The Tombstone Piledriver - Who Did It Best?

6. Jun Akiyama

This is one of the best wrestlers in Japanese wrestling history...

Jun Akiyama is often considered the unofficial ‘fifth’ pillar of heaven of All Japan. His matches in AJPW and NOAH in the 1990s and 2000s were legendary, and the man himself is known as one of the best tag team wrestlers in Japan.

Akiyama, like most Japanese wrestlers, was mostly known for his suplex variations. It was Akiyama that created two popular moves that are now used in WWE: the Blue Thunder Bomb and the Exploder Suplex. But Akiyama was also known to break out other dangerous power moves on occasion, including a modified Tombstone Piledriver.

Akiyama’s version included a cradle, which meant that instead of wrapping his arms around his opponent’s waist, he’d lock them between his opponent’s legs in the same way that Cesaro does with his Neutralizer.

This small adjustment made it look like Akiyama was putting more force into the downward thrust with his Tombstone, which in turn made him look more dangerous as a competitor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hHpm7RgbpE