Wrestling finishers that fans love (that wouldn’t hurt in real life)

In the old days of professional wrestling, maintaining kayfabe was considered vital. Back then, everything the competitors did in the ring had to look legitimate – especially finishers. There were no fancy flips or quick rebounds without selling out. Real wrestling psychology was used back then.

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The best finishers in wrestling are the ones that are both effective and popular. These finishing moves may not be as noticeable, but they look great.

The performers often asked themselves, “Does this look like it would hurt in real life?” If the answer was yes, the finisher was performed. If the answer was no, a more believable move was used. Ironically, many popular finishers over the years have been moves that wouldn’t actually hurt in real life. Here are some of the most popular ones that WWE Wrestlers (past and present) are used.

10 The Walls of Jericho pale in comparison to The Liontamer

It depends on how the movement is applied

It’s important for fans to realize that there is a big difference between The Walls Of Jericho and The Liontamer. During Chris Jericho’s rise to superstardom, he used The Liontamer with great success. When he came to WWE, Jericho renamed his finisher The Walls Of Jericho.

While the name was an improvement, the execution of the move was compromised. Originally, Jericho would press his knee into his opponent’s midsection and upper back, making the move significantly more painful. After its debut in WWE, the move became more of a Boston Crab. It still looked good on TV, but didn’t hurt much in real life.

9 “Blunt trauma” is a massive exaggeration

Great finisher name, weak looking move

LA Knight has undoubtedly been one of WWE’s hottest stars over the past calendar year. On paper, Knight has everything it takes to be a major contributor to the promotion. If Knight has a weakness in his game, it’s his Blunt Force Trauma finisher.

The name is incredible. Unfortunately, the move doesn’t live up to its name. The move is far from devastating and in real life would likely not inflict blunt trauma on the recipient. The move is like a weak hybrid of an RKO and a Skull Crushing Finale. A star of Knight’s caliber should have a more fitting finisher. Although fans seem to love the BFT.

8th The heyday of the claw is now behind us

The film lost its shine after kayfabe died

Here’s a perfect example of a move that flourished during the heyday of kayfabe in professional wrestling. The Claw, or Iron Claw, has been used by various athletes over the years, but is most closely associated with the Von Erich family. In his heyday, Fritz Von Erich was quite an imposing figure, so the finisher made sense for him.

As kayfabe slowly faded, so did the legend of The Claw. As the years went by, it became increasingly difficult for fans to believe that someone could have enough strength in one hand to squeeze the life out of an opponent. Today, the move still exists, but is used sparingly as a nostalgia spot and is far from a legitimate finisher.

7 The worm was MIDDLE

Good for a laugh, but wouldn’t hurt a fly

There are different levels of fame in pro wrestling. Some guys can make it to the point of being a real star and main event fighter. Other guys get a nice, lucrative spot on the card but are never considered big-time superstars. Scotty 2 Hotty would fall into the latter category. During the Attitude Era, Scotty reached unexpected levels of popularity as part of 2 Cool.

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Despite his popularity, Scotty was never much more than a good worker and a comical sidekick. Scotty’s greatest fame came from his worm finisher. The move was a hit with audiences, but was never meant to be taken seriously. In fact, the move was 0% effective in real life.

6 Santino’s Cobra was perfect for his comedic character

The cobra and the worm are carved from the same wood

Much like Scotty 2 Hotty’s Worm finisher, Santino Marella’s Cobra was the most comical finisher ever seen in wrestling. The similarities between the two are quite fascinating. Both moves had a bit of an elaborate setup. Both were named after animals.

And lastly, and most importantly for this countdown, neither move would hurt in the slightest in real life. The magic behind The Cobra was Santino’s preparation and performance. His mannerisms and facial expressions during preparation made it clear that the move was comical and allowed fans to enjoy it for what it was.

5 Hulk Hogan’s leg drop killed countless Hall of Famers

The change hurt Hogan more than his opponents

Here’s a great example of how kayfabe has helped simple finishers succeed in years past. Today, a leg drop is the simplest wrestling move you can get. But in the 80s, Hulk Hogan’s leg drop was the most feared finisher in wrestling. Even the biggest, toughest monster heels wouldn’t back down when “The Hulkster” threw them that big leg.

Today, that notion is laughable. Despite Hogan’s enormous size at his peak physical condition, it is impossible for a single body part such as a leg to fall on an opponent and incapacitate him. In fact, such an impact to the butt hurt Hogan more in real life than any of his opponents.

4 The figure four always looked painful

However, appearances can be very deceptive

Submission finishers in professional wrestling can be tricky business. The problem is that a submission finisher has to look good and inflict excruciating pain without hurting the person it is being applied to. The Figure Four Leg Lock has remained relevant over the years because it ticks all the boxes.

The move is most associated with Ric Flair, although he hasn’t won as many matches with it as fans would think. The magic behind the move is that it creates the illusion of pain with all the twists and turns that happen during the build-up. In reality, the move is harmless and relatively painless.

3 John Cena’s attitude change was the modern leg drop

The AA has locked away an embarrassing number of Hall of Fame stars

In hindsight, Hulk Hogan’s leg drop is one of the weakest finishers a main event star has ever had. However, Hogan’s leg drop at least has the excuse of having existed in an era when all finishers were relatively tamed. John Cena’s Attitude Adjustment does not have that excuse.

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The move is simply a watered down Death Valley Driver. If Cena had at least executed the move like a real Death Valley Driver, it would be a much better finisher. Instead, the move is a harmless fireman’s carry into a flat back bump. The move wouldn’t do much damage in real life.

2 The RKO is probably the most popular finisher of all time

Just don’t try to use it in a fight

Every era has a finisher that fans can’t get enough of. In the ’80s, that move was Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ DDT. In the ’90s, it was probably a mix of the Stone Cold Stunner and the Diamond Cutter. Since the mid-2000s, the RKO has undoubtedly been the most popular move in pro wrestling.

Randy Orton’s ability to perform the move from seemingly any position has given him almost mythical status in recent years. Realistically, however, the move probably wouldn’t knock anyone out in real life. It’s simply a flat slap to the face where the person performing the move takes the brunt of the impact. But let’s not let reality ruin such a great finisher!

1 The People’s Elbow was indeed the most electrifying move in sports entertainment

However, “electrifying” and “devastating” are two different things

Over the years, The Rock has contributed more to the wrestling business than perhaps any other athlete in history. However, that doesn’t excuse the fact that “The Great One” had one of the weakest and silliest finishers of all time. Sure, The People’s Elbow was a fun move with plenty of theatrics, but it should never have been considered a legitimate finisher.

In reality, the People’s Elbow is even more ridiculous as a finisher than Hulk Hogan’s Leg Drop. At least Hogan jumped up during his Leg Drop. The Rock simply dropped on his opponents and delivered an Elbow Drop. In real life, the People’s Elbow wouldn’t even be able to crush a grape in a fruit fight.