DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - 'Greatest Finishing Move Ever' Poll Results + Kane, Lita & Matt
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 at 4:27 PM EST




THE WRESTLING MENU #88

Welcome one and all to the 88th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Man, writing & posting this column was a struggle after receiving so many votes via e-mail for my poll. I apologize for the lack of detail in my almost automated reply, but if I was to properly reply to every e-mail I received, I can assure you that this column would have been posted sometime in July!!!

I'll start with my opinion on what is the greatest finishing move ever (in the 'Appetizers' section), then give the final results (in the 'Main' section). In the 'Dessert' section today, I'll briefly give my thoughts on a storyline that is currently running in the WWE.

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS

My Greatest Ever Finishing Moves

Well, well, well. Finally, my choice in one of my own polls has matched that of the masses. Funnily enough, this was possibly the poll most likely for it not to happen. But I obviously under-estimated this move's popularity. In fact, I didn't even expect this finisher to end up in the top 5 most popular in the poll. So without further adieu, I announce that the winner of the 'Greatest Finishing Move Ever' poll is 'The VertaBreaker', as performed by 'Sugar' Shane Helms (aka The Hurricane).

Actually, if I had to list my top 3 moves of all time, I think it's relevant to note that all 3 moves were used very rarely. I think there's something in that. It suggests that even finishing moves can become stale to some extent. Who knows, maybe if Stone Cold's stunner count didn't run into the hundreds of thousands, maybe that would be my personal favorite.

Anyway, back to the 'VertaBreaker', this was the bit I was dreading; Trying to explain it. I've tried before & failed miserably. Let's see if years of refinement makes my explanation any clearer to those that have never seen the move. My initial description was an inverted backwards piledriver, but that isn't great detail at all. To further attempt to explain it, I'll ask you to keep that in mind & then imagine a cross between a piledriver & Christian's 'Unprettier'. Sorry folks, but that's the best I can do.

To those that have never viewed the move, I wouldn't watch every Hurricane match from now on with a magnifying glass. I just don't think you will have the chance to see it. Well, not in the WWE anyway. They have pretty much banned the move, citing that it was too dangerous. Is it? Well, I suppose it could be, if it goes wrong.

You see, that's why I love the move so much; It's just so brutal & has maximum impact. Not too dissimilar to a DDT or piledriver, the impact is purely on the neck/head region. Basically, it looks like it hurts & no-one should be escaping a pin after the move has been performed. The move isn't exactly the easiest or smoothest to put on an opponent. It's like Victoria's 'Widow's Peak' in that way & can't really be hit out of nowhere like a 'Stone Cold Stunner' or 'Diamond Cutter'. But what Helms did do at least, was apply the move from a variety of situations. That did give it that extra little bit of 'wow' factor.

For those that are interested, my other 2 favorite moves got a grand total of 2 votes between them in the poll. The 2 votes went to Scott Steiner's 'Steiner ScrewDriver' which he used for a couple of months in WCW. This move was way too dangerous, especially when executed by someone who could be as sloppy as Scott Steiner. Think of a cross between a brain buster & a piledriver & you have the screwdriver. Again, the impact was purely on the neck & head region.

My other favorite, which surprisingly got zero votes was AJ Styles' 'Spinal Tap'. Now granted, there have probably been similar moves performed for years on the independent circuit, or in Japan or Mexico. But this was the first time I had seen the move & talk about 'WOW'!!! I replayed it many times & watching it in slow motion is a thing of beauty. I can't remember how many times he spins through the air (ie: whether its' a 360 or 450 or whatever), but he throws a twist in for good measure, while getting amazing elevation & distance. To land it perfectly is extremely difficult, yet AJ can seem to consistently pull it off.



MAIN

'Greatest Finishing Move Ever' Poll Results

Well, as most of you already know, I have run a few polls here in my tenure. The first few received roughly the same amount of votes; between 90 & 120. The last one (Most Memorable Moment Ever) received just under 180 votes. But this poll on finishing moves has blown them all out of the water with approximately 240 votes. Obviously, a huge thanks to all who voted.

Now if I was to list & comment on every finishing move which received a vote, this would be the longest column ever. Believe it or not, a total of 62 moves were voted for. Of those, 17 received 5 votes or more, and a further 23 received between 2 & 4 votes. I will briefly list & comment on the former 17, while I will only list the further 23 finishing moves. Obviously, if the moment that you voted for is not on the below list, then you can automatically presume that you were the only person who voted for it.

The number listed following the finishing move is the actual amount of votes that it received. So here we go...

(1) VertaBreaker = 19 votes: See above in the 'Appetizers' section.

(2) Stone Cold Stunner = 17: Probably the move that I thought would win this poll. Difficult to rate this finisher on it's own, due to the popularity of Steve Austin at his peak. But it really does have all the ingredients of a great finishing move; The impact, the flare & the fact that it could literally be hit out of nowhere.

(3) Sharpshooter = 15: All these votes are for Bret Hart's version. Only one person voted for Sting's Scorpion Deathlock variation & one person voted for Owen Hart's version. No-one voted for Chris Benoit's, Shawn Michaels' or The Rock's versions. I like it as a submission move & Bret definitely added more legitimacy to it by setting up the move with a variety of other moves. It's pretty simple, yet does the job.


(4) Tombstone Piledriver = 14: The famous Undertaker version of the piledriver, which has a couple of differences to a normal piledriver. (a) The opponent is facing towards the wrestler, and (b) The Undertaker kneels down, as opposed to sitting down, during the move. When done perfectly, the impact is definitely there. Having someone with the mystique of 'Taker perform it, also helps.

(5) Sweet Chin Music = 13: I'm a little surprised that this got so many votes. I think that's testimony to how well HBK has performed the move over the years. Any boot to the head type move is treading on thin ice, as you can often see that there is no contact made. But Shawn ensures it looks real & gives the impression that there is impact involved. Has the added positive of being able to be hit out of nowhere.


(6) Diamond Cutter = 12: Diamond Dallas Page's finisher, which has now been reinvented by Randy Orton as the RKO, is very similar in a lot of ways to the stunner. I personally think that the stunner had more impact, but prefer the way that the diamond cutter can be hit from a variety of set-ups & angles.

(7) Crippler Crossface = 8: Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of this submission hold, but it's a testament to Chris Benoit that it has grown on me over the years. While it can look silly sometimes, when he hooks it on properly, Benoit gives it a real look of intensity. Furthermore, he has added significantly to the methods with which he can apply the move from.

(8T) JackHammer = 7: A rather simple move (a vertical suplex into a power slam), but a move which looks good, as well as having impact. Goldberg made it his own & it was a credible finisher for even a rookie.

(8T) F-5 = 7: Brock Lesnar's finisher which did go through a little bit of tampering with after a couple of opponents were injured from it. Another move which can look a little sloppy & also as if it couldn't do any harm on occasions. But when performed to perfection, looks absolutely awesome. I remember seeing this move live & being more impressed with it than on television. There was just more velocity to the spinning action, which gave it so much more impact.

(10T) DDT = 6: I'm so glad that this move received enough votes to get it into the top 15. Jake Roberts' version was the one most cited, although Arn Anderson's & Raven's versions got special mentions. I've often stated how I hate that this move has become a transitional move which no longer gains a 3 count (unless performed off the ropes). It has great impact & when performed well, looks like it could almost kill a person.


(10T) Doomsday Device = 6: The tag-team move that received the most votes, as performed by The Legion Of Doom/Road Warriors. Fairly simple actually, with it really being no more than an elevated lariat. But the impact (possibly because it was often performed sloppily) was enormous. The landing for the opponent was often a rough one & I think that's what most fans looked for.


(10T) Roll Of The Dice = 6: The real surprise of this poll. All 6 people voting for this made specific mention to it being Reno's version, and not the 'Test Drive' which Test later used. The amazing thing here is that it is a finishing move basically used by a jobber, as Reno was a wrestler who never really took off in WCW. However, this move was excellent. It had impact, but more importantly, it looked great. Reno used to spin his opponent so swiftly whilst performing the move, that you would swear that, at the very least, someone was going to get a severe case of whiplash.

(10T) Pedigree = 6: Triple H's finishing move which has withstood the test of time quite well. Has the impact needed, but can be performed too sloppily at times, to be totally effective. But performed perfectly, it's one of, if not, the best in the business today.


(14T) Top Rope Elbow Drop = 5: As performed by Randy 'The Macho Man' Savage. While I did expect this finisher to get votes, I didn't expect it to make the top 20. I suppose I had forgotten how great Savage made a move, that is almost a transitional one nowadays, look. Again, when performed to it's perfection (which Savage often did with great consistency), it was amazing in it's gracefulness, elevation & distance. All that combined even gave it great impact.


(14T) Razors Edge = 5: I have to be honest & state that I am not really a fan of this move. I don't mind it when it's performed off the ropes, but the move also known as Splash Mountain just does nothing for me. Of course, the move was made famous by Scott 'Razor Ramon' Hall, and is currently being used as Mordecai's finisher.

(14T) Shooting Star Press = 5: I've been a little bit lenient here & not differentiated between different versions of this move. Somewhat controversial, as the 2 names mentioned the most were Billy Kidman & Brock Lesnar. To say that they performed the move differently is an understatement, with Lesnar getting a lot more distance on his version. Either way, I like the move, as it's flamboyant & just that little bit different than some of the other top-rope finishers.

(14T) Widow's Peak = 5: Well, it looks like a few people agreed with me last week about this move. The only woman's finisher to make this list, it concentrates on impact, and when performed correctly, genuinely looks like it could do some damage.

Ok, so there are your 17 finishing moves with 5 votes or more. The following finishers are the 4 that received 4 votes each:

18T: Hulk Hogan's Leg Drop.
18T: The Million Dollar Dream.
18T: The Rock Bottom.
18T: The People's Elbow.

The following finishing moves are the 9 that received 3 votes each:

22T: PileDriver.
22T: Jack-Knife PowerBomb.
22T: Total Elimination.
22T: Lion Tamer/Walls Of Jericho.
22T: Figure 4 LegLock.
22T: Van Terminator.
22T: 3-D.
22T: 619.
22T: Haas Of Pain.

And finally, the 10 finishing moves that received 2 votes each:

31T: Sid's PowerBomb.
31T: Perfect-Plex.
31T: Vader's Moonsault.
31T: Steiner ScrewDriver.
31T: Torture Rack.
31T: Sit-Down PowerBomb.
31T: Banzai Drop.
31T: 5 Star Frog Splash
31T: Unprettier.
31T: La Resistance's new finisher (still un-named).

22 other finishing moves only received one vote & I'd be here all day if I ran through all of them. Looking over the results of this poll, there are definitely a few surprises. I've already stated that I was surprised that the VertaBreaker won the poll. I just didn't think that enough fans would have had the opportunity to view it. Personally, I'm also a little surprised that Sweet Chin Music & Roll of the Dice ranked so highly. While on the flipside, I'm surprised that the Van Terminator & Unprettier only received 5 votes between them.


DESSERT - Kane, Lita & Matt

This is basically another 'What I Think Of ....." topic. I trialed it out last month & it went over pretty well. I still want to usually talk about 2 topics, but today I will keep it to one due to the length that this column has already gone. I thought the Kane-Lita-Matt Hardy angle was a good choice as it's nearing it's punchline (I think) & has a rather interesting mix of wrestlers involved it.

Why an interesting mix? Well, if you think about it, you have Kane, who is arguably a main-eventer at the moment seeing as though he will be challenging for the World HeavyWeight Title at the next pay-per-view. You have Matt Hardy, who is arguably anything but a main-eventer with the losing streak he has been on since crossing over to Raw. And finally, you have Lita, who is a woman wrestler who has failed to capture the title for quite some time now.

When you have ingredients such as these in the mix, chances are that someone will come out of the angle looking good, while the other(s) will actually be harmed. It is possible in a mix such as this, that everyone comes out on top. But the circumstances have to be perfect & the angle played out to perfection. I don't believe this is a storyline where everything will come up roses. The circumstances just aren't right.

The interesting thing (& possibly the factor that still may surprise me) is the fact that Kane is now the #1 contender. When this angle started, he wasn't that at all. In fact, he was headed for lower midcard, if anything. How being #1 contender fits into the storyline is beyond me, but I hope it does & I hope it adds to Kane's relevance on Raw. But I'm not betting any money on it, and pretty much think that it will do more harm than good, by distracting Kane from what he should have 100% of his attention on; Chris Benoit & the World HeavyWeight Title.

I really have no idea what the angle will do for Lita. It will probably just take her out of the Women's Division for a couple of months. I'm a little indifferent to whether that's a good or bad thing.

But Matt Hardy is the man who could really benefit from this whole angle. Before the storyline began, he was an undercarder. I don't think there is any doubt about that. He had a losing streak going & was pretty much being used as a high-profile jobber. Even if it is short and/or on-again/off-again, an angle with the monster who is currently the #1 contender to the biggest title on the show, could lift Matt up the card with a bullet.

He wouldn't even have to win a match with Kane. But he does have to show something in the ring against him. Superior fighting qualities, a never-say-die attitude, or maybe even a new hardcore attitude. Just something that changes the fan's perception of him. I really hope this happens, as Matt Hardy is being severely under-used at the moment. Of course, whether it should happen while adversely effecting the heavyweight title feud of the brand, is extremely arguable.



Ok, that is all for edition #88 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. I know it was an extra long one, but I hope you enjoyed it. I think the results of the poll were especially interesting & very entertaining to read through. Any feedback on the poll results are quite welcome. As is ideas & opinions on where the storyline involving Kane, Lita & Matt Hardy is heading. As per usual, I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

I have to be honest here folks & state that I spent so much time putting together this week's column, that I have absolutely no idea what will be served up next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu'. Whatever comes you way, look out for it same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.












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