100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
61. Triple H | Pedigree
Originally, ol' Hunter Hearst Helmsley (whatever happened to that guy?) used a version of the cutter as his WWF finish upon joining the roster in 1995. His pal Diamond Dallas Page looked on from WCW, then called Triple H up with a humble request. 'Please stop doing that move and come up with something else, because I'm trying to get the Diamond Cutter over as a big deal and build my career'.
Some would've told Page where to go, but Helmsley acquiesced and started looking for another finish. That's when he recalled something he'd seen guys do at Killer Kowalski's training school years before. It was a standard neck-jarring move that involved putting someone's head between your legs then jumping and, in theory, hurting their neck. Hunter thought it looked crap, but he couldn't quite figure out a way to improve the thing by dropping to his knees without potentially breaking someone's face.
The WWF liked a rough run through of the soon-to-be Pedigree in '95, and it was actually Michael Hayes who named the thing shortly thereafter. Triple H appreciated that. He was also over the moon to be safe from further DDP phone calls. Also, best of all, he now had an identifiable trademark move to call his own. Nobody else on the roster had anything like it.
Trips has always pointed out similarities to both the DDT and the piledriver. It's a sort of mish-mash of both, and the Pedigree remains one of the most iconic moves in the industry. It's so great that even Seth Rollins started using it for a while!