Missed the rest? Catch up before reading the rest:
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.
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