The Sharpshooter
Now, the Sharpshooter is yet another magnificent finishing move focusing on the principle of a human lever. The wrestler grabs his opponent by the legs, facing the other way, and, if he’s not already, turns him on his stomach. Then, using a simple principle, he sits on the opponent’s back, firmly holding up his legs. This puts huge pressure on the opponent’s backbone, making him forfeit. Although it is a truly unforgiving move, it has some elegance to it. Perhaps using the opponent as a resting chair has its set of benefits.
The Pedigree
The Pedigree is one of those moves that rely on pure brutality instead of a complex technique. And it works… It is performed when the wrestler is facing his opponent. All he needs to do is stun him somehow and then proceed to do the move. He grabs the opponent’s arms, placing them behind his back and, with one swift but powerful movement, slams his head onto the ground. According to one of the greatest, Chris Jericho, it is impossible to protect yourself from this move. Whatever you do, you fall head first and it always hurts.
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The next up is Rey Mysterio’s special move, which shows off his fantastic athletic capabilities. The name comes from the area code of his hometown, thus paying tribute to lucha libre and the entire Mexican wrestling. Also, since it is a variation of Tiger Mask’s diving move, Mysterio pays tribute to him as well. The move is usually performed when the opponent is near the ropes. The wrestler creates a momentum and, holding to the top and middle rope, rotates and performs a jump-kick, overwhelming the opponent. The move is a great crowd-pleaser, which is why Mysterio uses it whenever possible.
Stone Cold Stunner
Steve Austin’s Stone Cold Stunner belongs to this list mainly because of the way it affects the audience. They adore not only the move, but the Stone Cold man himself and the entire Attitude era that surrounded it. Steve would punch his opponent to the stomach to make him lean forward, then grab his head in a front facelock, turn around and drop down. The result is that the opponent would smack his jaw thanks to the gravity and get knocked down. What thrilled the crowd was also the way his opponents reacted to the move. Shane McMahon would spit out his beer, Santino would do a backflip, while Rock would flap like a fish. It was a move that really marked the Attitude era.
Tombstone Piledriver
Finally, what kind of a list would it be without The Undertaker? One of the most recognized acts in the entire professional wrestling is certainly The Undertaker and his trademark move – Tombstone Piledriver. The wrestler grabs his opponents, flips him upside down and, falling to his knees, smacks his head on the mat with his own body weight. After that, The Undertaker would often place the opponent’s arms crossed in front of him, like he were, conveniently, deceased. This is an astounding move that belongs to the very definition of pro wrestling, but also an extremely dangerous one. Just one small slip up is enough to break the opponent’s neck or cripple him.
It is always the ending that counts most. The ending of a movie gives it that special meaning, encircling everything; the end of a song usually hides the message, the point of it all. In the same way, the finishing moves in professional wrestling are what best defines each wrestler. He can throw the opponent around as much as he wants, but it is only after the finishing move that we know who’s the boss.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
