlers that were willing to get hit with it, however when Kennedy did bust it out the match was as good as over.