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Finishers have been an integral part of the professional wrestling business as long as the sport itself, and we as fans have seen different moves being performed for decades, while some have been improved to suit the modern time and so as to fit the PG guidelines.
Every WWE Superstar has a finishing maneuver, and even though some look more devastating than the other, the performer has a big role to play so as to execute the move safely and correctly.
Superstars have changed their finishing moves either because it doesn't fit the portrayed gimmick or because the move is too risky. Some just prefer to go along with time and get one that suits them more.
Some finishers are simply too dangerous to perform because they might put another wrestler at risk--perhaps also because when children try to copy the move at home they may end up injuring themselves and/or someone else.
WWE knows this, and in order to refrain from going against their PG rating as well as to tone down the number of injuries and concussions wrestlers may suffer during a match; certain finishers are banned by the powers that be. Many wrestlers around the globe have suffered career threatening injuries due to botched moves and dangerous finishers, such as the Piledriver.
It takes two wrestlers to perform a finishing move safely and correctly as both their lives and careers are on the line.
These five finishers however were not banned per se, but were abandoned because they were pretty awkward and didn't suit the performer very much. Here are 5 WWE finishers that were abandoned and forgotten--
#5 The O-Zone
The O-Zone was a finisher used by former WWE Champion Randy Orton. He used the move as his finisher when he was still a novice performer in the company, before he went on to become the 'Legend Killer' that we know him as today.
All Randy Orton did was place his right leg on his opponents neck, grab the left arm and then overturn, causing his opponents to turn and land on their back or the back of the neck.
Thankfully, Randy Orton established the jumping cutter as his new finisher and called it the RKO. Things changed for the better and the RKO suits his Apex Predator gimmick more.
The O-Zone is forgotten and fans don't think about it at all. It is now gone and we don't look forward to seeing it at all in WWE.
#4 The Stun Gun
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is known for his ruthless, devil-may-care on-screen character and his stunning finishing move, the Stone Cold Stunner. The stunner looks awesome and devastating when performed by Austin especially when his opponents sell the move perfectly.
Selling a move perfectly makes it look more effective. Besides, it'd be safe to say that the fans were behind the stunner all the way.
However this was not the same at WCW when Austin was billed as "Stunning" Steve Austin. His persona was different to the one he had in WWE.
Instead of grabbing his opponent's head and driving their neck onto his shoulder, he lifted his opponent up and dropped their neck onto the top rope, causing them to be "stunned".
The finisher was called the Stun Gun and was thankfully erased from his career. Things changed for the better and the move wasn't used by Austin in WWE and we don't expect to see it ever. The finisher was awful and for a character that Austin portrayed in WWE, it would've been awful if he used the stun gun as his permanent finisher.
#3 The Teardrop Suplex
The teardrop suplex was a finishing move used by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. The move is as simple as any other suplex and is definitely not worthy of being used as a finisher, especially not by one of WWE's top superstars.
All HBK simply did was lift his opponents left leg while placing their left arm over his head and suplexing them on the mat. Michaels later adopted the superkick as his new finisher which is widely known as the Sweet Chin Music.
The move may be better used as a signature move than a finisher. It can be used in WWE today but only as a signature move. It has been abandoned as a finisher and with Michaels already having retired from the ring, we won't see him perform the move again.
#2 Running Shoulder Breaker
In 1996, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his WWE debut as a clean-cut third generation babyface wrestler billed as Rocky Maivia. He wasn't yet the most electrifying man whom we know of today.
Rocky's finisher was not very electrifying either, as it was just a running shoulder breaker.
Rocky went on to become The Rock, and became the face of the company. He went on to drop the running shoulder breaker as his finisher and used the Rock Bottom and People's Elbow as his new finishers instead.
Although the shoulder breaker isn't a bad move, it still didn't suit The Rock's persona and he abandoned the move. It can still be used in WWE today but only as a signature move and not a finishing move.
#1 Old Dirty Deeds (Headlock Driver)
Before Dean Ambrose started using the current Dirty Deeds (double underhook DDT) as his finishing move, he originally performed a different move. The headlock driver was Ambrose's old finisher, and all Ambrose had to do was lock his opponent in a bulldog position and fall forward, driving his opponent's head into the mat.
The move didn't look very special as most wrestlers didn't sell the move correctly. It didn't even look good enough to be considered a finishing move. Dean went on to change his finisher and used the double underhook DDT instead.
Rumors are that Dean didn't like the move anymore, owing to which he changed it.
The new dirty deeds looks better as his finisher and looks devastating when sold correctly. Dean has never used the headlock driver again and its better off being used outside WWE or as a signature move. Other WWE Superstars might perform the move again, however, it is still abandoned by the Lunatic Fringe.
