5 of the most dangerous finishing moves in the WWE

The world of professional wrestling or "sports entertainment," as WWE would call it, is primarily focused on 'entertainment' rather than the physical competition of wrestling itself. Matches and segments are planned out and executed to a live audience with millions watching at home. Even though the matches are predetermined and everything else is scripted, there are a lot of things that can go wrong if not successfully executed.

This includes the lives of WWE superstars who perform in the ring, as their careers and their lives are in the hands of their opponents. Even though it's meant to look like wrestlers inflict serious pain on each other, in the real world this is not what they intend to do each time they step into the ring. They put their lives on the line every week to entertain us the fans and the less thing we can do is to stick it to their face that what they do isn't real.

WWE has generated millions of fans around the world and they try to encourage their fans not to copy what they see in the ring. This is because if anyone tries to perform a move on someone else without proper execution, the life of that person could be at risk. As I have mentioned before in my other article, it takes two (or more) wrestlers to successfully perform a finisher. While those finishers are easy and safe to perform, here are 5 finishers in WWE that are very dangerous.

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#5. The Spear

Goldberg had one of the most devastating spears in the WWE

The Spear is one of the most vicious finishers in WWE history. Several wrestlers have used the move as their finishers including the likes of Edge, Rhyno and Roman Reigns. The one man who made the move look the most devastating, however, was Bill Goldberg. Goldberg is a former American Football player, so he was very familiar with tackles before becoming a professional wrestler.

What makes the spear more dangerous is the fact that a wrestler falls on their back or at the back of their neck or head with force from a running wrestler. It impacts the belly and back of the receiving wrestler and when Goldberg performed the spear, it looked like it could actually kill you. While other superstars have not delivered the move with the same type of intensity as Goldberg, that doesn't mean that it would hurt any less.

#4. The Shooting Star Press

Brock Lesnar famously botched a shooting star press at WrestleMania 19

The shooting star press is one of the most popular aerial moves in professional wrestling history. Even though it looks fun when a wrestler does it, it is so dangerous that it could lead to a serious concussion and a broken neck if not performed correctly. It takes a long time to learn and to perfect the move and to make it look phenomenal. Several wrestlers have made it look easy while others failed to do the same.

Shane McMahon botched the move at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 2001 when he landed on a trash can and one of the most infamous botches was when Brock Lesnar botched the move at WrestleMania XIX, missing Kurt Angle and landing on his head. WWE later banned the move but brought it back when Evan Bourne signed with the company.

#3. The Styles Clash

AJ Styles didn't use the Styles clash straight away in the WWE

The Styles Clash is a finishing manoeuvre currently used by the WWE Champion, AJ Styles. Styles had performed the move in various promotions like TNA, Ring of Honor and NJPW before signing with WWE.

The Styles Clash is so dangerous that it could easily end a wrestler's career. In the past, wrestlers have made mistakes by tucking their heads forward, therefore, landing on their head or neck.

The move was originally banned by WWE in 2016 after Vince McMahon was told that former WWE superstar Yoshi Tatsu was injured by a botched Styles Clash by AJ Styles in Japan.

Chris Jericho, however, encouraged Vince to bring the move back. Jericho stated that Vince didn't even know what the move was before banning it. This caused Styles to use his submission move The Calf Crusher and The Phenomenal Forearm as his new finishers.

#2. Coup de Grace

Finn Balor has popularised the Coup de Grace in the WWE

The diving double foot stomp or Coup de Grace is one of the most devastating finishers currently performed in WWE.

The move can cause a wrestler a serious injury, and it takes performer a lot of time and practice to be able to hit the move safely.

Wrestlers legitimately stomp their opponents on the chest and the pain is legit. The current United States Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura once said that being in the receiving end of the move is like being stabbed on the chest.

Wrestlers who perform the move must proceed with caution and they need to carry it out with as little force as possible. If too much pressure is applied then it might cause a serious fracture.

Wrestlers like Finn Balor, who use the move as a finisher have perfected it, but that doesn't mean that something can't go wrong.

#1. The Piledriver

The piledriver has claimed plenty of victims over the years

There are different variations of the piledriver, but they all have the same result. A wrestler carries his opponent and drives him on the head or the back of their neck.

What makes this move so dangerous is that when performed wrong, a wrestler can end up being paralysed or they could suffer a fractured neck. WWE Hall of Famer, Stone Cold Steve Austin experienced this first hand when Owen Hart botched a sit-out piledriver causing Austin to suffer from a broken neck.

Austin had to receive neck surgery and had one last match with The Rock at WrestleMania XIX. The botched piledriver led to Austin's early retirement in 2003. The move is as dangerous as it looks, and one botch could end a wrestler's career.

Nowadays, only two wrestlers are allowed to perform the move in WWE - The Undertaker and Kane. They use a safer piledriver known as The Tombstone, which heavily protects the other performer's head and neck.