The Burning Hammer - Who Did It Best?

The Burning Hammer is the ultimate wrestling finisher. It is widely considered to be the most dangerous wrestling move ever. Even in Japan, where wrestlers are far more liberal with using high-risk moves, the Burning Hammer is brought out extremely rarely.

It isn’t hard to see why. The move – technically called an Inverted Death Valley Driver – is a vicious head-spiking maneuver that leaves no room for error. The wrestler hitting the move picks their opponent in a Torture Rack, and then sits down, pushing their poor victim off their shoulders, head-first into the canvas.

It is the reverse of an Attitude Adjustment; the victim cannot roll onto their shoulders or back to absorb the impact, and must instead rely on using their arms for protection or hope the user has perfect timing.

Although rarely seen in wrestling in general, a few notable wrestlers have tried to make a name for themselves by executing this legendary maneuver. So which of them did it best?

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#5 Tyler Reks

Reks had an uneventful run in WWE, but he did have an interesting finisher nonetheless...

Tyler Reks’ version of the Burning Hammer is what I like to call ‘a finisher with training wheels’. Because the original version is so dangerous, WWE banned anyone from ever using it. So, Reks used a watered down version of the move that is basically an inverted Attitude Adjustment.

While he does start the move off like a proper Burning Hammer, he gives his opponent much more momentum when they’re pushed off. Instead of holding their legs to make their heads go downward, Reks pushes them away, so that they land in a position that makes this move like a DDT or an inverted Powerslam.

Yet Reks and the commentators still called this move a Burning Hammer, which is like saying Roman Reigns’ Superman Punch is as legit a finisher as JBL’s Clothesline From Hell. Although it gave Reks some minor attention when he was on SmackDown in 2009 and 2010, it didn’t give him enough to enjoy a sustained push.

#4 Michael Elgin

'Big Mike' is one of ROH's and NJPW's top stars

Michael Elgin has long been known as one of the strongest wrestlers in both ROH and in New Japan. Yet to show people that he can be as vicious as the rest of NJPW’s regular roster, he surprised everyone in this match by hitting his own version of the Burning Hammer.

Elgin’s version here is something of a middle position between Tyler Reks’ kiddie version and the original. While he does start the move correctly, Elgin sits down and allows his opponent to land with their entire body flat on the mat, instead of head-first.

While this take on the move certainly does look painful, you can clearly see that Naito doesn’t land square on his head.

Yet we’re giving credit where it’s due, and Elgin did show his determination by hitting a move that almost never appears in wrestling rings anywhere these days.

#3 Brian Kendrick

This is now considered the biggest moment from the 2016 Cruiserweight Cassic

When Brian Kendrick busted out the Burning Hammer in his Cruiserweight Classic match with Kota Ibushi, it sent everyone watching into a frenzy. The fans watching and commentators Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo started screaming in shock and awe, as Kendrick had executed a move that had never been done in a WWE ring before.

Kendrick hit the move perfectly, dropping Ibushi sideways on his head and neck. Yet astonishingly, Ibushi actually kicked out of the move, and was able to continue wrestling after taking such an insane bump to the neck and shoulders.

Interestingly, Ibushi kicking out of the move actually upset some wrestling purists. This was because the Burning Hammer had, up to that point, reached mythical status as the ultimate move with potentially fatal consequences.

While Ibushi kicking out certainly makes him look like the toughest wrestler on the planet, it’s still seen by some people as insulting to the move’s creator given kicking out of it is the wrestling equivalent of getting up after taking a shotgun blast to the head.

#2 Kyoko Inoue

Inoue is the equivalent of a Japanese female Vader

Kyoko Inoue is one of the greatest women’s wrestlers ever, and is also one of the most innovative. During her career, she created two great moves. The first was the Niagara Driver, which is now known as that sitout Crucifix Powerbomb that Roman Reigns sometimes uses.

The second was the Victoria Driver, which is the precursor to the Burning Hammer that we know today.

Inoue’s version is a bit different from a standard Burning Hammer. Instead of dropping her opponent by holding them upside down, Inoue simply fell to her side while her opponent did a sit-up while still on her shoulders. When her opponents land, they fall almost in a Powerbomb position instead of straight on the top of their heads.

So while it doesn’t look as painful as the true Burning Hammer, it’s still an incredible finisher nevertheless.

#1 Kenta Kobashi

This man was once called 'the perfect wrestler' by Tokyo Sports, and many people agree to this day

Kobashi is the Burning Hammer’s most prolific user and the man behind its namesake. He was the one that took Inoue’s Victoria Driver and made it into something far more dangerous. He was the first wrestler to grab his opponent in a Torture Rack and then fall to his back while driving his opponent head-and-neck-first into the mat.

Kobashi used the move only seven times between its debut in 1998 and its final appearance in 2006. When it was first used (as seen in the video below), the commentator screamed loudly, shocked at what he saw. That is a logical reaction to have, as the Burning Hammer, if done incorrectly, can kill someone with ease.

Yet Kobashi’s Burning Hammer is still considered the most devastating version of the move. Each of its seven uses brought him victory, making it one of the few moves in wrestling with a 100% guarantee to end a match. That statistic alone makes Kobashi’s Burning Hammer the most successful wrestling finisher of all time.