20: The Pedigree

The Pedigree is one of the most iconic moves of all time, and Triple H has offered some unique variations of the finishing move.

Initially, The Game liked to keep a hold of the wrestler’s arms when planting the move, but this limited the motion of the opponent, and it was seen as somewhat dangerous. The more modern version of the move sees Triple H let go of the arms, this allows the wrestler to take a front-face bump.

Some wrestlers, such as Kane opt to take the move on their knees, and whilst this is fine, it often looks awkward, and can cause significant damage if the move is taken in this manner over a long period.

19: The RKO

In terms of modern-day finishing moves, the RKO is surely up there with the most famous. The RKO is well known outside of the wrestling bubble, and the move has been synonymous with the legendary Randy Orton.

The secret behind the move is incredibly simple, as the wrestler taking the move simply takes a front-face bump. Orton’s RKO, unlike other cutters, gives the opponent a ton of free reign to take the bump, and this can result in a fantastic bump, which in-turn elevates the legitimacy of the finisher.

18: The Tombstone

The Tombstone Piledriver was The Undertaker’s primary finisher for 30-years, and he was one of the few wrestlers in the company allowed to use the move.

Upon looking at the move, the secret is simple: the wrestler's head should never touch the mat. The Undertaker mastered the finisher over the years, and even though it was an urban legend that he once hurt Hulk Hogan with the move, this was debunked, and The Undertaker is widely considered to be one of the safest pro wrestlers in WWE history.

17: The Stunner

Stone Cold Steve Austin made a name for himself by stunning everyone left right and centre. For the move to work safely, Austin would deliver a kick to the mid-section, which rarely made contact, and if it did, it would be the lightest kick imaginable.

Austin would then grab his opponent’s head in an RKO style position, and then drop to his backside, like he was delivering a leg-drop. In terms of the wrestler taking the move, they are sometimes making contact with Austin’s arm or shoulder on the way down, but this is never significant enough to cause pain. The onus is then on the opponent to sell the move like crazy, and this has been part of the reason as to why the move became so popular, thanks to incredible sells from names such as The Rock.

16: The AA

John Cena’s AA won him countless World Titles, and the move is relatively safe and easy to deliver.

When Cena flips his opponent over, the wrestler taking the move simply performs a standard back-bump. If a wrestler is able to deliver a safe back-bump, then the move is extremely difficult to mess up.

15: The F5

Whilst the F5 looks completely devastating as a finishing move, thanks in part to Brock Lesnar delivering it, the move is actually incredibly safe, and even non-wrestling talent such as Michael Cole have been able to take the move without being hurt or injured.

When Lesnar spins the wrestler, he lands with them, and basically guides them to the mat. The way Lesnar spins them means that the wrestler is 99% of the time going to perform a standard front face-bump.

Some wrestlers such as Big Show have taken the move on their back, and whilst this is a perfectly acceptable way to take the move, it can often look weird to the audience.

14: The GTS

The burden is on the opponent to make the GTS look great. The opponent will usually plant their hands on Punk’s shoulder, this then helps them hoist themselves over Punk’s head. Once over Punk’s head, sometimes the wrestler will decide to make light contact with Punk’s knee, but more often than not, there is virtually zero contact with the knee.

Whilst this sounds simple, this has caused problems in the past, and Punk has accidentally busted open fellow WWE stars with the trademark move.

13: Styles Clash

It’s always a wrestler’s instinct to tuck their chin; however, when it comes to the Styles Clash this is going to result in serious injury, as the wrestler will land on their head.

If the wrestler doesn’t tuck their chin, the move is incredibly safe to take, as they are in essence, just delivering a front-face bump to the canvas.

12: Swanton Bomb

Jeff Hardy has always admitted that the Swanton Bomb hurts both him and his opponent, and there’s hardly any secrets behind the iconic move, as it’s always going to hurt no matter what.

The wrestler taking the move can avoid injury by bringing their arms into their waist region, as keeping them at their side could easily result in a broken arm.

11: Sweet Chin Music

The Sweet Chin Music was once one of the most protected moves in WWE history. Unfortunately, over the years, the move has become a staple of matches, and the superkick is nothing more than a basic fundamental move such as the punch or a standard chop.

The Sweet Chin Music rarely made actual contact with the face, and HBK mastered this. If contact was made with the chin area, then HBK was able to deliver this in such a way where he wasn’t putting a ton of force into the finisher. Some wrestlers opted to put their arms up for the move, and this would allow HBK to fully connect with the iconic finisher.

10: Frog Splash

Just like other top-rope moves, the Frog Splash is usually going to hurt. According to former WWE star Maven, the move is one of the most painful to take, and he even received a concussion from the move.

A wrestler delivering the move can try to take most of the impact on their knees and elbows, but more often than not, the wrestler taking the move is going to take some impact.

Numerous injuries have occurred from this exact finishing move, and whilst it’s still insanely popular in modern-wrestling, it should only be used by those wrestlers who know how to deliver it without injuring their opponent.

9: Atomic Leg Drop

Hulk Hogan defeated endless names with the big leg drop. Hogan would usually try to somewhat bend his leg upon executing the move, this meant that his opponent avoided most of the impact. In terms of where the move was designed to land, this was always on the opponent’s chest region, and the move had to be angled just right, as the throat is of course in close proximity to the chest, and this area has to be avoided.

8: Cross Rhodes

Cody Rhodes’ Cross Rhodes won him the main event of WrestleMania XL, and whilst the move may look complex, it’s one of the easiest finishers to take in WWE.

The secret to the move is that the opponent is taking a front face bump once they have been rotated over, whilst the wrestler giving the move, that being Rhodes is just taking a standard back bump.

It’s hard for the move to go wrong, and the move can be performed on anyone of any size with relative ease.

7: End of Days

The End of Days is in essence a reverse hanging STO. Baron Corbin will usually swing his opponent, and the opponent will post and co-operate before the swing, making them lighter. The wrestler taking the move will then take a standard front face-bump, whilst Corbin falls to his back.

All these actions sped up result in one of the most visually pleasing moves in WWE, and it’s hardly a surprise that the finishing move has become a fan favourite over the past decade.

6: Widow’s Peak

When debuting a finisher in WWE, it’s vital that it receives a strong positive reception. This was most definitely the case for Victoria. When Victoria debuted her Widow’s Peak finishing move during the Ruthless Aggression Era, it received an audible gasp from the live crowd, as it legitimately looked like Victoria had broken her opponent’s neck.

Whilst the move always looked insanely good, the secret behind the move was that the opponent would just take an elevated bump to their knees. The only part of their body that is going to suffer any pain is their knees, and there is little impact inflicted onto the neck area, as of course, Victoria isn’t actually snapping people’s neck with the legendary finisher.

5: The Banzai Drop

The Banzai Drop often looked like it hurt, and sometimes, this was unfortunately the case. Yokozuna was prone to delivering the move with excessive force on certain enhancement talents, but when it came to wrestlers he actually liked, the move would be made safe thanks to the former WWE Champion landing on his feet upon landing, then gradually and delicately sitting on the opponent’s chest.

4: Coup De Grace

Whenever Finn Balor delivers the Coup De Grace, it’s his job to try to absorb as much of the impact as possible.

Balor will often crumble up when he lands, and this spreads the force out, as opposed to spiking straight down on his opponent. Balor will usually fall backwards or roll forwards upon landing, and this will ultimately reduce some of the pressure.

3: The Last Ride

During The Undertaker’s days as The American Badass, he decided to introduce the world to The Last Ride. The Last Ride was basically an elevated powerbomb, and this element of elevation made The Undertaker’s version of the popular move stand-out.

The move works in virtually the same way as the standard powerbomb. The opponent will post their hands on The Undertaker’s leg and knee area, and when The Undertaker brings them upwards, he plants them to the mat, with the opponent taking a traditional back bump. The Undertaker’s elevation part surprisingly makes the move safer, as this sees The Undertaker guide the wrestler to the mat, and although they are taking the bump from an increased height, the extra support is always there, so the risk of injury is minimal.

2: Clothesline from Hell

JBL’s finisher was known as the Clothesline From Hell, and JBL arguably had one of the greatest clotheslines in wrestling history.

Whilst JBL’s version always looked brutal, it was safe, just like every other clothesline.

The secret behind the move is that JBL would make contact with the wrestler’s chest region. The neck area should always be avoided, and due to JBL (and other wrestlers who deliver the move) making contact with the chest, they can put a ton of force and impact into the delivery.

1: The Curb Stomp

The success and legitimacy of Seth Rollins’ Curb Stomp is mostly down to the opponent, who must sell the stomp convincingly. Rollins will apply little pressure with his foot, and the wrestler taking the move will bump with their hands to the mat, this in-turn protects their face, and avoids them being injured.

Some wrestlers take the bump by spiking their head into the mat, but this should only be done if the wrestler in question knows how to deliver this style of bump safely. 

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