'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As regular WWE viewers know, the in-ring abilities and real-life charisma that WWE Superstars possess will only get them so far.
To really stand out from the rest of the roster, the over-the-top characters that we see on television need to do whatever it takes to somehow connect with the audience.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, for example, always had the natural wrestling skills to go all the way in WWE, but he was not truly appreciated by fans until he came up with his own catchphrases and created a unique move set that people could gravitate towards.
Would he have been the success that he was if he continued to use a running shoulderbreaker as his finisher? Perhaps, but there is no way it would have become as popular as the Rock Bottom or People’s Elbow.
Similarly, would Steve Austin have been the same “Stone Cold” if he stayed loyal to the Cobra Clutch from his “Ringmaster” days? Almost certainly not.
In this article, let’s take a modern-day look at the changing face of finishers in WWE by counting down five Superstars who have started using new moves to defeat their opponents in 2019.
#5 Kevin Owens
What was Kevin Owens’ previous finisher?
Kevin Owens made an instant statement on his WWE debut in December 2014 when he slammed Sami Zayn against the ring apron at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution with a vicious powerbomb.
In future years, he would go on to use a pop-up powerbomb as his go-to WWE finisher, including in May 2015 when he defeated John Cena with the move in a win at Elimination Chamber.
What is Kevin Owens’ new finisher?
Midway through his six-month reign with the Universal Championship, Owens surprised everybody by busting out a Stone Cold Stunner against Roman Reigns at the 2017 Royal Rumble. The move did not result in a victory, however, and KO had to rely on interference from Braun Strowman later in the match to achieve the win.
Fast forward to 2019 and Owens, now a babyface, has started to use the move on a regular basis since his return from double knee surgery.
#4 Becky Lynch
What was Becky Lynch’s previous finisher?
Fellow main-roster recruits Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks continued to use the Figure Eight and Bank Statement submission moves upon their July 2015 call-up to the main roster, so it was only right that Becky Lynch’s finisher remained her trusty Dis-Arm-Her.
Lynch has made many opponents tap out to the submission, both as “The Irish Lass Kicker” and as “The Man”, and she recently forced Mike Kanellis and Zelina Vega to submit to the move on Raw.
What is Becky Lynch’s new finisher?
Although Lynch still uses the Dis-Arm-Her as her main finisher, she has also started to defeat opponents with a modified version of the Rock Bottom, known as The Man-handle Slam.
She executed the move in 2018 against Charlotte Flair at Evolution, but it did not become a finisher until she used it on Peyton Royce in May 2019 to win a tag team match on Raw.
#3 Liv Morgan
What was Liv Morgan’s previous finisher?
The majority of Riott Squad victories on WWE’s main roster have been sealed with Ruby Riott hitting a finisher of her own (The Riott Kick), so Liv Morgan hardly ever won matches with her Jersey Codebreaker – a modified double knee facebreaker – during her time with the group.
Since splitting from Riott and Sarah Logan in April’s Superstar Shake-Up, Morgan has not been part of any storylines on WWE television, which means she is yet to use the move on anybody on SmackDown Live.
What is Liv Morgan’s new finisher?
Morgan faced Ember Moon in a dark match before the June 11 episode of SmackDown Live.
Although Moon picked up the victory, much of the talk following the match revolved around Morgan’s impressive new finisher, which saw her springboard off the ropes and slam her opponent’s face into the mat.
#2 Apollo Crews
What was Apollo Crews’ previous finisher?
Apollo Crews originally defeated opponents with a gorilla press, followed by a standing moonsault, during the early days of his NXT career in 2015.
However, as the WWE Network show ‘Breaking Ground’ revealed, Triple H requested that he find a new finisher, so he began using a spin-out powerbomb instead.
What is Apollo Crews’ new finisher?
Having had limited success with the spin-out powerbomb on Raw and SmackDown Live, Crews quietly debuted a new frog splash finisher in victories over Zack Ryder, Mojo Rawley and Tyler Breeze on Main Event in September 2018.
It took a long time for the move to make its way onto the main roster, with Crews defeating opponents with roll-ups and standing moonsaults for the next six months.
He then hit the frog splash on Jinder Mahal on an April 2019 episode of Raw to finally pick up a victory with his new finisher.
#1 Dana Brooke
What was Dana Brooke’s previous finisher?
With respect to Dana Brooke, even the most die-hard of WWE followers would be forgiven for being unaware of the former Titus Worldwide member’s previous finisher.
Between 2015-19, Brooke used a Samoan Driver as her finisher in NXT and WWE, but fans hardly ever saw it as her matches were usually short and her victories were so infrequent.
What is Dana Brooke’s new finisher?
The Swanton Bomb will always be synonymous with Jeff Hardy, but it appears that the WWE legend has given Brooke permission to use the athletic move.
Her first victory with a Swanton Bomb came over Sarah Logan on a June 2019 episode of Main Event, while she also attempted it – but failed to connect – against Nikki Cross in a Beat The Clock Challenge Match on Raw.
Moving forward, it looks as though this will be her go-to move to try to defeat opponents.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
