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With every different wrestler in the WWE comes a completely different gimmick. And with every different gimmick, there’s usually a completely different finishing move that a wrestler used to score their win.
While submissions have become more of the thing in the WWE, the company is no short of powerful wrestlers going for a decisive move to score a pin on their opponents to seal their victory.
The Tombstone and the DDT of the past were probably the most dangerous and painful moves in the WWE, where the opponent’s head would be driven straight into the mat, affect both their head and their neck. However, the WWE was forced to modify the moves to ensure the safety of the wrestlers and ensure they compete for a longer time.
Similarly, today wrestlers have had to modify their moves a bit to ensure they do not cause injuries or long-term damage to their opponents, and hence it can be said that wrestling has lost its charm for the viewers a little.
Slams are now some of the most popular moves that are used by larger wrestlers but are relatively less dangerous to take and a bit less painful as the impact is distributed to a larger area. Same is the case for the over-the-shoulders moves such as the Attitude Adjustment and the F5.
With that said, there are still a few moves being used today in the WWE that seem extremely difficult to perform accurately and can be equally painful for the recipient. Here we take a look at 5 of the many finishers used by wrestlers today which seem extremely painful to take.
#5 Running Knee / Kinshasa
The running knee has been one of the favorite moves of many lightweight wrestlers. As they are unable to lift larger men on their shoulders to perform a move, a running knee does not require too much strength and can have a devastating effect.
Currently, Daniel Bryan uses the maneuver as his finisher, as he uses more of his legs to do battle rather than any powerlifting moves. Imagine a man running in with full force and driving a knee into your face. It’d hurt no matter how must control is used.
Shinsuke Nakamura uses a slightly modified version of the same move called the Kinshasa. The move is similar to the running knee, and so is the impact, but rather than just using his knee he uses the entire side of his lower leg for the finisher. The move might hurt a bit less because the force is distributed to the side of the face rather than just one place in the case of the running knee.
Even though wrestlers wear knee guards today that do cushion the impact, many wrestlers actually take off their knee guards to apply the move and ensure that they get the pin.
#4 Coup de Grace
Finn Balor is not a very large wrestler. However, he is still one of the most effective wrestlers in the WWE today.
Balor uses his muscular legs to his benefit in order to ensure that he can still be at an advantage when competing with larger wrestlers. His highflying attitude has also helped him succeed throughout his career.
The set up to his finisher seems painful enough, as he runs in from one corner of the ring to the other to kick his opponent flat in the middle of the chest with both his feet, driving his forcefully into the turnbuckles behind them.
After that comes the painful Coup de Grace. He climbs to the top rope and jumps down with feet pointing to the mat below and drives all 86kg of his weight into the sternum of his opponent.
Very few wrestlers have been able to kick out of the unforgiving double foot stomp which had helped Balor become the Universal Champion for the WWE.
#3 Brogue Kick
Sheamus is one of the meanest wrestlers in the WWE when he takes to the ring. He has won countless matches and championships in his highly successful career with the company.
The large Irish-born wrestler uses his size and strength to his benefit at all times. But his Brogue Kick is one of the fiercest kicks in the business that can knock out even the biggest and most determined superstars.
Any kick to the face or the head has the potential to knock someone out. The superkick is one of the most famous moves which was used as a finisher by Shawn Michaels and is used today by many wrestlers such as Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins.
However, the impact of the Brogue kick is much more, as Sheamus has the height and flexibility to kick his opponent flat in their face with all his power to literally knock them out. The complexity and the skills required to pull off the move lies solely in Sheamus’ hands and has won him many matches over his illustrious career.
#2 Claymore
What’s worse than a kick from Sheamus straight across the face? A running kick by a 265lbs superstar straight across the face.
Drew McIntyre is a large athlete who has run through many gimmicks throughout his career with the WWE and out of the WWE too. One thing that has not changed yet is his finisher called the Claymore Kick.
To perform the painful move, McIntyre either bounces off the ropes himself or bounces his opponents of the ropes to gain enough momentum and then jumps off his feet, delivering his right foot straight across his opponents face and knocking them out momentarily.
The terrifying move has become even more effective with McIntyre’s new and improved gimmick, where he has become bigger and badder than before.
We haven’t seen many men kick out of the finisher yet, and the impact seems so powerful that it’s surprising we haven’t seen a superstar’s head fly off yet.
#1 Curb Stomp
The intensity of the move had once led to it being banned by the WWE. That is the exactly how dangerous and painful this move can be for the recipient.
Similarly, the Punt Kick which was used by Randy Orton was banned by the company due to the effects it was having on the superstars at the receiving end.
The Curb Stomp is largely used by Seth Rollins alone as his finisher. While the opponent is trying to get back up to his feet, Rollins bounces off the ropes and stomps on the top of his opponent’s head, driving in down straight into the mat below.
Even though the mats in the ring are cushioned, the stomp can still have a lot of effect from the superstar’s face being driven into the mat. Unlike most other moves, wrestlers cannot use their hands to shield their faces which makes the move somewhat deadly.
Rumors have circulated the internet that the WWE continues to worry about the concussions the move can cause, and also the public perception of the move itself.
Which finisher do you think must be the most painful to take for the superstars? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
