5 interesting origin stories of WWE finishers

Randy Orton has countered moves such as The Stomp and Shooting Star Press with his RKO.

Finishing moves are crucial in the world of WWE. Each WWE superstar employs a limited number of special moves to attempt to end matches via pinfall or submission.

Despite the company's attempts at solidifying the roll-up of death to be the most successful finisher in the history of the industry, a varied range of moves have been used as finishers.

The QUICK roll-up means @reymysterio is one step closer to the #WWEWorldCup...but he just got an #RKO for it!

#WWECrownJewel @RandyOrton https://t.co/KAszStSoPP

Even the most basic of moves such as a punch can be used as a finishing move if built properly. The Big Show famously used the KO Punch for much of his WWE career. Many wrestling maneuvers have interesting origin stories that may surprise even the most hardcore of fans. Some of these moves are currently being used by members of the WWE roster as their finishers.

Here is a list of five finishers used by WWE superstars with interesting origin stories.

#5 RKO (WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Randy Orton)

It's @RandyOrton to the rescue with a thunderous RKO!

#WWERaw https://t.co/uhVUxm23l2

The RKO has become a truly iconic move in WWE. Orton has uncovered the art of delivering the move out of nowhere and the surprised fans cheer "The Viper" even when the execution and impact of the moves look unsatisfactory at times.

Randy Orton originally used a finisher named "Overdrive" before moving to the more exciting finisher popularized by Diamond Dallas Page. However, the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion is not the innovator of the Diamond Cutter.

While popularized in the US by DDP and Randy Orton, the move was actually created by Johnny Ace, who is more famous as the man proclaiming people power, John Laurinaitis. Ace was a minor legend in Japan, well-known for his often masterful tag team matches. It was there that he first invented the finisher, which was then named the 'Ace Crusher'.

Moreover, it was Laurinaitis himself who recommended the move to Orton as "Overdrive" was damaging the latter's already weak shoulder.