The Contentious Ten 04.30.12: Top 10 Most Underrated Finishers

Welcome back to the Contentious Ten! I’m Michael Ornelas, and this week’s topic was decided in the comments section last week. I went with the top ten underrated finishers. I love these finishers lists, so that was part of my decision to choose it. Also, I’m super busy, and I felt this was something I could do quickly. Before we start, check out the BRAND NEW EPISODE of my local Austin TV show/web series “Shenanigans” – it keeps getting better!

Here is my criteria for a underrated finisher so that we’re all on the same page:
-People don’t bring it up enough when talking about best or top finishers.

The following moves are moves that I think are given their fair due and therefore don’t consider underrated: Sweet Chin Music, Sharpshooter, Tombstone Piledriver, Stone Cold Stunner, Diamond Cutter, RKO, Figure Four Leglock, Burning Hammer, The Gore, F-5, Superfly Splash, Shooting Star Press, Five Star Frog Splash, Muscle Buster, Styles Clash, Go to Sleep, and the Razor’s Edge.

Moves that just missed the cut: Rings of Saturn, Zig Zag, Zack Attack, Rocker Dropper, and the Jackknife Powerbomb.

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Goldust’s Final Cutsize=6>

I don’t know why I love this move so much, but it makes the list because it’s a personal favorite. It’s so simple – a spinning vertical suplex, but when he connected with it just right, it was a thing of beauty. The angle at which his opponent would be in the air before the spin and the fact that the extended body of the opponent aligned with Goldust’s would complete a straight line always added to the impact of the move for some reason. The two on Ted DiBiase in that video were those picturesque ones and are exactly why I love the move so much.

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Sara Del Rey’s Royal Butterflysize=6>

This move isn’t making the list because it’s necessarily unappreciated, but because the Indy fanbase isn’t as large as the mainstream one, so it lacks awareness. This move looks amazing, and it’s always crisp. What really makes it stand out is that the recipients are women. Death Rey is one of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet right now and more people need to know what she’s about.

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Mr. Perfect’s Perfect Plexsize=6>

I’m a huge fan of the fisherman suplex/fisherman buster. I’m glad to see Tyson Kidd, Bobby Roode, and most recently – Ryback all using the move on a large stage. But no one did it better than Mr. Perfect. The Perfect Plex is a thing of beauty that even though I’ve never heard anyone complain about it, I still think it deserves more praise.

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Bobby Lashley’s Dominatorsize=6>

Bobby Lashley? In a list of praise? I know it sounds unlikely, but I was always a fan of his Dominator. It looked absolutely brutal and it’s the perfect finisher for a muscular heavyweight. I was one of the few that thought Lashley had a lot of potential in WWE (if only his mic skills were better). I know he transitioned away from this finisher after a while, but when he was using this, it was one of my favorite moves at the time.

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Kevin Steen’s Packaged Piledriversize=6>

This is another awareness pick rather than an underappreciated pick. Kevin Steen is arguably my favorite performer in wrestling nowadays, and his finisher always looks like complete devastation. Not only does he drop his opponent on his head, but he balls him up first. It’s a spot that is very seldom kicked out of, and one that I always mark out for. If you haven’t seen Steen wrestle yet, do yourself a favor and seek him out because he’s amazing. Hopefully he can get to a larger stage than the Indies and have somewhere to show off this move (although I doubt he’d be able to bring it with him).

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William Regal’s Regal Stretchsize=6>

I wish William Regal was a more active competitor in the WWE because his Regal Stretch is a move that I truly mark out for. Nothing about it looks fake. Quite the opposite, actually – this move looks brutal, even in scripted entertainment! Regal’s always been a badass, and the ruthless nature of this move furthered his career, specifically during his Intercontinental Championship reign almost ten years ago.

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Bradshaw’s Clothesline from Hellsize=6>

This is a move that made Bradshaw look like an absolute beast with no care for his opponent’s well being. Granted, he is notoriously a locker room bully and may not have been easing back during this move at all, but it really helped this thing get over. The Clothesline from Hell, in my opinion, is easily one of the top contenders for “hardest-hitting WWE finisher of all time”. Bradshaw would turn guys completely inside out and back again with this move, and it also sold his WWE Championship reign when he’d win matches (at least the few matches he did win cleanly).

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The Rock’s Rock Bottomsize=6>

Conceptually, the urinage is too simple to be threatening. But when The Rock does it, he hits it with such pop and elevation that it’s tough to not be impressed. I really think this move gets too much flack and despite being iconic, it’s not often considered to be a good finisher. I disagree – it’s beaten some of the best of all time (along with The People’s Elbow which is another poorly-rated finisher, but to me…it doesn’t quite to be considered underrated).

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John Cena’s Attitude Adjustmentsize=6>

A glorified fireman carry has become the most iconic finisher of the current era of wrestling. The RKO is a very close second, but I think people are in denial about this move. Not only does John Cena actually do a pretty great job of making it look like it hurts (the force with which he propels his opponent/the height from which they drop), but he also repeatedly uses this move to pull off superhuman feats of strength. He’s done the move on The Big Show, Mark Henry, Khali, Kane, and even The Big Show and Edge at the same time. At the end of the day, it’s actually pretty amazing.

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The Miz’s Skull Crushing Finalesize=6>

The Miz is virtually a non-factor in WWE at this point, which is a shame because he has one of the sickest finishers around. Driving someone headfirst into the mat with their arms locked up really should get more love than it does. I think if someone “better” than Miz had this as their finisher, they’d get more love for it. Or if Jericho didn’t briefly use the Breakdown about ten years ago. To me, this is the most underrated finisher in all of wrestling, without a doubt.

And that’s it for my list of underrated finishers. If there were any omissions, feel free to make your lists below. These lists are always subjective and I love reading other people’s reasonings for certain entries they feel should be higher or lower. Again, no need to vote for a topic next week – just suggest something and I’ll pick something that I like. Thanks for reading!