Hello and hope all is well! Today, we are looking at a full list of WWE finishers for Monday Night Raw superstars. Here’s how they will be rated:
Attractiveness (A) = Does it look amazing or devastating? Finishers benefit from looking cooler than your average move.
Effectiveness (E) = How often does it put opponent’s away? This isn’t just about having a 100% win record, it’s about frequency too. If we’ve only ever seen it once or twice, it won’t be as effective as for example, a Jackhammer; which we know has put away countless names. You could also say the most effective finishers are “well-protected”.
Originality (O) = Is the finisher more remembered when used by someone else? Has it been previously (or is still) used as a regular move? Is it completely new to WWE? If so, it could become synonymous with this superstar. If the move was taken from outside the company, there’s a chance I might not know about it… but if I do? It will get noted but it won’t hurt the rating too much.
Rating System
I cannot think of other ways to rate finishers, but I will consider adding more criteria to the next article if something obvious is pointed out to me.
Before we start, I have thought a lot about how to rate each criterion. We’re so used to giving out “stars” for wrestling. It’s a 5 star here, a 6 star there, and even decimals like 3.25. It’s impossible to decide why one finisher gets half a star more than another. Instead, I’d like to do this with medals. Naturally, the best are awarded Gold [🥇]. Runner-ups receive Silver [🥈]. Third placers are happy with Bronze [🥉]. Anything lower gets nothing.
A superstar can get a medal for each criterion and earn points. After each is ranked, the resulting points will give them an overall medal for their current finisher. Some WWE Superstars have several finishers, so I’ll have to talk about the one they are currently using; they will be marked with an asterisk (*). A Gold is given if they receive 8-9 points. Silver will range between 5-7, and Bronze 3-4. Anything under 3 points will get them no medal at all.
Disclaimer & Exemptions
The rankings are subjective as they are entirely my opinions. All I ask is you join in and let us know which moves you think should be hailed as the best & worst. You don’t need to hook in a wicked ankle lock just because I didn’t rank your favorite superstars finisher as highly as you’d like. With that said, there are several superstars I cannot rank for the following reasons:
Alexa Bliss — Since she has come under the spell of The Fiend, she has been using Sister Abigail instead of the Snap DDT or Twisted Bliss finishing moves. As Bray Wyatt uses it as his finisher, there is no reason to rank it twice.
Montel Vontavius Porter — Since returning he hasn’t had many matches, and the only time he has won with anything, it was a Fisherman’s Suplex Pin. He’s more of a manager these days.
R-Truth — His latest was called the “Little Jimmy” (Leaping Reverse STO). However, since he became 24/7 Champion, the roll up “School Boy” pin has become his move of choice.
Humberto Carrillo / Lana — His finisher isn’t easy to pinpoint, because some say it’s the Aztec Press. Other times it’s a moonsault. I also saw him do this half moonsault move? Lana is similar because she has three different moves, but none are used consistently.
Dabba-Kato / Omos — Kato does not have an established move yet, although as Babatunde he had something cool called the “Doomsday”. Omos is in the same boat.
Tucker — Difficult to find a move for him. He has had so little success since splitting with Otis I’m not going to bother.
Jaxson Ryker — He used to do a Sitout Chokeslam, but on Raw this week he hit a Boss Man Slam on Jeff Hardy. So I’d have to wait to be sure.
Goldberg / Triple H / Edge / John Cena / Big Show / Ronda Rousey — Not doing these individually because they are not around enough. Also, we already know Goldberg’s finisher is Gold Medal standard, so let’s not make a whole entry stating the obvious. Rank them yourself if you like.
WWE Finishers – Raw Superstars
AJ Styles – Styles Clash, Phenomenal Forearm*, Calf Crusher
AJ has had many finishers over the years, but he prefers the springboard Phenomenal Forearm in WWE.
A: While the springboard and flying aspect looks phenomenal, the forearm itself looks average. Photography mid-flight is top notch and wrestlers sell it really well. The fact it doesn’t look as cool as the Styles Clash is the only reason I can’t give it a Gold: 🥈
E: Before coming to WWE, it was a signature move rarely picking up any pin falls. Since he started using it in WWE though, it has become as dangerous as anything else. I cannot remember anyone kicking out of it: 🥇
O: As far as I know, nobody anywhere was doing this before AJ. If they were, it was him who made it famous. It makes Styles look younger than he is, because you won’t see many 40+ years be this agile: 🥇
Overall Score: 8 (Gold)
Akira Tozawa – Diving Senton
In NXT, Akira Tozawa used a delayed German Suplex before moving on to 205 Live, where the Diving Senton became his weapon of choice.
A: One of the most unique aerial moves in the wrestling world. What makes it great is how much height Tozawa gets. To some though, it may come across a little unexcitng because it’s basically a glorified Senton. It was a regular highlight in 205 Live when he was the Cruiserweight Champion: 🥈
E: While it has a huge win rate, we’ve hardly seen it since Tozawa moved up to the main roster. His antics with ninjas and running around after R-Truth’s 24/7 Championship has considerably hurt its frequency. It works a treat when used, but is so rare these days I can only give it a Silver: 🥈
O: While the height of his Senton is original, the move itself has been used in many variations; usually from a standing position. It’s tough to be original with aerial moves because most of the good ones have already been done. I got to give him something for sticking with something original, yet less spectacular looking as other moves: 🥈
Overall Score: 6 (Silver)
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