In professional wrestling, finishing moves are the climactic punctuation marks of a match, signaling the end for one competitor and victory for another. Some WWE finishers, like the Stone Cold Stunner or Tombstone Piledriver, have become iconic in both the ring and pop culture, while many equally devastating moves fly under the radar. These ten often-overlooked WWE finishers, crafted by wrestling’s finest, thrilled fans but were so dangerous that many had to be banned from WWE altogether!
1. Arn Anderson’s Spinebuster: One of Pro Wrestling’s Original Power Moves
Arn Anderson delivers his iconic Spinebuster, a move that has stood the test of time at WWE Starrcade in 2017. Photo Credit: WWE
When it comes to the spinebuster, there are many imitators, but only one originator. While The Rock, Triple H, and Batista are among the countless wrestlers who’ve used the spinebuster as an effective power move, it was Arn Anderson—best known for his alliances with Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen during the ’80s and ’90s—who invented and popularized this devastating finisher.
"The spinebuster belongs to me," Anderson told 411 Mania in 2022. "It’s mine; I created it. I’m the only one that does it 100% like I do it. A lot of people have stolen it—which they have a right to do."
Even in recent years, Anderson has demonstrated his ability to deliver an explosive spinebuster, slamming the likes of Dolph Ziggler at WWE Starrcade in 2017 and Shawn Spears at AEW’s All Out in 2019.
Though Anderson doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his spinebuster, his influence is clear in every other wrestler’s variation of the finishing move.
2. Bob Backlund’s Cross-Face Chickenwing: Technical Mastery with a Vicious Twist
Bob Backlund applying his feared Cross-Face Chickenwing on Bret Hart during his 1990s WWE run. Photo Credit: WWE
Thanks to his background as an accomplished high school and college wrestler, Bob Backlund became one of the most respected in-ring technicians in the business.
Perhaps the clearest display of Backlund’s technical prowess was his take on the cross-face chicken wing, a submission hold that the two-time Heavyweight Champion made even more formidable by incorporating a body scissors lock.
While Backlund’s signature finishing move during his first WWE run in the ’70s and ’80s were the Atomic Knee Drop and Atomic Spinecrusher, he popularized the cross-face chicken wing during his second run in the mid-’90s. This was especially evident in his 1994 "Old Generation vs. New Generation" match against Bret Hart.
After losing the match, Backlund "snapped," applying the hold on Hart while screaming maniacally. From that point on, he used the move in a frenzied manner, adding psychological intensity to an already vicious maneuver.
3. Ravishing Rick Rude’s Rude Awakening: A Neckbreaker with Attitude
Rick Rude finishing off his opponent with the brutal Rude Awakening. Photo Credit: WWE.
Throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, Rick Rude was a dominant force in the WWE, and his Rude Awakening—a modified shoulder neckbreaker—was the perfect finishing move for the brash, trash-talking heel.
From a back-to-back position, the WWE Hall of Famer would pull his opponent’s head over his shoulder and drop to a seated position, driving the back of his opponent’s neck into his shoulder.
Rude often delivered the move so aggressively that it seemed as though it could legitimately break the recipient’s neck.
This risk of neck and head injury is likely why the Rude Awakening is no longer used in WWE today.
4. Perry Saturn’s Rings of Saturn: Submission Precision at its Finest
Perry Saturn locks Goldberg in the Rings of Saturn in WCW, displaying his technical prowess. Photo Credit: WWE
Perry Saturn’s success as a dynamic performer across three major wrestling promotions in the late ’90s and early 2000s was largely due to his ability to showcase brute force in the ring. The Rings of Saturn, while highly technical, highlighted Saturn’s knack for dishing out serious damage and proved that the mid-card wrestler had the talent of a superstar.
This submission hold was Saturn’s take on a scissored armbar, and when applied, it placed excruciating pressure on the opponent’s shoulder joints, often leaving them unable to physically tap out.
Alongside his Death Valley Driver, the Rings of Saturn demonstrated Saturn’s versatility as an in-ring athlete.
5. Hardcore Holly’s Alabama Slam: A Painful Blast from the Past
Hardcore Holly unleashing his devastating Alabama Slam. Photo Credit: WWE
Hardcore Holly earned the "hardcore" in his WWE moniker thanks to his relentless pummeling of opponents in match after match throughout the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Eras. It’s fitting, then, that the six-time WWE Hardcore Champion had an equally brutal finishing move: the Alabama Slam.
A California native who trained in Mobile, Alabama after high school, Holly developed the Alabama Slam—a double leg slam variation of the spinebuster—during his early years in WWE.
Known as one of the most painful moves in wrestling history, the Alabama Slam is still used today by wrestlers like Cody Rhodes and Tiffany Stratton.
6. Rikishi’s Rikishi Driver: Power and Precision in One Move
Rikishi delivers a powerful Riskishi Driver finisher. Photo Credit: WWE
Rikishi may be best known for his comedic gimmicks and silly dance moves, but as a member of the legendary Anoa’i wrestling family, he also demonstrated impressive power and athleticism for his size. The Rikishi Driver is a perfect example of the WWE Hall of Famer’s in-ring prowess.
While his cheeky Stink Face may be more famously associated with him, the Rikishi Driver was a far more formidable finishing move.
Also used by Owen Hart and Bam Bam Bigelow, the reverse piledriver was a historic match-ender, but it posed a significant risk of head and neck injuries.
Due to its dangerous nature, WWE eventually banned all variations of the piledriver, rendering the Rikishi Driver obsolete, while further cementing its devastating legacy.
7. JBL’s Clothesline From Hell: A Simple Move with Devastating Impact
JBL connects with the Clothesline From Hell, a finisher that defined his WWE career. Photo Credit: WWE
Whether you know him as John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Bradshaw, or simply JBL, the Sweetwater, Texas native, born John Charles Layfield, carved out a Hall of Fame career in WWE, largely thanks to a simple yet brutal finisher: the "Clothesline From Hell."
JBL first developed the move, also known as the "Clothesline From Texas" and "Clothesline From Wall Street," during the Attitude Era as a member of the Acolytes Protection Agency alongside tag team partner Ron Simmons. Interestingly, it was another iconic Attitude Era wrestler who coined the name for JBL’s devastating finisher.
"Stone Coldd Steve Austin is the one that named the Clothesline From Hell," JBL revealed on a 2022 episode of WWE’s The Bump. "You can’t name your own move. You can’t give yourself a nickname. Yeah, Stone Cold… I hit somebody with a Clothesline one time in Europe, and I come back, Stone Cold said, ‘That’s not a Clothesline; that is a Clothesline From Hell,’ and it stuck from that point forward."
Thanks to Stone Cold’s apt phrase, JBL’s intense delivery, and the opponent’s selling ability, the "Clothesline From Hell" became an iconic match-ending iteration of one of wrestling’s most common moves.
Victoria delivers her Widow’s Peak finisher. Photo Credit: WWE
Lisa Marie Varon, better known in WWE as Victoria, dominated the Women’s division in the mid-2000s with a finisher perfectly suited to the "Ruthless Aggression" era: the Widow’s Peak, a devastating neckbreaker.
Victoria used this move to win iconic matches against stars like Trish Stratus and Lita, capturing two Women’s Championships along the way—accomplishments that earned her a well-deserved spot in the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame.
However, Victoria has admitted she can’t take full credit for originating the Widow’s Peak.
In a 2022 interview on the Just Alyx podcast, she credited fellow WWE wrestler Molly Holly and independent wrestler-turned-AEW superstar Roderick Strong for helping her popularize the move.
"Molly Holly went to an independent show, and she came back and said, ‘Victoria’—we called each other by our characters, never our real names—‘I’ve got a move for you. I saw this guy, Roderick Strong, do it at an indie show.’"
She continued, "I was the bigger girl in our group, so I could pick everyone up. I was the muscle, the base, like in cheerleading, catching everybody. She taught me the move. We tried it outside the ring, she took it, and everyone went (gasps)."
9. Charlie Haas’s Haas of Pain: A Unique Submission for the Ages
Charlie Haas locking in the Haas of Pain, a submission move that’s as painful as it looks. Photo Credit: Ring of Honor.
Charlie Haas may not be the most recognizable WWE superstar among casual fans, but the former amateur wrestler delivered plenty of exciting matches in the early 2000s, particularly as Shelton Benjamin’s tag team partner during their time with Team Angle.
While Haas lacked the name recognition of other stars, he made up for it with creativity and technical skill, crafting one of the most unique (and incredibly painful-looking) submission finishing moves of all time: the Haas of Pain.
In a 2022 interview with PWMania, Haas shared how a wrestling session with his late brother Russ, who wrestled primarily on the independent circuit, inspired his inverted version of the figure-four leglock.
"I was working Russ’ leg when I first came up with an early version of it. He was on his stomach, so I’d sit beside him, grab one knee, and pull it up. But then I wondered, ‘What if I took the other leg and crossed it over?’
"I had to position my opponent’s arms and pull them back, and then they’d tap. I’d seen some versions of the Haas of Pain in MMA, so I drew influence from that as well."
10. Shane Helms’s Vertebreaker: The Dangerous Move WWE Had to Ban
Shane Helms delivering his dangerous Vertebreaker, a move so dangerous that WWE had to ban it! Photo Credit: WWE
From 2001 to 2010, Shane Helms had his longest stint in professional wrestling as a WWE talent, most famously portraying the comedic superhero known as The Hurricane. However, it was during his two-year run in WCW that he perfected the hard-hitting, high-flying Vertebreaker.
Arguably the most dangerous variation of the piledriver, the Vertebreaker required Helms to underhook his opponent’s arms from behind, twist them around until they were facing the ground, and then drop to a seated position with their head and neck exposed.
Had Helms been able to use the move consistently in WWE, his career might have looked very different. However, shortly after he signed with the company, WWE banned the move, along with most piledriver variations.
In a 2019 interview with Fightful, Helms explained his frustration with not being able to use his innovative finisher.
"When WWE banned it, that was a time in the business when a lot of guys were getting hurt with piledrivers, so they said, ‘Eliminate all piledriver-type maneuvers except for the Tombstone.’ So, my boss told me, ‘Don’t do it,’ and I’m one of those weird people—I do what my boss says.
"At the time, there were only about three people I could even pick up anyway. Everybody was gigantic back then, so it wasn’t a big deal for me."
While Helms never got to use the Vertebreaker in WWE, Cody Rhodes brought it back nearly two decades later in his match against Logan Paul at the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring. Helms responded to the tribute with just two words: "perfect technique."
Legacy of Underrated WWE Finishing Moves: A Legacy of Forgotten Power
The Rock delivers a powerful Rock Bottom to John Cena. Photo Credit: WWE.
For every renowned finisher like Ric Flair’s figure-four leglock or The Rock’s Rock Bottom, it’s easy to forget the equally devastating moves that helped shape WWE history.
Whether it’s the bone-crunching intensity of Arn Anderson’s Spinebuster or the sheer technical mastery behind Perry Saturn’s Rings of Saturn, these underappreciated finishers tell the stories of wrestlers who deserve more recognition.
By revisiting these hidden gems, we celebrate the art of professional wrestling and the athletes who continue to push its boundaries.
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Richard Thompson is an aspiring screenwriter and longtime journalist, having written for online publications such as FanBuzz and MovieWeb. His favorite pro wrestler growing up was Scott Hall, and his childhood dream was to join the nWo. Sadly, while that dream never came true, getting the opportunity to write about wrestling is a solid consolation!
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