10 Great Wrestlers With Terrible Finishers

2022-05-21 22:20:52 By : Mr. Stephen Wang

A finisher is usually one of the most exciting moves in a wrestler's arsenal, but these in-ring workers have terrible ones.

A wrestling finisher is supposed to be the big, devastating move that a wrestler has to pull off to defeat their opponent. A finisher should look painful and impactful, whether it being a torturing submission, or a destructive slam or cutter. A good finisher could make-or-break a match, and is arguably the most important move in a wrestler's arsenal.

RELATED: 5 Of The Most Underrated Wrestling Finishing Moves (& 5 Of The Most Overrated)

Some wrestlers, regardless of their amazing in-ring ability, seem to lack a great finishing move to match their talent. These men and women across AEW and WWE are praised for their wrestling work, but leave something to be desired when it comes to their finishers.

AJ Styles is one of the smoothest, pure all-around wrestlers working right now. A great technical wrestler, mixed with high-quality athleticism, that make him one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch.

Styles does have some great moves in his arsenal: the Phenomenal Forearm, The Calf Crusher, and the Pele Kick, to name a few. The Styles Clash isn't one of them. For a wrestler so smooth, the Styles Clash looks mostly clunky and doesn't have the same grace as the Forearm, or look as painful as the Calf Crusher.

Ruby Soho is one of the most popular names in the AEW women's locker room, coming out to a large ovation in her debut at All Out 2021. She also had a great title match against Dr. Britt Baker later that year.

As talented as Ruby Soho is in the ring, her finisher, the Riot Kick is pretty underwhelming. It doesn't look as impactful, and it's sometimes hard to fully appreciate because most of her opponents don't seem to know how to sell after taking it. Thankfully, she seems to be changing her finisher to something similar to a Cross-Rhodes.

Big E is one of the most charismatic and hardest workers in wrestling today. Currently, he is recovering from a neck injury and fans hope to see him back in the ring soon.

RELATED: Big E & 9 More Transitional WWE World Champions That Deserved Better

What Big E doesn't have in height, he makes up for in muscle, performing powerhouse moves that leave a big impact in their opponents. The Big Ending isn't one of them. For someone so strong, the move doesn't look like something that would knock an opponent out for good and Big E needs a finisher fit for the type of competitor he is.

Alexa Bliss has gone through many transformations in her career in WWE. From a sparkly princess in NXT, to the Goddess and the Fiend-inspired gimmick that lasted longer than anyone wanted it to.

Fans of Bliss can appreciate her in-ring work. She's good enough to hang with the likes of Charlotte and Bianca Belair, but her finishing move, the Twisted Bliss, doesn't look all that impressive. A twisting flip with Bliss' size doesn't look all that painful or convincing to end a match.

As much screaming, clawing, and even more screaming that ensues whenever this submission finisher is applied, the STF mostly looks like an aggressive hug. John Cena has been an iconic wrestler in WWE, and has put some of the most entertaining matches in the modern era.

Granted, Cena's finishers aren't the best overall, but the STF seems to bring his matches to a screeching halt because it doesn't look painful at all and people barely tap out of it anymore.

Rhea Ripley is one of the most imposing wrestlers in WWE's women's division, being one of the few to match Bianca Belair's strength and power. She also brings a presence of danger and metal, rarely seen in the women's division since Paige.

RELATED: 10 WWE Pictures Of Rhea Ripley Like You've Never Seen Her

Rhea's strength and power in the ring is almost unmatched, and has many moves in her arsenal to back that up, so it's weird that her finisher, the Riptide doesn't seem to match that. The Riptide is just a pumphandle slam, and a competitor with Ripley's caliber needs a finisher that matches her brutality.

Dante Martin may be one of the best high-flyers in wrestling today. Being one of the youngest competitors in AEW, Dante performs athletic moves very few could replicate, or do as good, at least.

Dante Martin continues to amaze audiences with his high-flying moves, but his finisher isn't anything special. Dante performs a nose-dive from a springboard off the top rope to a standing opponent, and while this move may be good as a transition into a pin, it doesn't look as something anyone would use to beat your opponent with.

Naomi may be the most underappreciated wrestler in the WWE women's locker room. She has great charisma and is very talented in the ring, as one of the women's division's most athletic workers.

RELATED: Every Version Of Naomi, Ranked From Worst To Best

Her finishing move leaves much to be desired. The Rear View is just an opponent running face-first into her backside. Naomi has been using this move for a long time, and it doesn't reflect her full potential

Bayley is probably the most underrated member of the Four Horsewomen. She has a great character, is a great in-ring worker, and has been a part of some of the best women's matches of all time.

Her finisher, the Bayley to Belly, is just a belly-to-belly suplex. A wrestler with Bayley's caliber deserves a finisher as impressive as her abilites and this finisher is just too boring for someone as entertaining as her. She's been using an armtrap headlock driver since turning heel, but that isn't much better either.

It's a small package pin. Xavier Woods is one of the most charismatic wrestlers today, and probably one of the most underrated workers, so why is his new finisher, the "Backwoods", a finisher that almost any wrestler performs regularly?

This "finisher" may be the worst of all time because it barely fits the criteria and undermines a very talented wrestler in Woods.

Daniel Muñiz was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and has a deep love and appreciation for professional wrestling. He also expresses various passions on different subjects like music, film, TV, and sports. He currently has a Spanish-speaking podcast, "Hablándole a las Paredes" (Talking to Walls) where he discusses these topics.