Anyone who claims to be a WWE fan, and does not love the inherent over-the-top cheesy drama that comes with it, is either lying to you too; or to himself/herself. Wrestling and cheese go hand-in-hand. Of course, this drama extends to moves and maneuvers as well.
Some of the WWE moves would be quite silly if used in real fights. However, when Shawn Michaels tuned up the band for Sweet Chin Music or Kurt Angle pulled down the straps for the Angle Slam, the crowd went nuts. Admit it...you did too! Here are the 10 most dramatic moves in the WWE, over history.
The Unicorn Stampede – The New Day
The New Day has undoubtedly been the most popular stable in the WWE over the last year, both as heels and babyfaces. Sometime over the course of last year, they came up with the ‘unicorn hats’ gimmick and quickly followed it up with what JBL has called the ‘Unicorn Stampede’.
This highly colorful move involves 2 of the members taking turns to stomp a hole on an opponent at the turnbuckle, while Xavier Woods accentuates every shot with a blast from his trombone. A move that is as effective as it is hilarious.
The Roundhouse Lariat – Dean Ambrose
The current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose is probably the most beloved babyface champion since Daniel Bryan. One of his signature moves which best showcases his craziness is the ‘roundhouse lariat’.
Instead of bouncing off the ropes, Ambrose does a complete spin using the top and middle ropes in an awkward manner and returns with a clothesline. Crazy? Yes, and proud of it.
Tree of Woe – Alberto Del Rio
Perhaps no move is as unbelievable as Alberto Del Rio’s ‘Tree of Woe’ finisher. It invariably involves his opponent getting entangled upside-down in the turnbuckle waiting for Del Rio to climb all the way and deliver the leg drop.
Sometimes the opponent lays prone for a whole minute, while Del Rio showboats to the crowd. We know it’s a silly move, but hey, there are 7 other sillier moves in this list.
Cobra Strike – Santino Marella
From the dramatic, we move on to the ridiculous. The Cobra Strike was the signature finishing maneuver of Santino Marella, which involved him putting on a sock puppet and striking his opponent with its venom.
Remember the time his Cobra was charmed and was acting of its own volition? Like we said before- ‘no, don't even ask.’
Rear View – Naomi
This move is definitely a thing of booty...sorry, we mean beauty. A highly dramatic finisher, it involves Naomi using her ample rear end to destroy her opponents. Well, as long as it fulfills Naomi’s ass-pirations to rise to the top of the Women’s Division, it's all good.
This should have been higher up the list, but we had to keep it at the ‘bottom’. Okay, we’ll stop.
Stink Face – Rikishi
From a rather pleasant looking bum, let’s move to one that caused terror and dismay during the Attitude Era. Rikishi’s Stink Face perhaps characterized the entire era’s outrageous, vulgar and outlandish programming, and caused the crowd to pop big every time it happened.
Butt of course, why wouldn’t they? Rikishi put asses in seats, and how! And everyone who faced him became the butt of all jokes. Moving on...
Mr. Socko – Mankind
Here’s a tough question for you. Would you rather have Rikishi's voluminous rear end on your face, or prefer to choke on a smelly hand painted sock? One of the most pressing questions of the Attitude Era, Mick Foley's sock’s popularity sometimes rivaled his own.
The act of shoving this disgusting piece of fabric down the throats of his opponents gets him to Number 4 on the list.
The Worm – Scotty 2 Hotty
Some things about the Attitude Era are best forgotten. One such thing is The Worm, a move that involved Scotty 2 Hotty wriggling like a worm halfway across the ring and chopping his opponent. If that wasn't ghastly enough, his face he made before he carried this move out would make a child cry.
Someone call Pest Control.
Five Knuckle Shuffle – John Cena
The face that runs the place also has a ridiculous signature move, before which he proclaims ‘You Can’t See Me’ and follows it up by dropping his knuckle on his opponent. Anybody who’s a wrestling fan knows this move, but only a small number of this population knows why he does this move.
Moral of the story, ‘never give up’ because it’ll take you to the Number 2 spot in listicles.
The Peoples Elbow- The Rock
Finally...we have come to the top of the list. The People’s Elbow was the favorite move of an entire generation of wrestling fans. Nobody knew what made it any different from a normal elbow, but we all recall The Rock removing his arm pad and hitting the ropes, with great fondness. Of course, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler calling the move made it all the more special. Do you think it deserves to be at number 1?
It doesn’t matter what you think.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
