Logically, someone's finisher should be the most credible move in their arsenal. The move you build your whole strategy around, waiting to hit it in order to, as the name says, finish off the opponent. But that's not always the case in WWE.
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Entertainment is key in professional wrestling, and someone's finisher can become iconic even if it's not the most believable move in the world. The finishing moves on this list got over with fans and became legendary at different points in history, but they don't look devastating.
The Worm
Scotty 2 Hotty Was An Entertaining Tag Team Wrestler
Famously Used By
Scotty 2 Hotty
WWE Accomplishments
WWE Light Heavyweight Champion (1x) World Tag Team Champion (1x) WWE Tag Team Champion (1x)
2000 was one of the best and hottest years in the entire history of WWE. During a time the roster was filled with some of the biggest stars of all time, a midcarder's finisher became legendary. We're obviously talking about Scotty 2 Hotty and the Worm.
WWE fans got into the move thanks to Scotty's mannerisms and the long set-up. After nearly a minute of theatrics and dancing while the opponent was knocked out on the mat, Scotty would finally deliver a... chop to the chest of the fallen opponent!
Leg Drop
Hulk Hogan Protected His Finishing Move
Famously Used By
Hulk Hogan
WWE Accomplishments
WWE Champion (6x) Royal Rumble Winner (1990 & 1991) World Tag Team Champion (1x)
As mentioned in the intro, a finishing move doesn't have to look devastating to become iconic or to be effective. If someone kicks out of a move all the time, it loses its appeal and credibility, even if it's the most dangerous move in the world.
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On the other hand, if Hulk Hogan can beat Andre the Giant and 'Macho Man' Randy Savage with a Leg Drop, it must be quite powerful. The Hulkster made the move legendary and successful, although it obviously hurt him far more than it hurt his opponents.
619
The 619 Requires A Long Set-Up
Famously Used By
Rey Mysterio
WWE Accomplishments
WWE Tag Team Champion (4x) WWE Cruiserweight Champion (3x) Royal Rumble Winner (2006) World Heavyweight Champion (2x) WWE Intercontinental Champion (2x) WWE Champion (1x) WWE United States Champion (3x) WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion (1x)
Rey Mysterio is a true WWE legend. The former three-time world champion used the 619, the finishing move he made famous throughout his iconic career, to capture most of his championships.
Fans buy into the move because Mysterio has been doing it for decades against big stars on the biggest stages WWE has to offer, but in reality his opponents could easily escape the move.
Mandible Claw
The Move Got Over Because It Was Creepy
Famously Used By
WWE Accomplishments
Mick Foley
World Tag Team Champion (8x) WWE Hardcore Champion (1x) WWE Champion (3x)
Bray Wyatt
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion (1x) WWE Champion (1x) WWE Raw Tag Team Champion (1x) WWE Universal Champion (2x)
The Mandible Claw definitely had an aura. The move can work under the right circumstances, and it did fit Mick Foley's Mankind persona. It went from intimidating and uncomfortable at first to funny and popular in the Attitude Era once Mr. Socko was added to the mix.
Bray Wyatt brought back this finishing move in 2019, using it during his run as The Fiend. Both men used it effectively and made it special because it fit their respective spooky characters. In a real fight, though, a conscious opponent would bite their fingers off the second they went for it.
Zig Zag
Dolph Ziggler Dropped The Zig Zag In Favor Of The Superkick
Famously Used By
Dolph Ziggler
WWE Accomplishments
World Tag Team Champion (1x) WWE Intercontinental Champion (6x) World Heavyweight Champion (2x) WWE United States Champion (2x) Money In The Bank Winner (2012, SmackDown) WWE Raw Tag Team Champion (2x) WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion (2x) NXT Champion (1x)
Nic Nemeth finally established himself on WWE's main roster in late 2008, after a couple of gimmicks had ultimately failed. As Dolph Ziggler, the current TNA wrestler became a star and eventually captured the World Heavyweight Championship.
The only thing he lacked was a good finisher. Ziggler used the Zig Zag, a jumping reverse bulldog that looked like it hurt Ziggler more than it did his opponents. The Show-Off used the Zig Zag to win the World Title in 2013, but it wasn't long until Ziggler started using the superkick as his new finishing move.
People's Elbow
The Rock Turned A Silly Move Into The Most Entertaining WWE Finisher
Famously Used By
The Rock
WWE Accomplishments
WWE Intercontinental Champion (2x) WWE Champion (8x) World Tag Team Champion (5x) Royal Rumble Winner (2000) WCW Champion (2x)
Scotty 2 Hotty's Worm might've been silly and popular, but it never beat the biggest stars in pro wrestling history. The Rock's People Elbow was silly, popular, and it did beat the biggest names in WWE history. The Rock even beat 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania with the move.
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The "most electrifying move in sports entertainment" line is far more than just a cool catchphrase; it's exactly what the People's Elbow was. As arguably the most charismatic wrestler ever, The Great One's set-up alone made for a true spectacle. But, at the end of the day, Rock was only delivering an ordinary elbowdrop.
Stratusfaction
The Stratusfaction Can Only Work With Cooperation
Famously Used By
Trish Stratus
WWE Accomplishments
WWE Women's Champion (7x) WWE Hardcore Champion (1x)
Trish Stratus changed the game for women's wrestling in WWE. She broke all kinds of records, became a seven-time Women's Champion and was a phenomenal performer. But she accomplished all of that with a pretty bad finishing move - the Stratusfaction.
It takes full cooperation for someone to hit it. While pro wrestling is a work, and it does take cooperation to basically do anything, that's not supposed to come across on the television screen. But that's what happened every time Trish hit the Stratusfaction.
Stinkface
Rikishi's Stinkface Hurts In A Different Way!
Famously Used By
Rikishi
WWE Accomplishments
World Tag Team Champion (2x) WWE Intercontinental Champion (1x) WWE Tag Team Champion (1x)
The Stinkface might not have been Rikishi's finishing move, but it was by far the most popular move in his arsenal, so allows to cheat here.
Rikishi used the move in some of his biggest matches during his run as a popular babyface in the Attitude Era. While it didn't necessarily look dangerous, no one would want to receive it anyway!
Attitude Adjustment
John Cena's AA Doesn't Look Devastating
Famously Used By
John Cena
WWE Accomplishments
WWE United States Champion (5x) WWE Champion (13x) World Tag Team Champion (2x) Royal Rumble Winner (2008 & 2013) World Heavyweight Champion (3x) WWE Tag Team Champion (2x) Money In The Bank Winner (2012 - Raw)
John Cena used the Attitude Adjustment for most of his career. He introduced the move, then known as the FU, as a way to mock Brock Lesnar's F5 during their WWE Championship feud heading into Backlash 2003. Cena still uses the move to this day, having won countless titles with it.
While the move can be visually impressive, especially when Cena did it on a huge man such as The Big Show, it's far from the most devastating finisher. To his credit, John Cena got the move over and made it legendary, even after he had to change its name to the Attitude Adjustment (AA) when WWE went PG.
Rock Bottom
At Least The Rock Bottom Looks More Dangerous Than The People's Elbow
Famously Used By
The Rock
WWE Accomplishments
WWE Intercontinental Champion (2x) WWE Champion (8x) World Tag Team Champion (5x) Royal Rumble Winner (2000) WCW Champion (2x)
Compared to the People's Elbow, the Rock Bottom looks like the most brutal move in the world. Perhaps that's why it got over as a credible finisher, as The Great One didn't always use it to finish off his opponents during his career.
But still, the Rock Bottom was nothing but a modified slam, with his opponents taking an ordinary back bump. The Rock's charisma elevated the move, much like almost everything Rock did, and he used it to beat many top WWE stars - including Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 19.