A Superstar’s finishing maneuver is as significant a part of their personality as their entrance, their gear or even their names. It’s the final image the WWE Universe is left with in victory, and the in-ring calling card that will come to define their careers for years to come. Alongside classics like the RKO, F-5 and Spear, a whole new crop of Superstars has brought a dazzling array of signature maneuvers to shake up the New Era in the most literal sense of the word. These are the eight coolest.
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Sister Abigail
Not since Michael Corleone kissed his brother Fredo has a smooch been as foreboding as the peck that Bray Wyatt plants on opponents’ foreheads. That’s because Wyatt’s kiss signifies Sister Abigail is just around the corner. Executed with hiccup-quick urgency and able to be unleashed from practically any position, Sister Abigail has the same outta-nowhere quality that makes the RKO a fan favorite. Yet, Sister Abigail is also a vicious face-plant that contorts and twists the spine all the wrong ways. In the hands of a powerful madman like The Eater of Worlds, Sister Abigail isn’t just potent — it’s a kiss of death.
Reverse Chokeslam
For more than two decades, The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show and other giants brutalized opponents with the chokeslam. Now, there’s a variation of the iconic maneuver being used by New Era titan Braun Strowman, and it may be just as devastating. The imposing juggernaut uses the reverse chokeslam to hoist his foes high in the air, before sending them slamming into the mat onto their face. It might not be pretty, but if you’re a fan of power and destruction, then watching a grown man get thrown like a rag doll face-first into the mat can be a thing of beauty.
Bank Statement
As if driving both of your knees into your opponent’s back wasn’t painful enough, the overachieving Sasha Banks follows up that impactful strike with a vertebrae-wrenching crossface that makes even the most seasoned female Superstars furiously tap the canvas. More than a clever play on The Boss’ surname, it’s a maneuver that, appropriately, pays off more often than not. In fact, it’s with this move that Sasha ended the 114-day reign of second-generation Superstar Charlotte to become the WWE Women’s Champion and Raw’s standard-bearing female competitor of The New Era.
Grand Amplitude
We love us some tag team finishers, and SmackDown aces American Alpha boast one of the most brutal moves in the marketplace. Nicknamed “Grand Amplitude,” because really, only the most splendiferous language available will do, it consists of Jason Jordan hoisting an opponent into the air, not unlike a small child, and feeding them into the waiting arms of Chad Gable, who transitions midair into a German Suplex and spikes them down for the bridge-out pinfall. Brock Lesnar may well be the mayor of Suplex City, but with this move, Jordan & Gable might be eligible for an office run all the same.
Helluva Kick
Sometimes, the best finishing move is the simplest. For all of Sami Zayn’s impeccable wrestling ability and daredevil aerial attacks, The Underdog from the Underground caps off his wins by charging full-speed at his opposition, extending his boot and driving it through their face with devastating force. True, the Helluva Kick is not as graceful or aesthetically pleasing as some of his fellow Superstar’s trademark moves, but when it can put ruthless competitors like Sheamus and Kevin Owens down for the three-count, there’s no doubting its effectiveness
Coup de Grâce
Some signature finishers serve to summon a sense of awe amongst onlookers or a show of true strength. Finn Bálor, on the other hand, employs a maneuver which simply removes all doubt about his chances for victory. The Coup de Grâce, his spellbinding stomp from on high, puts an exclamation point on the competitive efforts of a Superstar whose arsenal is as refined and athletic as anyone to ever step into the ring. Bálor’s big finish does not make a rival suffer excessively, or create doubt about whether the ensuing pinfall will reach a count of three. Rather, his Coup de Grâce ends an opponent’s night in one merciful blow. There is no coming back from it.
Kinshasa
When announcer Corey Graves screams "KINSHASAAA!" you know it's on ... or, more accurately, you know it's over. Shinsuke Nakamura is a poet with his in-ring acumen and his brutal running, twisted knee — named for the site of the famed “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman — is the perfect period to the sentences he composes. The ultimate irony? The King of Strong Style's opponents can't write or say much of anything after he’s done with them. — RYAN PAPPOLLA
Styles Clash
From the second AJ Styles debuted in the 2016 Royal Rumble Match, the WWE Universe brimmed with anticipation about whether or not The Phenomenal One had brought the Styles Clash with him to WWE. The incredibly complex move is devastating to opponents, and it’s always an impressive sight when Styles executes it. The Phenomenal One uses his legs to pin back his inverted opponent’s arms before slamming them facedown to the mat. Not only is it near impossible to counter, but perhaps most jaw-dropping is Styles’ ability to administer it on Superstars of all shapes and sizes. In just a few short months, he’s used it to plant Roman Reigns, silence Enzo Amore, set fire to “The Gift of Jericho” and, yes, beat up John Cena.
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