100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
46. Mick Foley | Stump Piledriver
Not all piledrivers are created equal.
The Undertaker's Tombstone variant is a firm favourite of many fans watching from the 1990s onwards, whereas Jerry Lawler's classic style is burned into the memories of anyone who grew up watching the Memphis great do his thing long before that. Then, there's the stump/pulling one Mick Foley used to great effect whether he was himself, Mankind, Cactus Jack or Dude Love.
If you want to get really in-depth, then consider this: Mick performed the stump piledriver slightly differently when Mankind. There was an almost lazy or clumsy quality to it when he donned the mask (deliberately so). If that sounds super-weird, then check out his match vs. Shawn Michaels from late-1996 compared to how he'd hit it on Triple H when playing Cactus a few years later.
It's so subtle, but Mankind almost stumbled into the move rather than hitting it with precision. He'd haul at his foe's ring attire and use that to gain momentum. As Jack, he was much more likely to hoist them up by the waist like someone normally would when using the piledriver. That, fellow wrestling fans, is the kind of tiny attention to detail that made Foley one of the best to ever pull on a pair of boots.
The guy rewarded those who looked beyond the obvious.
Further, whilst someone like Lawler simply sat down to execute the move, Mick kicked his legs out from underneath to give the piledriver a more vicious snap. That, when teamed with the fact he was clawing and scratching at someone's tights/trunks, made broken necks seem like a given.