10 Wrestling Finishing Moves That Are Genuinely HORRIBLE
These finishers are anything but fake
t’s ironic how wrestlers look like they’re killing each other in the ring, while they’re doing everything in their power to guarantee the other’s safety. Sure, the Tombstone or the Stone Cold Stunner are practically guaranteed to end a match, but finishers like these shouldn’t pose any real danger. Even if a move really hurts, the athletes know how to land and tense their bodies to minimize the pain.
But no matter what precautions are taken, things can always go wrong. The risk factor is never zero, regardless how talented a pro-wrestler is or how many times they’ve performed their routine.
If a wrestler mistimes their movements, loses balance, or gets the angle wrong, a body slam, clotheslinSuplex e, or a can break bones, spill blood, or worse. Certain finishers proved so devastating, they’ve been banned from the sport entirely. Considering some maneuvers have ended wrestlers’ careers and caused irreparable damage, it’s hard to believe they were allowed in the first place.
If you saw the receiver of these finishers look like they were in genuine agony, there’s a strong possibility they weren’t acting.
10. The Shooting Star Splash
The risk factor for any finisher is dramatically higher if unleashed from up above. On its own, an elbow or a leg drop seems basic. But while sailing through the air, these simple attacks are devastating. Worse still, high-flying moves require an astounding amount of balance, precision, and control, meaning it’s more likely things can literally go belly up.
Few techniques prove this principle better than the Shooting Star Press. This aerial assault, popularized by Hayabusa, Scott Steiner, and Jushin Liger, requires the attacker to perform a 450-degree somersault from the top turnbuckle onto their opponent.
To say the Shooting Star Splash is dangerous an understatement. During a SmackDown brawl, Juventud bungled the death-defying stunt on Paul London, damaging his eye socket and breaking his nose, urging WWE to ban it for five years.
What’s worse is the Splash is just as hazardous for the athlete performing it. Zack Ryder tweeted “Never again” after suffering a bad landing from the finisher. At WrestleMania XIX, Brock Lesnar undershot the move during the headline match, slamming his face into the mat.
And when a Swanton-bombing daredevil like Jeff Hardy refuses to do the Splash anymore, you know it’s gotta hurt.
9. Tiger Driver ’91
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Similar to the Powerbomb, the Tiger Driver has the user flip the opponent in the air before hurling them into the ground on their back. Unlike the standard move, the Driver has the opponents’ arms locked behind them, minimizing the chances of a counter. Because the Tiger Driver is unsafe, you can understand why wrestlers stick with a more traditional Powerbomb.
And yet, the finisher’s creator, Mitshuharu Misawa, didn’t think it was dangerous enough, so he upgraded it. Rather than letting his opponent land on their back, the new-and-improved Tiger Driver ’91 drops them on their head and neck.
Because this move combines elements from the doubled-armed DDT, the Piledriver, and the Powerbomb, it feels it was designed to kill the opponent, not injure them. The Tiger Driver ’91 is so ludicrously over-the-top, it looks like something Zangief from Street Fighter would pull off.
Over the years, Ahmed Johnson, Tyler Bate, and Toni Storm have kept Misawa’s monster manoeuvre alive by devising their own take. But since the wrestling industry is not a big fan of finishers that can result in a wrestler’s head exploding on impact, the Tiger Driver is used infrequently.
8. Top-Rope Release German Suplex
Certain moves are risky, purely because they are difficult to accomplish. Although wrestlers have a knack for achieving specific techniques, the Top-Rope Release German suplex doesn’t come easy to anybody.
Even though a conventional German Suplex looks like it hurts like hell, it’s perfectly safe. However, the Release German Suplex requires the thrower to let go of the opponent, increasing the margin of error.
So, when this reckless manoeuvre is committed while both wrestlers are balancing on the upper turnbuckle, it’s a recipe for disaster. The fact this stunt is often done as a counter amplifies the danger, since the wrestlers have to readjust their footing at the last moment.
The move became hugely popular in 2012-2013 when Team Hell No and The Shield were repeatedly pitted against each other. During these battles, it was custom for Daniel Bryan to execute this Suplex on Seth Rollins, which looked extra effective, thanks to Rollins’ convincing sell.
When done correctly, the Top-Rope Release German Suplex is a thing of true beauty. But because of the lingering danger and the level of control that both participants need, the move is rarely performed any more.
7. Top-Rope Inverted Suplex
Taking any move to the upper turnbuckle should make it more thrilling, since it ups the ante. Because of this, most aerial techniques are prepped slowly and carefully, to ensure both parties are perfectly in place.
However, the top-rope inverted Suplex is more trouble than it’s worth. Albert Del Rio, who popularized the finisher, begins by hooking his opponent in a Dragon Sleeper, while sitting on the highest turnbuckle. He then flips his opponent backwards, slamming them into the mat.
Since neither wrestler is facing the ring while this Suplex is carried out, the victim will be flying blind until the last second. Due to the move’s unpredictable nature, there’s no telling what body part the opponent will land on, making it far harder to avoid injuries.
But there’s another problem with this Suplex – it’s not visually impressive. Because both wrestlers have less than a second to get into place, the top-rope inverted Suplex is rarely performed with any grace or precision. If a finisher doesn’t wow the audience, there’s no need to perform it, especially if it’s incredibly dangerous.
6. Fallaway Suplex
Before settling on the Stone Cold Stunner, Kevin Owens’ trademark was his own iteration of the Fallaway Suplex, The Steenalizer. After packaging his opponent, Owens tossed him over his own body, either onto the mat or into a turnbuckle.
Since neither party have control once the thrower lets go, anything can go wrong, especially if the bridge isn’t executed properly. As such, some wrestlers flat-out refused to take this Suplex.
Because of the injuries caused by this move, you can’t blame anyone who wants no part in it. During a IWGP match in 2018, Dragon Lee performed a fallaway suplex variant called the Phoenix-plex on Hiromu Takashi. Unfortunately, Lee released Takahasi too early, causing him to break his neck on impact. Takashi may have completed the match (somehow,) but was out of action for over a year.
Despite the fact Takashi wasn’t paralyzed, the incident highlighted the dangers of the suplex, which is why it has never been incorporated into the WWE. In fact, if this monstrous finisher was banned from all divisions of wrestling, it wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.
5. The Punt Kick
Getting a boot in the face may not be a creative way to finish a show but, boy, does it get a reaction. Originated by Arn Anderson in the 1980s, the Punt Kick became well-recognized after Randy Orton unleashed it on Shawn Michaels in 2007.
Standing 6ft 5 with a size 15 shoe, Orton’s field-kick has generated a lot of concerns over potential head-injuries. Considering the Punt Kick is regularly used as a Kayfabe plot-device to write wrestlers off or explain how they got concussed, it wasn’t surprising when Orton had it retired in 2012.
At least, for a while. Orton brought it back the following year, saying,
Since I was playing the Legend Killer, I had to bring the Punt Kick back! I’ve devised a way to tip the kick whether we’re taping or live where it’s 100 percent safe and I’m not going to hurt anybody.
It’s reassuring how Orton’s focus is on his fellow wrestlers’ safety, but the fact he altered his signature to avoid injuries demonstrates how dangerous it was to begin with. Despite Orton’s precautions, some believe the ban should’ve never been lifted, including John Cena Sr, who received the Punt Kick himself in 2007.
4. The Vertebreaker – Hurricane Helms
No matter how small or grand a finisher is, it should always be simple. Take the Chokeslam for example. The wrestler is choked, then slammed. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it?
However, Hurricane Helm’s Vertebreaker (which is the best name ever) requires so much underhooking, twisting, and flipping, it feels more like a puzzle than an attack.
Also, the person caught in the Vertebreaker has their arms restrained and their head exposed, meaning they can’t protect themselves if things go awry. Even if the manoeuvre goes smoothly, the most careful wrestler on the planet will still suffer tremendous force on their back and neck.
Furthermore, the Vertebreaker is one of the only moves which needs to be sanctioned by the higher-ups. If a match-ender requires special permission, that’s a big indicator it shouldn’t be allowed at all.
Finally, Helms could only commit the potential spine-shatterer on certain people, making its usage incredibly limited. As Helms mentioned in his Fightful interview, “There was only about three people I could even pick up.”
No one has had their career ended from the Vertebreaker, but that’s only because it’s rarely carried out. If the move was performed regularly, critical injuries would be abundant.
3. Diving Headbutt
When it comes to protecting oneself, nothing is a higher priority than the head. Although the human body can take a tremendous amount of damage, a single punch or kick to the skull can spell disaster. Focus on health and safety has increased dramatically in sports entertainment recently, which is why wrestling moves to the head (including chair strikes) have been reined in, revised, or banned altogether.
That’s why it’s no surprise the Diving Headbutt is perceived with such infamy. For this move, the wrestler leaps from the top turnbuckle, landing cranium-first on their opponent.
Because the move looks phoney if executed improperly, it’s crucial for both wrestlers to get their heads as close together as possible, which is why there’s always a chance the two noggins can collide for real. Headbutting someone from two inches away can result in severe harm. Headbutting a wrestler while flying 10ft in the air can irreparable damage.
Ironically, the Diving Headbutt is statistically more dangerous for the deliverer than the receiver. Wrestlers like Harley Race, the Dynamite Kid, and Daniel Bryan have suffered spinal problems, seizures, and brain lesions, all of which were attributed to this barbaric finisher.
2. Muscle Buster -Samoa Joe
The Muscle Buster requires the wrestler to lift his opponent upside-down and scrunch their body until their head and neck is next to theirs. Once in position, the attacker falls backwards, slamming the opponent into the mat.
The Muscle Buster isn’t easy to pull off, since it requires unwavering balance, immense strength, impeccable timing, and surgical precision. Ryback botched the finisher several times against Tensai on October 1 2012 episode of Raw, despite performing a simplified variant called Shell Shock. If the “safe” version is dangerous, you can imagine how devastating the real thing is.
However, Samoa Joe performed the proper Muscle Buster so flawlessly throughout his career, it looked like his opponent was never in true danger. Joe seemingly perfected this throw, since he performed it countless times without incident.
Unfortunately, everything changed in 2015, when Joe bungled the move on Tyson Kidd, nearly crippling him. Kidd’s spine was left irreparably damaged, forcing him to leave pro-wrestling two years later.
Although it seemed like the Muscle Buster had been retired, Joe brought it back in 2022. Nevertheless, the finisher’s reputation is tarnished, meaning it’ll probably never be as popular as it once was.
1. Banzai Drop – Yokozuna
What a legacy Yokozuna had. The surprisingly agile sumo master became the WWF champion after only 173 days, held the title twice, and won his first Royal Rumble. His achievements are more impressive, since he had a short tenure with the federation.
But what makes Yokozuna iconic is his Banzai Drop. While his opponent lay on the floor, the Wild Samoan finished them off by dropping on them butt-first from the turnbuckle. Not only did this move knock the wind out of the receiver, they had no chance of pushing Yokozuna off, due to his immense bulk.
To avoid the recipient having their ribcage shattered, Yokozuna held onto the ropes and ensured his feet took the brunt of the impact.
But at the end of day, this guy was 600lbs. Any wrestler facing Yokozuna must’ve been terrified while he prepared his finisher, knowing their career could be over in a moment.
Sadly, that’s not a hypothetical. During one match with a jobber, Yokozuna infamously performed a Banzai Drop with such force, his opponent’s head nearly popped off his body.
Some sources speculate Yokozuna deliberately squashed the jobber, while other state the incident was an honest mistake. Whatever the real story is, we can all be certain that this particular Banzai Drop must have REALLY hurt.
