Top 10 Best WWE Finishers of All Time

Every wrestler has a finisher.

Sometimes it’s a powerful slam, sometimes it’s a top rope dive, sometimes it’s a submission and sometimes it’s as simple as a kick or punch.

But the truly great finishers, the ones that make us leap to our feet in excitement, make for exciting moments and help build up WWE Superstars to legendary status.

Here’s a look at the 10 greatest WWE finishers of all time!

Stone Cold Stunner

The Stone Cold Stunner is one of those rare perfect finishers. It’s quick, you can hit it at a moment’s notice, it looks like it could knock anybody out, it’s easy for wrestlers to sell and it almost always marked the final moment of a match.

The Stunner was the perfect compliment for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who could make a crowd explode every time he broke the move out. It became so definitively his that nobody has dared to try and use it without making a direct reference to “The Texas Rattlesnake.”

Photo: WWE.com

 

Tombstone Piledriver

Plenty of wrestlers have used some form of the piledriver over the years, but The Undertaker made the Tombstone uniquely his own.

With one easy swing of his arms, “The Phenom” would lift his opponent upside down, drop them square on the on top of their head, then cross their arms as he posed with his rolled-back eyes while the referee counted the pinfall.

Much like the Stunner with Steve Austin, the Tombstone will be forever connected to the Undertaker.

Photo: WWE.com

Sweet Chin Music/Superkick

Known today as one of WWE’s greatest in-ring wrestlers, Shawn Michaels took the wrestling world by storm in the 90s with his flamboyant style and devesating finisher, the Sweet Chin Music.

HBK could hit the move on just about anybody from any location in and out of the ring, and it always brought an extra level of excitement to a match when he’d start “tuning up the band.”

Michaels’ innovative use of the Superkick became so influential that it’s now a staple of many wrestlers’ offensive arsenal.

Photo: WWE.com

 

RKO

Randy Orton had all the potential in the world when he first arrived on WWE back in 2002. He was a third-generation Superstar, had a great physique and in-ring ability and was quickly looped in as a member of Evolution. But the one move that helped launch his career into the stratosphere was the RKO.

As a variation of Diamond Dallas Page’s Diamond Cutter, the RKO is a vicious, lightning-fast move that Orton can break out whenever he likes. 

In his 15 years with the company, Orton has gone on to main event multiple WrestleMania’s and become a 13-time world champion. And no matter how long he sticks around in the WWE, fans will always be waiting for Orton to hit that next RKO “Outta Nowhere!”

Photo: WWE.com

 

Powerbomb

From Kevin Nash’s Jackknife Powerbomb to Undertaker’s Last Ride to Batista’s Batista Bomb, the Powerbomb has been one of the most popular finishing moves over the years. And no matter what variation or spin wrestlers add to it, the move always looks amazing!

Photo: WWE.com

 

Sharpshooter

There were plenty of memorable submission holds to consider for the list – the Figure Four, the Walls of Jericho, the Ankle Lock – but none were ever quite able to match the emotional high whenever Bret Hart locked in his signature Sharpshooter.

The move looked great, was easily to lock in and almost always spelled the end for his opponent.

Photo: WWE.com

F-5

Brock Lesnar’s F-5 has been getting an extra boost during his Universal Championship reign over this past year, but the move always stood out as one of the best finishers in the WWE. 

Lesnar is a once-in-a-generation athlete, so seeing this hulk monster hoist opponents of all sizes over his shoulders and slam them down to the mat never gets old.

The only thing that could make this move more perfect is if Lesnar had somehow managed to use it during his UFC run.

Photo: WWE.com

Shooting Star Press

WWE has seen countless Superstars use top rope finishers over the years, but none look as physically impressive as the Shooting Star Press.

The move is essentially a leaping backflip into a splash, making it an incredibly difficult move to master (just ask Brock Lesnar). But when a Superstar nails it, it’s one of the coolest moves out there. 

Because of how dangerous it can be, the move is mostly banned from WWE. However Neville most recently used an adaptation of it with the Red Arrow.

Photos: WWE.com

 

Spear

How does this move, which is just a running football tackle, manage to live on year after year with more Superstars adopting it? Because when somebody nails a spear with enough force, it becomes one of the most powerful finishing moves out there. 

Over a dozen superstars have used the spear over the years, but the true standouts have to be Goldberg, Roman Reigns, Ryhno and Big Show.

Photo: WWE.com

 

Go To Sleep

CM Punk was never the biggest guy on the roster, nor was he the most physically impressive. But the “Straight Edged Superstar” had one moved that put so many others to shame – the Go To Sleep.

The GTS was one of those rare moves where the wrestler lets gravity do most of the work for them. Punk hoists his opponent on his shoulders similar to John Cena’s Attitude Adjustment, then shrugs them off so the opponent’s face can meet Punk’s knee as they fall towards the map. 

The move was so popular that when Hideo Itami, the creator of the move, finally used the move down in NXT fans lost their minds! 

Photo: WWE.com