10 WWE Wrestlers Who Need to Change Their Finisher (2016)

Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't a finisher actually finish your opponent? And once it's used, shouldn't it make sense that the match be over? Now I know that certain bouts with certain characters and storylines call for a dramatic kick out or rope break just before the ref's hand reaches the mat for a third time, but some of the moves used by current Superstars just simply aren't valid finishers. In the 80s and early 90s, guys like The Honky Tonk Man, Jake the Snake Roberts, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan all had finishers that just wouldn't translate to the era that we live in today. So why not get with the times and truly sell your finish to the crowd? The Superstars on my list are all great workers. Some of them could benefit from adding a new move to the arsenal, while others could use a new move to pair with a new persona. Let's get this list underway.

Clash of the Titus. It's actually a really good move for a guy like Titus. Utilizing a splash setup paired with some good babyface love from the crowd, Clash of the Titus has won the former Florida Gator many a match and even the WWE World Tag Team Championship. The problem here is that the move itself relies heavily on the crowd and momentum. Batista could hit the Batista Bomb as a babyface or a heel and get a great reaction. He had an amazing Spinebuster and a nice build up to match. Without a decent signature move to pair it with, Clash of the Titus can barely stand alone in the mid-card lane. Would you REALLY want to see Clash of the Titus finish a guy like Dolph Ziggler or Cesaro? Maybe, but only in a tag team match or if you sold me before the finish. If O'Neil wants to have a good singles push, he should take after his buddy Darren Young and reinvent himself a tad bit, starting with addressing his finisher.

Crews has so much talent, it's scary. He's super athletic and knows how to put together a good match. He would be even better if he had a finisher that matched. A spin-out powerbomb is a sight to see but it just won't cut it if Crews wants to become a champion some day. For a bigger guy, he sure does jump and flip a lot. That shouldn't factor into whatever his finisher becomes. Crews needs something usable as a face or heel. A modified powerslam or a spike full nelson suplex would be a finisher that would pack a punch AND show off some strength and speed. Maybe the return of the torture rack would fit nicely here? Just a thought.

Kevin Owens has taken the powerbomb and perfected it. It's not so much the technique or the sell job as it is the timing. He always pops it at just the right moment. You can easily argue that he doesn't deserve to be on this list, but it's due to the fact that he has such a deep and diverse move set which aides his ability to hold off on using his finisher. At PPVs, KO tends to hit that Pop-Up Powerbomb almost out of nowhere. On a Tuesday night in Kentucky, he sets it up with the cannonball in the corner. Owens knows so many moves he can easily choose just about any other move in his catalog and it would work. It's awesome to see such a big guy work so well, but if Owens wants to be in it for the long haul, he'll have to chill out from all these crazy and potentially dangerous moves and simplify. I vote for a modified Sharpshooter. He loved Owen Hart so much that it only makes sense. His character loves to inflict pain anyway, right? Two birds, one stone.

Dirty Deeds has become an okay finisher. On the high end, it can be seen as a modified Pedigree. Most people will see it as a DDT. The DDT is NOT a finishing move. Not in 2016 at least, and it hasn't been since the 90s. Ambrose has a lot of Mick Foley in him and even Cactus Jack had enough sense not to make the double arm DDT a finisher. The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Sami Zayn all have versions of the DDT the fans love. It's a magnificent change of pace move but the only person that tries to sell it to us as a finisher is Dean Ambrose. Are we supposed to believe that he has mastered one of the most basic moves in professional wrestling? That for some reason HIS version is more lethal than any we've ever seen before? I'm not buying the selling of this move and Ambrose will probably have to add something to it or scrap it altogether in order to finally reach the pinnacle of success and hold the WWE World Heavyweight title. What ever happened to the original Dirty Deeds? The one that kind of looked like Adam Rose's Party Foul? I dunno.

All Hail Seth Rollins!! We miss him dearly. Exactly how many times has the title changed hands since Rollins was injured? The man is a wrestling genius. He can carry a match like none other and make the worst storyline seem at the very least, mildly entertaining. One thing we miss almost as much as Rollins himself is the move that won him the championship, the Curb Stomp. Many people speculate that the Pedigree was given to him as a seed to an angle with Triple H. That's all nice and fine, but with the Curb Stomp more than likely not coming back, the Pedigree just won't do. Rollins is a tremendous talent that for the most part works like a face. For a guy that was labeled The Architect of The Shield, I'm sure he has an idea or two up his sleeve. I'd love to see something as dynamic as the GTS or the Curb Stomp, but let's just get our guy back in the ring first.

If Roman Reigns really is THE Guy, it would benefit him to if not change his finisher, create a secondary finisher. It's worked for others in the past. Orton had a Punt, Taker had The Last Ride, and Big Show ended match after match with the Chokeslam. A Spear is always fun to watch, but guys like Batista and Big Show use it as a game changer. Even Goldberg used it to set up the Jackhammer. When you think about it, isn't it kind of odd that Reigns has two wait-and-run moves back to back as his finish? That would be like if Shawn Michaels used a running bulldog to set up Sweet Chin Music. You know, that's actually not a bad idea. Edge had Edgecution and the combo made him the Rated R Superstar. Rhyno was just a Gore and you see how far that got him in the WWE. I've already mentioned Goldberg. The point is, the more successful Spear users have a solid secondary finisher that's just as good if not better than the Spear. I'd love to see what WWE can do to find something for Reigns, especially since his Spear is so overpowered that it's beyond ridiculous.

Mr. 5 Moves of Doom himself! Whether you call it the AA or the FU, John Cena has been using the same finisher since the beginning of the Ruthless Aggression Era. He DOES realize that it's just a Fireman's Carry, right? An elevated version of a move that real amateur wrestlers use all the time! Kurt Angle did it at in the beginning sequence of every match. I will admit, Young Cena put more effort into the FU and it looked like more of a slam. Cena will probably add another move or two into his arsenal (like he did with the Springboard Stunner) but I highly doubt he will ever change his finisher or add another. The STF(U) is played out too. I'd rather he switch to a Chicken Wing or something that looks a whole lot more technical. Oh well. You get what you pay for and when you pay for John Cena you pay for vanilla with the occasional sprinkle.

Well this is just blatantly obvious. A not-so-super kick followed by a splash. Works so well in tag team competition, but that would never fly as a singles star. The kick may work as a set up, but that splash needs more flavor. Gallows and Anderson, The Vaudevillains, American Alpha, The Revival, and even The New Day all have outstanding team finishers. The Usos have so much energy, and it would be nice to see what they could do in terms of putting a double team move together. They could even still use the Splash if necessary. We gotta start seeing the plant grow. Seeds must be planted and Jimmy Uso has got to start shining so he can go the Shawn Michaels route. We all see it coming.

Sami Zayn has done some of the craziest and most innovative things you've ever seen in the ring which is why it's surprising to me that his finisher is a kick. Not even a Super Kick. Just a well placed boot in the corner. Hulk Hogan 2.0. The Blue Thunder Bomb is pretty rad and it's nice that he can hit it out of nowhere. We haven't seen much of the Koji Clutch since he's been called up and that would be nice to see. He's gotten away from these things and it's not good. I would hate for him to end up like Wade Barrett and eventually flame out of the WWE for little to no reason. Dropping that Helluva Kick may just be what gets him over in a good direction. I just can't get over the fact that a daredevil with one of the coolest DDTs you will ever see finishes guys with a big kick. Weak!

It's a punch. A frickin' punch. Just a big ol' One Punch Man. How? How did The Giant, The Big Show, the World's Largest Athlete become One Punch Man?!?! It's truly crazy. Show has a lot of moves he's learned over the years and as he ages he uses them less and less. It's understandable but a punch should never be your finisher under any circumstance. A chop we can live with, but a punch is unacceptable. If that's the case, why not have all the titles Big Show? At least back when he first started doing it, he sold it. Now he just cold cocks ya out of nowhere. What about those wide body blows that seem to fall from heaven? Those do nothing? Show needs to come back home to the Chokeslam and put his massive fist away.

That's our list for now and I hope you enjoyed it! Share your opinions in the comments section below and be sure to tell me what you think of the list. My honorable mentions were:

AJ Styles

Alberto Del Rio

and

Bayley!