100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
88. Yokozuna | Banzai Drop
From a perspective of pure logic, the Banzai drop is the most effective finisher of all-time. Which is ludicrous, since it was in effect a flying teabag launched from the middle turnbuckle, but bear with this:
The impact itself was incredible (as, indeed, was the sight of the sumo leaving the mat in the first instance). Yokozuna was one of the biggest monsters in a sport full of them; if he crushed his opponents with every pound of his body, there was no getting up. He was rarely reckless with it, and you could see him do everything in his power to protect the sternum of his dance partner, but those who grew up with it weren’t watching that carefully.
Also: viewed through the lens of fiction, after a certain point of Yoko’s climb, it was better to stay still and just take it rather than attempt to escape. Imagine sitting up as Yoko made the descent.
If he caught his opponents in a seated position as he threw down his immense weight, they’d have broken their neck.
Spectacular (in context) and almost totally counter-proof, the Banzai drop was protected and made perfect sense within wrestling’s daft logic.