5 WWE Superstars who were told to change their finisher (and the reasons why)
WWE Superstars can possess all the in-ring ability in the world, but they will struggle to receive a crowd-popping reaction at the end of matches if they are unable to create a finisher that audiences can connect with.
The RKO, for example, is widely viewed as one of the best finishers in pro wrestling/sports-entertainment history. Randy Orton’s go-to finishing move can be used when his opponents – and, most importantly, WWE’s viewers – least expect it, which is why fans will never get tired of seeing him slam Superstars to the mat in such destructive and unpredictable fashion.
While Orton has been able to use the RKO ever since he introduced it as part of his WWE move set in 2003, some Superstars have been told that they are no longer allowed to perform a certain move to finish their matches.
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who were told to change their finishers, as well as the reasons why.
#5 Darren Young was told to change his WWE finisher
With Bob Backlund by his side as a mentor, Darren Young used the WWE Hall of Famer’s Cross-Face Chickenwing submission move as a finisher in the latter stages of his WWE career (01:15 mark of the video above).
During his last meaningful feud on WWE television with The Miz in 2016, Young was told that he could no longer use the submission due to the move being a dangerous hold.
However, as he recalled in an interview with Chris Van Vliet, he later found out that the move was being saved for main-roster newcomer Asuka, which is why he was told to stop using it.
“The Miz pointed that out to me in the locker room weeks later and I was like, ‘I f***ing knew it!’ It broke my heart. I’ve got pictures of [Triple H] on my wall in my childhood room. It broke my heart. I cried like a baby backstage and he came over and was like, ‘Darren, why are you crying?’”
Young admitted it was unfortunate that nobody in WWE management had his back at the time, but there was nothing he could do after being told to stop using the move.