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A wrestlers finisher was, is, and always will be the most important aspect of a wrestlers character. Think about it, every iconic wrestler has had an iconic and unique finisher. Stone Cold had the stunner, The Rock had the Rock Bottom and The Undertaker had the Tombstone. Unfortunately for every wrestler with a great finisher, there is a wrestler with a terrible one.
The role of a finisher has changed a lot over the years. In the 80's and early 90's, it was the final move to end a gruelling battle. Moves were less flashy and simple yet effective. Jake "The Snake" Roberts used the DDT, Bret Hart used the Sharpshooter and Ric Flair made the Figure Four Leg Lock iconic. Randy Savage's Elbow drop was arguably the flashiest move in the WWF at the time.
Nowadays, a finishing move has to be more flashy and impact-full. The move also has to be somewhat believable. Fans want to be entertained but also want to buy into the fact that the move could knock somebody out for the three counts. There are some great modern finishers like The Styles Clash, The RKO and the Curb Stomp. However, there are some finishers that are so pathetic that they insult fans intelligence and give matches a massive anti-climax. Here are 5 of the worst finishers in WWE history.
#5 The Cobra - Santino Marella
The Cobra is one of the strangest finishers in wrestling history. The move is basically a tap on someone's chin. It was worsened by the fact that Santino would put on a snake-coloured arm-sleeve and slap his wrist, then his elbow and then turn his hand around and yell "COBRA". It is one of the silliest things that you will ever see in wrestling.
I know that he was a comedy wrestler and that seeing him hit the move would make the audience laugh but after a while, the joke wore off and he was left with a horrible finisher.
#4 Samoan Spike - Umaga
Umaga was a wild destructive force who would easily destroy his opponents. His finisher was the "Samoan Spike". He would hold the other guy by his neck and then drive a taped-up thumb into his throat. The move looks kind of gruesome but really makes no sense at all. A wrestler can be punched and kicked repeatedly during a match and shake it off but we are expected to believe that a taped-up thumb to the neck would knock someone out.
It's a shame that Umaga wasn't given a better finisher. A Samoan drop or a splash from the top rope would have been better. He was a powerhouse and his finisher did not match his character at all. Maybe this is why he was never able to break out from the main card. He did main event Royal Rumble 2007 in a fantastic last man standing match against John Cena.
#3 K.O Punch - Big Show
This isn't necessarily a really bad finisher, it just looks terrible and would have been more impressive in the 80's. No one can deny that The Big Show would knock somebody out with a punch. His hands are HUGE! The Big Show left the WWE in 2007 to become a boxer and adopted this move when he returned.
The problem with the move lies in its slow speed. In order to not decapitate his opponent, Big Show would have to be careful with how fast he threw the punch. This move is also like the Samoan Spike in that wrestlers survive punches during the match but are knocked out by this one because it's a finisher.
Because of his size and speed, he has a very limited move-set but he has had better finishers in the past. He used the Final Cut and the Showstopper as finishers and while they were also bad, they were somewhat believable.
#2 The Rear View - Naomi
Naomi is one of the most talented women's wrestlers in the WWE. She is a two-time SmackDown Women's Champion and won the Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania earlier this year. She has improved leaps and bounds during her career but for some odd reason, she still uses the worst finisher in WWE today.
This move makes no sense. How is running into somebodies butt a devastating finisher? It's not impressive or funny, it's just stupid. It is a lingering example of the bygone era of the "Divas" division and would even look silly in the mid-2000's.
She beat Alexa Bliss for the Women's Championship with a split legged moonsault last year but she continues to use the "Rear View". The current WWE Women's roster uses various impact-full finishers and submissions to win matches. Compared to these finishers, the "Rear View" looks ridiculous.
#1 The Leg Drop of Doom - Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was the biggest superstar in wrestling. He the only legend that is bigger than the sport itself. He was a pop-culture icon of the 80's and 90's. We are 20+ years after his prime period and if he walked into an arena today the place would explode. With all that said, Hulk Hogan had the worst finisher ever.
The build-up was amazing. The Hulking-up and the no-selling of punches followed by three punches, a big boot and then.......a leg drop. A leg drop is not a good finisher. Hogan was just dropping his leg on a guys chest, it's not that painful. Even in the 80's, it looked lacklustre.
WCW realized that the move wasn't working anymore when they signed him and re-named the move "The Leg Drop of Doom" to make it seem more believable.
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