3 of the best finishing moves in wrestling and 3 of the worst
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Not every finishing move in wrestling is pure gold, but some are
Finishing moves in pro wrestling have a long and storied history. Originally, when wrestling was still a legitimate athletic competition, the idea of a finishing move was rather silly. After all, if a wrestler used a move to win multiple matches his opponent would train to avoid it.
However, as the matches transitioned from hours-long contests of skill to an athletic performance, finishers rose to prominence. The finisher was meant to be the coup de grace, the final detail that also served to let the audience know the match had reached its conclusion.
Finishing moves like the Iron Claw utilied by Frank Gotch had little real world combat value, but they played for great dramatic effect in the ring. Often times it is the reputation of the move rather than the maneuver itself that determines how much the crowd anticipates and reacts to its performance. For example, Undertaker's Tombstone piledriver isn't particularly spectacular looking, but its reputation is such that the fans go wild at just the suggestion they might see it.
On the other hand, there are moves that serve a very real combat purpose that are also utilized in pro wrestling. Alberto Del Rio's cross arm breaker is a good example of one of these types of moves.
These days, finishers range from the simplistic to the spectacular, the silly to the brutal. A good finisher can make or break a wrestler's career. Here are three of the best finishers in pro wrestling...along with three of the worst.
Best: The Flux Capacitor/Moonsault slam.
Used by: Frankie Kazarian, Charlotte Flair, Ultimo Guerrero
A powerful, and very dangerous, variation of a top rope fall away slam, the Moonsault Slam is one of the most spectacular finishers in all of pro wrestling.
The move begins with the victim sitting on the top turnbuckle. From there the attacking wrestler will get onto the top rope, lift his opponent up onto his level, and twist backward with a moonsault, landing on his hapless victim.
Obviously, the move is very difficult to perform, and is seldom used beyond a few extremely talented wrestlers.
Strengths: Fantastic visual display, looks devastating, almost like a video game move.
Weaknesses: Very dangerous to perform, takes a long time to set up, can only be used in the corner.