5 WWE Superstars who have new finishers in 2019
As regular WWE viewers know, the in-ring abilities and real-life charisma that WWE Superstars possess will only get them so far.
To really stand out from the rest of the roster, the over-the-top characters that we see on television need to do whatever it takes to somehow connect with the audience.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, for example, always had the natural wrestling skills to go all the way in WWE, but he was not truly appreciated by fans until he came up with his own catchphrases and created a unique move set that people could gravitate towards.
Would he have been the success that he was if he continued to use a running shoulderbreaker as his finisher? Perhaps, but there is no way it would have become as popular as the Rock Bottom or People’s Elbow.
Similarly, would Steve Austin have been the same “Stone Cold” if he stayed loyal to the Cobra Clutch from his “Ringmaster” days? Almost certainly not.
In this article, let’s take a modern-day look at the changing face of finishers in WWE by counting down five Superstars who have started using new moves to defeat their opponents in 2019.
#5 Kevin Owens
What was Kevin Owens’ previous finisher?
Kevin Owens made an instant statement on his WWE debut in December 2014 when he slammed Sami Zayn against the ring apron at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution with a vicious powerbomb.
In future years, he would go on to use a pop-up powerbomb as his go-to WWE finisher, including in May 2015 when he defeated John Cena with the move in a win at Elimination Chamber.
What is Kevin Owens’ new finisher?
Midway through his six-month reign with the Universal Championship, Owens surprised everybody by busting out a Stone Cold Stunner against Roman Reigns at the 2017 Royal Rumble. The move did not result in a victory, however, and KO had to rely on interference from Braun Strowman later in the match to achieve the win.
Fast forward to 2019 and Owens, now a babyface, has started to use the move on a regular basis since his return from double knee surgery.