Some finishing moves within the world of wrestling are legendary such as The Undertaker’s Tombstone, Stone Cold’s Stunner, and Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter. Any of these moves are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of the WWE Universe at any show and are responsible for getting their respective stars some incredibly memorable moments.
Others, however, leave fans feeling underwhelmed and there’s nothing worse than a great wrestler with a poor finisher. Especially when said wrestler used to have a finisher the fans would love. Here are 5 current WWE Superstars that should consider reviving their old finishing moves.
#5 Aleister Black
Although Black has just debuted on NXT and we’ve only seen his new finisher Black Mass (a spinning heel kick) once, it’s rather underwhelming compared to the many finishers he would use on the indies such as the Dragon Slayer and the Anti-Cross. Black is an incredible wrestler, and when he signed with WWE, there was a lot of anticipation to see what the former Tommy End could do and where he would go once he debuted in NXT.
I was personally a little let down when he used the Black Mass to secure his win over Andrade Cien Almas at NXT Takeover: Orlando. In the future, Aleister’s finisher might make more of an impact and fans may come to love it after time. However, he may also use one of his old finishers from the indies which is why he sits at number 5.
#4 Nikki Bella
This is another choice that is a little foggy. Nikki Bella used to have one of the best finishing moves in the women’s division; when she was laying waste to everyone on the roster with the Rack Attack. However, when Nikki returned from injury at SummerSlam 2016, she debuted a new, less strenuous finisher-The Rack Attack 2.0.
While the 2.0 is a fine finisher in itself, it doesn’t quite pack the punch of the original that Nikki Bella used for three years, but unfortunately, her neck injury forced her to retire the move. With Nikki Bella due to take a break to heal up her recurring neck issues, maybe she could make a return in the future and once again use the authentic Rack Attack. It may be a long shot, and I don’t see her using the finisher full time, but it would be a nice touch at a big event down the line.
#3 Samoa Joe
Joe had one of the best finishers in the business, in my opinion, with the Muscle Buster. The spine crunching move looked deadly whenever it was used. Unfortunately, since Joe’s debut on the main roster, he has used the Coquina Clutch submission as his finisher.
Also read: 5 times UFC fighters imitated WWE Superstars
WWE has never released a statement regarding the status of the Muscle Buster, but it is likely that we've seen the last of this move. After the injury that it caused to Tyson Kidd, it is understandable that very few Superstars are willing to take it. However, Joe managed to perfect the move on the indies and used it for years without causing an injury. I hope we see this move return, but I am doubtful.
#2 Nia Jax
Nia Jax has a move set that has been watered down a lot since her debut on Raw after the brand split, but her change in finisher is the most noticeable. In NXT, she used the leg drop (which, granted, she still uses on Raw) and the devastating powerbomb to dominate her opponents. Both moves looked brutal, but the powerbomb was her most deadly weapon.
She hasn’t used the latter since her main roster debut, instead opting to use the lacklustre Samoan Drop. Fans already seem to have a problem with her limited move set so swapping her finisher back to the powerbomb she once decimated the other women with would be a welcome change. It’s worth noting that Jax also used the Jackhammer (dubbed the Jaxhammer) at house shows and once on NXT tv, but it was never used as a finisher.
#1 Seth Rollins
The architect stopped using the curb stomp in 2015 as it was outlawed by WWE for being too dangerous. Seth opted to adopt his then-mentor Triple H’s long time finisher, The Pedigree. While this is a fine choice in finisher that has helped Seth secure the victory on many occasions, I’m sure fans would love to see the curb stomp return to Seth’s arsenal, but unfortunately, we will most likely never see this move used again by any superstar, which is why this takes the number one spot.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
