One thing that WWE has been accused of over the years is that the programming has become formulaic. This can be said both from a visual and presentation point of view but also from the position of match structure. A lot of television matches follow the same sort of structure and a lot of the wrestlers use the same sort of moves.
In today article we take at the 5 most overused moves in the WWE right now. They are almost all moves we will probably see on a throwaway edition of Monday Night Raw but that the same time, these moves are used multiple times on the same night by different superstars.
5: Clothesline
The clothesline is one of the first wrestling moves I remember from watching the former WWF during my childhood. Everyone gave clotheslines back then, and almost everyone uses the clothesline now. The only reason the clothesline hasn’t made it to #1 on this list is because it’s one of the most basic moves in any wrestler’s arsenal.
Very few wrestlers have managed to elevate this basic move into something more but JBL used a modified clothesline, the Clothesline From Hell, as his finished throughout his career and made it look devastating. Currently, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada uses the Rainmaker Clothesline as his finisher to much fanfare. His clothesline is one of the most protected finishers in New Japan.
4: Chin Lock
Kevin Owens is right, sometimes WWE matches can turn into chin lock city. KO is definitely the only one who can make the chin lock an interesting move, especially when almost every match has a chin lock rest hold spot. The main problem with a chin lock is that it’s so basic that it boggles the mind that some of the best wrestlers in the world cannot get out of one.
Who uses the chin lock? No. What you should ask is who doesn’t use a chin lock. From jobbers, to mid-carders to the main event, chin lock city everywhere.
3: Superkick
There was a time when the Superkick was one of the most protected moves in professional wrestling. Most famously used in the form of the Sweet Chin Music by Shawn Michaels, it inspired a new generation of youngsters to follow their dreams into the squared circle.
The problem? A new generation inspired by Michaels started using the move as their own but with so many wrestlers using it, it just diluted the move. Today, Superkicks don’t finish matches. At best they provide false finishes.
Nearly a quarter of the WWE roster uses the Superkick today from Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze to The Usos and more wrestlers down in NXT. Its very unlikely that the Superkick can ever return to its former glory.
2: School Boy
Oh god. The School Boy roll up. The most exasperating finish in WWE right now. Is it just me or is the School Boy roll up pandemic a fairly new thing that has only really blown out in the last few years?
Nowadays, we don’t get through an episode of Raw without a Superstar getting rolled up with a basic School Boy. I know that WWE does this to prolong feuds and suchlike, but when you do the same thing a thousand times over, it dilutes the effect so much that no one cares.
Please WWE, retire the school boy.
1: Suicide Dive
Okay, this is a tricky one.
The suicide dive is a spectacular move that used to leave me wide-eyed when I was younger because it was rare. Nowadays, there’s atleast two suicide dives every episode of Raw because of the sheer number of Superstars who use it. From Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to Big E and Luke Harper, we see so many suicide dives in WWE programming now that they don’t have the wow factor that they used to.
A suicide dive is a special spot that shouldn’t be diluted by being used multiple times on television every week.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
