If you've watched wrestling you know the routine. Established superstars have their patented finishing move (their calling card) and more times than not, once the move is executed, a match ends.
Some moves are more memorable than others and may even look painful. It was painstakingly difficult, but I compiled a list of my top 5 submission holds and top-15 finishing moves.
Top 5 Submissions
5. Million Dollar Dream
As the name implies, the move belongs to "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. It is a move actually made famous by Sgt. Slaughter, known as the Cobra Clutch.
DiBiase earned (no pun intended) his spot here just for the simple fact that not only does the move hurt but he would stuff money into the mouth of his victim after putting them to sleep.
Everyone's got a price according to DiBiase and I'm sitting pretty, after accommodating him here.
4. Figure Four Leglock
If you've seen a Ric Flair match then you've seen this move done. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and the original "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers also made this move popular.
If you don't know what the move is, the wrestler stands over the opponent who is lying on the mat face up and grasps a leg of the opponent. The wrestler then does a spinning toe hold and grasps the other leg, crossing them into a "4" (hence the name).
As he does so, the wrestler falls to the mat, applying pressure to the opponent's crossed legs with his own.
3. Sharpshooter
A wrestling list would not be complete without something that deals with Bret Hart. The sharpshooter was his trademark. The move goes by many names: reverse figure-four, scorpion deathlock, or scorpion hold.
It is so popular that many wrestlers have made variations to the move and used it in their arsenal. The move, though, is and forever will be the move of "The Excellence of Execution."
2. Camel Clutch
You try sitting on someone's back, place their arms over your thigh, and apply a chinlock. I bet they scream.
This became the signature move of The Sheik and later The Iron Sheik. No, they are not the same person. Sheik was Arabic, Iron Sheik is Iranian.
Scott Steiner used a standing variation of the move during his time in WCW dubbing it the Steiner Recliner.
1. Tazzmission
It is one of the most feared holds to ever be done inside the squared circle. The diminuitive pugnacious one from Red Hook, New York, Tazz made the crowds of ECW go crazy when he slapped on the half-nelson choke with a body scissor. You either tapped out or got choked out.
Top 15 Finishers
15. 450-Splash
2 Cold Scorpio invented the aerial attack. You climb unto a raised platform or top rope and jump, completing a 450-degree turn (1 and a quarter revolutions) and end in a splash on your opponent. More recent users of the move include Juventud Guerrera, Paul London, Austin Aries.
14. Unprettier
Christian's move is an inverted double underhook facebuster. If you don't know what it is, just picture an inverted Pedigree of sorts. The opponent actually ends up behind the wrestler before they are driven face first into the mat.
13. Tombstone Piledriver
The Undertaker and later his "brother" Kane popularized this belly-to-belly piledriver. Unless you've been under a rock, you've seen the move done by the Phenom or the Big Red Machine.
12. The Widow's Peak
Yes, a move done by a female wrestler. This just goes to prove how talented Victoria is and why she deserves to be in the title picture. The move is a variation of Gory Guerrero's Gory Driver. No other woman in the ring has a move as deadly as Victoria's in my opinion.
11. Muscle Buster
Samoa Joe may be underutilized in TNA, but that does not mean that his move is overlooked. Joe does the double leg hook brainbuster to incapacitate his opponents.
10. F-5
Brock Lesnar dominated the scene with his deadly maneuver. Its a fireman's carry facebuster where Lesnar's victims are tossed and land face first on the mat.
If the name sounds familiar, it is taken from the scale used for rating tornadoes. A F-5 tornado is the strongest kind.
9. "Stone Cold" Stunner
Kick to the stomach, grab opponent's neck, drop down causing opponent's neck to slam into your shoulder blade, give obligatory middle fingers, Jim Ross goes hysterical.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's patented move got the masses on their feet, especially when he applied it to the boss, Vince McMahon.
Austin probably learned the move from Mikey Whipwreck from his days in ECW but more people know Austin than Whipwreck, so here we are.
8. Burning Hammer
If you've never heard of it or seen it, go and YouTube Kenta Kobashi. The move is just sick. It is an inverted Death Valley Driver popularized by the Japanese wrestler who actually won The Wrestling Observer's Best Wrestling Maneuver in 1998. A man who has been in 23 5-Star Matches and six Matches of the Year, deserves to have a spot on this list for his move.
7. The Diamond Cutter
"Diamond" Dallas Page doesn't have the resume as the man he follows but the Diamond Cutter was deadly because it could come at any time. The announcers would constantly let the viewers know that Page can hit the move out of nowhere.
It seemed DDP would find a new way to hit the move every week. Johnny Ace came up with the move, but Page made it what it is today. Randy Orton carries on the legacy of the move, calling it the RKO, but Page will always set the standard.
6. Verta-Breaker
We've been seeing his mini promos for a few weeks now while wrestlers are being introduced and we can only hope that when he returns he is allowed to use the move.
Hurricane Helms had this move in his arsenal for a while before he was told to stop it by management (I don't know why).
You can YouTube the move and see its destructive nature or tune it to TNA and see Homicide perform it as The Gringo Killer.
5. Van Terminator
"The Whole F'n Show" RVD would set up his prone opponent a corner and place a chair or garbage can (or whatever he could find really) in front of their face.
Van Dam would then ascend the turnbuckle at the other end, jump and basically kick the weapon into his opponents face. Yeah, sounds like it hurts.
4. 720 DDT
Do some research and get to know Jody Fleisch "The Phoenix." He may not be well-known to the masses, but his patented move is something to be reckoned with.
Fleisch would perform the twisting springboard tornado DDT to the delight of his fans on the independent circuit.
3. Package Piledriver
There's a reason why the Piledriver is banned in many promotions. Kevin Steen has made an arm butterfly variation on the move much to the delight of his fans in the indies. If you search for videos online you can see the deadly nature of the move.
It's similar to the standard piledriver but instead of grabbing the waist of the opponent, the wrestler puts their arms underneath the opponent's arms and grabs their legs by the knees.
The wrestler then stands up, lifting the opponent until they are upside down, and drops to a sitting position with the opponent's head between their thighs. Truly awesome.
2. Superkick
They're tuning up the band as Shawn Michaels delivers his signature finisher. Everyone who has stepped foot in the ring with HBK has tasted feet.
The move itself is not difficult to perform, as it is extremely popular among wrestlers but there can only be one HBK and he is the master of the kick. Much like the Diamond Cutter, Michaels can hit the move at any time.
1. Canadian Destroyer
There aren't a lot of reasons to watch TNA, but one of them is Petey Williams and his finishing move. I don't think there is another move done in the promotion as popular as Williams' and that says a lot since the guy can be booked a whole lot better.
Whether he is a heel or face, everyone gets on their feet when Petey calls for the move, which is a somersault piledriver. Unfortunately, we don't always get our weekly fix of the destroyer but when it happens it worthy of a "Holy Sh*t."
That's it. My list, my opinions, my thoughts. Feel free to comment and give your input.
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