10 Wrestlers Who Have Different Versions Of Their Finisher

A finisher for a wrestler is the one move that possesses the most damage, flash, and impact. Several wrestlers have said the best finishers are ones that can be done to opponents of any size, weight, and height. The way the move is executed is not always set in stone.

Using Undertaker as an example, sometimes for his Last Ride, he drops to his knees instead of remaining standing when slamming his opponent but this is done for storytelling if the match is physical and exhausting. Other times, finishing moves are altered for safety, comfort, or appearance.

10 Jeff Hardy - Twist of Fate

Revealing late in his career that his Swanton Bomb diving finisher caused strain on his body over the years, Jeff Hardy ended up creating a variation for his other finisher, the Twist of Fate. Fans best remember Hardy starting his finishing sequence with a kick to the opponent's midsection followed by a front facelock, a swing of the arm around the neck transitioning into a cutter. Years into his third WWE run, Hardy changed how he would land in the Twist of Fate which changed how his opponent would land.

Instead of landing flat on his back and the opponent face down, Hardy began to land in a seated position causing his opponent's jaw to slam on his shoulder. Hardy also used this variation during his time in TNA Wrestling. The move essentially morphed from a cutter into a stunner. Hardy also had the variation being behind the opponent, still doing the same motions but both he and the opponent would land on their backs.

9 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - Stone Cold Stunner

Speaking of stunners, the most notorious ones given were by the one and only "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The iconic finisher would start with a kick to the midsection, sometimes to the groin accidentally as Austin will admit to, followed by a 3/4 facelock and a drop into a seated position crushing the opponent's jaw into the shoulder.

What became known as the Stone Cold Stunner had a different execution at first, there was no midsection kick. Austin would go right for the face lock before dropping to his derriere. It can be argued that the stunner sans kick looked more devastating but the kick would create a great crowd reaction before Austin locked his arm around his opponent's neck.

8 Rey Mysterio - West Coast Pop

Coming into the WWE scene in 2002, Rey Mysterio began to use the Tiger Feint Kick which he called the 619, the two-footed rope-assisted spinning kick. Mysterio for the first few years of his career would follow this with a springboard hurricanrana, a headscissors takedown from a jump off the top rope. The whole sequence together became known as the West Coast Pop.

Perhaps due in part to the damage his knees sustained throughout his career, Mysterio would remove the hurricanrana and would begin to use 2 other attacks. He would use a springboard splash but would also perform the splash off the top turnbuckle. Mysterio would also use a springboard leg drop after the 619 as well. It could be argued that the West Coast Pop is specifically the 619-hurricanrana combo but half of Rey's finishing sequence did change.

7 John Cena - Attitude Adjustment

The biggest change of John Cena's finisher may be the name, going from F-U to AA with the latter meaning Attitude Adjustment and the former being self-explanatory. The fireman's carry driver began to be used by Cena in 2003 while in a rivalry with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. The move and name was a spin-off of Brock Lesnar's F5. Cena would lift the opponent onto his shoulders, toss them up and over, driving them into the canvas.

Some variations include Cena performing the move off the second rope, and catching his opponent mid-air before tossing them up onto his shoulders and into the move. John also tried a few different landing variations in the early and mid-2000s. Cena would stay standing when dropping his opponent, he would also turn and sit-out with his legs spread having the opponent land between his legs. Cena also tried sitting out on the spot while dropping his opponent but ultimately he decided and on turning and landing on his knees while slamming his opponent.

6 Booker T - Scissors Kick

Before using the Scissors Kick for his finisher in WWE, Booker T used a missile dropkick and the Book End for his finishers in WCW. Booker T still used the ax kick to the back of the head for a signature move in WCW and shortly into his WWE run but his finisher was still different. Booker did the kick from a standing and running position with the opponent hunched over in the ring and sometimes hunched over the top rope. Sometimes he added a midsection kick first.

The variation of Booker's landing for the Scissors Kick could be considered as he sometimes remained standing but would also fall-out after the kick but one variation of note was rarely used. Booker on that rare occasion, with his opponent hunched over in the ring, would climb to the second rope and jump off performing a diving Scissors Kick.

5 Diamond Dallas Page - Diamond Cutter

He gave fair warning that you never see it coming, Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Cutter finisher was a huge hit in WCW. The 3/4 facelock falling faceplant is identical to a stunner but with Page falling backward onto his back and his opponent forward flat on their face. Page would perform his finisher freestanding as well as off of a counter of an opponent's attack. DDP had some unique variations of the move. He would toss his opponent in the air and catch them on the way down.

DDP also performed would have the opponent in a fireman's carry and spin them into a Diamond Cutter, also known as the TKO. He would lift the opponent onto his shoulders and flip them face-down into the Diamond Cutter. DDP would also do a running Diamond Cutter, sometimes starting with the opponent in the facelock, and other times he ran and jumped into his finisher. Page also had the avalanche variation of placing his opponent on the top rope to deliver an elevated Diamond Cutter. Perhaps the Diamond Cutter is the true finisher from outta nowhere!

4 Randy Orton - RKO

Randy Orton's RKO was bestowed upon him by DDP and he has done an incredible job making his finisher just as unique as Page's Diamond Cutter. The RKO has one difference from the Diamond Cutter and that is Orton jumps up as opposed to delivering the move on his feet the entire time. The RKO has been performed outta nowhere with several of those coming through counters of an opponent's attack. Sometimes Orton would just use one arm.

Orton would perform the move from a freestanding position on the spot, he also ran at his opponent and jumped up at them to place them in the facelock needed for impact. Orton has caught his opponents mid-air for an RKO but for these, he remained freestanding on the canvas. When Orton really needs to prove a point, he has placed his opponent on the top rope and delivered an RKO on them while standing on the canvas, second rope, and even the top rope. He's even performed the move from off a ladder. He has taken the RKO to new heights, literally

3 Shinsuke Nakamura - Kinshasa

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The origin of Shinsuke Nakamura's Kinshasa finisher is rather devastating. Before professional wrestling, while competing in an MMA fight, Nakamura was kneed in the head and felt helpless. The Kinshasa is a running knee strike to the opponent's head. The opponent will sometimes be standing upright or will be kneeling on the canvas.

When a running knee to the head is not enough, Nakamura will sometimes take to the air. Shinsuke also executes a Kinshasa jumping off the second rope at his opponent though sometimes the attack ends up being a kick to the head and not necessarily a knee. Nonetheless, it still makes for a brutal trademark attack.

2 Miro - Game Over

"God's Favorite Champion," "The Redeemer" Miro is still using the same finisher he was using during his Rusev days in WWE and that is the camel clutch. That is not a bad thing at all, the move perfectly fits Miro and he can absolutely crush any opponent of any size with the Game Over, formerly known as The Accolade.

The move, of course, is performed on an opponent facedown on the canvas, in a squat or seated position on the opponent's back, a double-handed chinlock is applied from behind before pulling back. Sometimes to really send a message, Miro would throw himself backward onto his back, pulling the opponent back onto their knees, and would deliver an incredible stretch for a finishing submission.

1 Kurt Angle - Ankle Lock

Kurt Angle's trademark Ankle Lock finisher was a huge part of his wrestling identity is it really brought out his intensity. Angle's Ankle Lock involved him grabbing hold of the opponent's ankle, while they are face down on the canvas, with one hand and twisting the toes with the other hand, resulting in a painful wrenching of the ankle. Angle performed the move from a standing position, sometimes on a knee, but opponents began to figure out ways to counter as it allowed space for the opponent to roll or crawl out of the hold.

When Kurt was very frustrated or wanted to go for the proverbial throat, he would apply a grapevine hold to the opponent's leg, where he would lie down and wrap his legs around the leg of the ankle he had a hold on. This would make it incredibly difficult for the opponent to crawl out as they would have to drag Angle's body weight. More than not, when you saw the grapevine applied you knew the match was about to end.