The Worst WCW Finisher Every Year Of The 1990s
A finishing move is one of the most important tools in a wrestler's arsenal. A good finishing move can make or break a wrestler. Jake Roberts' DDT, Steve Austin's Stunner or DDP's Diamond Cutter (and Randy Orton's RKO) are prime example of how a finisher can impact a career. However, a good finisher does not need to be incredibly impactful: Hulk Hogan's legdrop, The Rock's People's Elbow or Mick Foley's Mandible Claw worked because of who performed them.
15 Best Finishers In WWE History, Ranked
With so many iconic finishers throughout WWE history, which one tops the list of best ever?A good finisher, in essence, needs to fit the gimmick. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a wrestler changes a finisher after years and it just doesn't work. Other times, the finisher just doesn't fit the time anymore. And in other instances, the move just doesn't make much sense. Here then is a list of the worst finisher in WCW for every year in the 1990s.
10 1990: Michael Wallstreet's Stock Market Crash
Lacking Impact And Doesn't Fit The Gimmick
- Left WCW In Early 1991
- Created The York Foundation In WCW
- Also Used Jumping Clothesline And STF As IRS In WWE
Mike Rotunda had undergone quite a few changes in the NWA from 1988 until the end of 1990. From a varsity captain to a boat captain, he finally found his calling as a stock market broker with Alexandra York - later Marlena - by his side. As Michael Wallstreet, Rotunda used a standing samoan drop as his finish, called the Stock Market Crash. While the name fit, the move itself didn't. Despite that, it was still better than his airplane spin that Rotunda used as a babyface.
9 1991: Terrance Taylor's Five Arm
A Heel Using A Babyface Finish
- Used Submission Finishers As The Red Rooster
- Terry Taylor Changed His Name After Joining The York Foundation
- Retired From Full-Time In-Ring Competition In 1993 At Age 38
For the second year in a row the award for worst finish goes to a member of the York Foundation. Terry Taylor turned heel in early 1991 after Michael Wallstreet left WCW and took Wallstreet's place in the York Foundation. While Taylor's attitude changed, his finisher did not: Taylor still used a flying forearm called the Five Arm. The finisher itself was always weak and Taylor could have really used a new finish after his turn.
8 1992: Brad Armstrong's Side Russian Leg Sweep
Quick But Not Effective Enough
- Widely Considered One Of The Most Underrated Wrestlers
- A Member Of The Armstrong Family
- Former WCW Light Heavyweight Champion
Brad Armstrong is always brought up as one of the most underrated in-ring workers. While that is certainly true, his finisher was always a flaw in his game. The Side Russian Leg Sweep fit the idea of Brad as a quick, technical wrestler.
10 Iconic Wrestling Finishers: Who Did Them Best?
Multiple wrestlers used these moves as finishers, but who performed them best?However, especially in 1992 with its new Light-Heavyweight division, Brad needed a high-flying move but Bill Watts' ban of top-rope moves - so maybe the blame should go on Watts.
7 1993: Dustin Rhodes' Bulldog
When A Finisher Prevents The Next Level Push
- Feuded With Rick Rude Over The US Title
- Rhodes Won The WCW Tag Team Titles With Ricky Steamboat And Barry Windham
- Was Fired From WCW After King Of The Road Match
Dustin Rhodes spent most of 1993 as the US Champion and seemed destined for bigger and better things in WCW in 1994. However, there were two reasons it didn't work out: Hulk Hogan's arrival and, arguably, Dustin's finisher. Dustin used the bulldog as his finish and, as a young wrestler in 1993, that just seemed out of place. To his credit, Dustin got the move over but with his size, he needed something more powerful to reach the next level.
6 1994: Johnny B. Badd's Tutti Frutti And Lucile
Problematic Finish Despite Golden Gloves Background
- Former Golden Gloves Champion
- Johnny B. Badd Gimmick Was Based On His Resemblance To Little Richard
- Badd Won The Television Title Three Times
In 1991, Marc Mero received the Johnny B. Badd gimmick and, despite all odds, he made it work. By 1994, Badd was one of the most popular babyfaces in WCW. A gifted athlete with a flamboyant gimmick, Mero's finisher naturally was - a punch. Yes, Mero's golden glove boxing background was used to explain the punch as a suitable finish for Johnny B. Badd. While the explanation makes sense, there are a few issues. Not only did it not fit Badd's gimmick - he also used multiple punches during the match.
5 1995: Steve Austin's Hollywood & Vine
Submission Finish Doesn't Fit The Future Stone Cold
- Had An Injury-Prone 1995
- Was Fired From WCW In September 1995
- Became Stone Cold Steve Austin In WWE The Following Year
Steve Austin was on the tail end of his WCW career in 1995 and he tried various things to see what would stick. One thing that didn't stick was his Hollywood & Vine calf crusher submission finish.
10 Iconic Wrestling Finishers (& How They Have Evolved)
Many finishing moves have been re-used over the years, with wrestlers finding new ways to use them.Austin had previously used the stun gun and, while not perfect, it suited him much better than the convoluted submission. Much like the hold, Austin didn't last long in WCW and he would soon stun his opponents in the WWE.
4 1996: The Booty Man's High Knee
Lame Pun For A Lame Finish
- Was Revealed To Be A Spy In The Dungeon Of Doom
- Kimberly Page Was His Valet As The Booty Babe
- Ed Leslie Had Main Evented Starrcade 1994 Against Hulk Hogan
Ed Leslie left the Dungeon of Doom in 1996, revealing that he had been a spy for his friend Hulk Hogan - how this tied in to Starrcade 1994 remains a mystery to this day. Either way, Leslie adapted the gimmick of the Booty Man which was essentially WCW's precursor to WWE's Mr. Ass gimmick. Leslie would finish his opponents off with the high knee - a lame pun for a terrible finish. Thankfully, the gimmick didn't last long.
3 1997: Kevin Sullivan's Double Foot Stomp
A Finish That Overstayed Its Welcome
- Retired From Full-Time Wrestling To Focus On Booking Duties
- Mastermind Behind Hulk Hogan's Heel Turn
- Sullivan Later Returned To Compete At Starrcade 1999
1997 was Kevin Sullivan's last active year in the ring. He had used the double foot stomp as his finish seemingly forever but by the time he retired (full-time, at least) at Bash at the Beach 1997, the move had simply overstayed its welcome. By 1997 standards, the double foot stomp seemed archaic and anti-climactic. The fact that a double-foot stomp, if adapted to modern times, can still get over is proven every week to this day though by Finn Balor.
2 1998: The Disciple's Apocalpyse
Stunner Rip-Off Hurts Own Midcard Talent
- Took Disco Inferno's Chartbuster Finish (Stunner)
- Turned Against Hogan During Warrior Feud
- It Was Ed Leslie's Last Gimmick In WCW
Ed Leslie is the only man that has two entries on this list - and both are well-deserved. While the high knee was a bad finish, it at least didn't interfere with other talent. In late 1997, however, Disco Inferno had gotten the Chartbuster over as his finish. The fact that the hottest finish from the WWE, the Stunner, was used by a WCW midcard talent didn't hurt. Disco got the move over but had to stop using it once the Disciple started using it too.
10 Finishers From Pro Wrestling's Past That Would Still Work Today
These old-school professional wrestling finishers that worked in the past would still be effective today.Not only was Leslie's execution worse, it also halted Disco's momentum. Disco began using a regular piledriver until the Disciple disappeared from television screens in late 1998/early 1999.
1 1999: Jim Duggan's Old Glory Knee Drop
Change Of Finisher Becomes Running Gag On Thunder
- Defeated Kidney Cancer In 1998
- Became A (Storyline) Janitor In 1999
- Duggan Became The Final WCW World Television Champion
By 1999, Jim Duggan was a beloved veteran who had beaten cancer. His best years were behind him but fans still loved their weekly (small) dose of Hacksaw. For whatever reason, Duggan decided to switch up his finish and he began using a knee drop after the Three Point Stance clothesline, called the Old Glory Knee Drop. While there was no harm in adding the move, it became a bit of a running gag during an episode of Thunder in October 1999 with Kevin Nash on commentary. Much like Sullivan's double foot stomp, it was just an outdated move and Nash's jokes underscored it.
