10 Wrestlers Whose Finishers Were Named After Themselves
Matthew Harrington In the world of professional wrestling, every detail counts, be it the finisher or even the name of the finisher. Why? Because you can't have Roman Reigns and Orange Cassidy giving out Superman Orange Punches in two different promotions. On a serious note, this is done to build a wrestler's character in the process. Some finishers are just extensions of their gimmicks while others are simply put, clever wordplay.
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Not all wrestlers are fortunate to have their finishers named after them but there are quite a few who are. Honorable mentions go to the Stone Cold Stunner and the Angle Slam. Without further ado, here's a look at 10 finishing moves named after the wrestlers who made them famous.
10 Cody Rhodes: Cross Rhodes
Here's a superstar who was responsible for the uprising of AEW, The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes. Cody is an incredible performer who showed the WWE Universe that he had what it takes to be a champion one day. His stint with Legacy and his storyline with his brother against The Shield were some of his career highlights.
Cody uses a rolling cutter to drive his opponent face-first onto the mat. The move is popularly known as Cross Rhodes. Cody also took a shot at Damian Priest who uses the same move as his finisher.
9 AJ Styles: Styles Clash
The Phenomenal AJ Styles is one of the most decorated professional wrestlers, not just in WWE but across the world. He has competed in almost every major promotion across the globe and has stood toe to toe and has come out on top against the business' very bests. Styles' arsenal is filled with an amazing move set and he is one of those wrestlers who have multiple finishers including mat-based, highflying, and submission finishers.
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Perhaps his most recognizable finisher of the 3 is the Belly-to-back inverted mat slam aka the Styles Clash, named after his in-ring name, which he got when he used to team with a wrestler called Steel. Styles and Steel. Phenomenal!
8 Johnny Gargano: Gargano Escape
The Heart and Soul of NXT, Johnny Gargano aka Johnny Wrestling started in the WWE as a tag team specialist alongside his best friend Tomasso Ciampa, who then, later on, went on to have one of the most memorable rivalries of all time which the fans wouldn't mind seeing again. Johnny is an in-ring specialist who uses a variation of a DDT and a chicken wing over-the-shoulder crossface as his finishers.
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The submission is used by him and his wife who currently work together on-screen, Candice LeRae. This move is known as the Gargano Escape/Garga-No-Escape. What a 'way' to name a submission!
7 Batista: Batista Bomb
Marvel's Drax and WWE's The Animal, Dave Batista was one of the most ferocious Superstars during his peak. The former member of Evolution wrestled his last match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in a losing effort and went on to retire from professional wrestling.
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After usually setting up his opponent with a spine buster, Batista uses a sit-out powerbomb as his finisher where he falls to a seated position as he slams the opponent down. The move, though used by other wrestlers around the world, was named The Batista Bomb.
6 The Rock: Rock Bottom
It's always fun to watch the most electrifying man in all of sports entertainment lay the smackdown in the ring. The People's Champ, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may be one of Hollywood's finest right now, but back in the day, The Rock was untouchable; on the mic and in the ring.
The Rock used The People's Elbow and a version of an ura-nage as his finisher, which loosely translates to "reverse side throw". The Rock's variation is a fall-forward one and he calls it the Rock Bottom.
5 Chris Jericho: The Walls Of Jericho
Today, Chris Jericho might be synonymous with AEW, but there was once a time when Y2J ruled the WWE. How can anyone forget when Jericho pinned both Rock and Austin on the same night to become the Undisputed Champion? Wherever he was, he was very accomplished as a wrestler and regarded as a locker room figure.
Chris Jericho uses the Codebreaker, the Judas Effect, and his most famous submission finisher, the Walls of Jericho, a modified Boston crab submission, which was initially called the Lion Tamer.
4 Karrion Kross: Kross Jacket
To say that the current NXT Champion is one of the most destructive champions in the brand's history would be a total understatement. Karrion Kross is undefeated and has recently defeated Finn Balor at TakeOver: Stand and Deliver to become a two-time NXT Champion. Kross has also his sights set on John Cena and wants to retire him.
Kross has recently started using an elbow smash, much like Wade Barrett's Bull Hammer elbow but his famous finisher is a submission one, a rear-naked choke, which is used by other Superstars like Shayna Bazler and the recently-released Samoa Joe. However, Kross's version is called the Kross Jacket, naming the move after his in-ring name.
3 Murphy: Murphy's Law
The recently-released Murphy was one of WWE's most talented wrestlers. Sadly, he wasn't used on WWE TV leading up to his release, which is a shame considering the work he did with the Mysterios and Seth Rollins and in the Cruiserweight Division before making his way to the main roster.
His finisher is a pump handle death valley driver. This maneuver begins with Murphy getting his opponent in the pump handle position, lifting him, and then flipping his opponent in midair performing a death valley driver in one motion. However, the move became known as Murphy's law, named after himself.
2 Tyler Bate: Tyler Driver '97
"Big Strong Boi" Tyler Bate is a treat to watch whenever he wrestles. His athleticism and his unbelievable strength for a man his size combined with his amazing storytelling make him one of the top guys in the business. His rivalry with "The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne is unforgettable which also gave the fans a match of the year when they faced off at TakeOver: Chicago in 2017.
Tyler Bate's finisher is a double underhook sit-out powerbomb and calls it the Tyler Driver '97, named after himself.
1 Randy Orton: RKO
RKO; the three deadliest letters in sports-entertainment history. If one was to break down this move, it's simply a jumping cutter and is performed by many wrestlers other than Randy Orton including Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga. Yet this move is synonymous with Randy's RKO because of the way it is performed, the way it is sold and it can come out of nowhere.
Did you know that Randy's full name was Randal Keith Orton? Or in short, RKO. What a sight to behold!
NEXT: Randy Orton: 5 Incredible RKOs (& 5 Awesome Counters For It)