100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
94. Kenta Kobashi | Burning Hammer
Kenta Kobashi’s inverted Death Valley Driver is amongst the most mythical moves in wrestling history. He used it - with 100% success rate - on just seven occasions. The idea was to create a devastating “super-finisher”, with in storyline a high probability of injury, to put away only the most spirited and challenging of opponents.
If only his successors practised the same level of discipline. The underlying concept was incredible, and could be used to excellent effect today. Surely, it fulfils the obsession of protecting wrestlers in defeat without relying on some empty approximation of “heat” with a carny, cowardly DQ finish.
At first, Kobashi dropped Mitsuharu Misawa directly on his head. This wild execution informed the lore and aura of the move, but, with each subsequent deployment, Kobashi hit it more safely. This was clever; the set-up in and of itself led the fans to brace themselves and dread the impact in the theatre of the mind.
Not some reckless, senseless transgression, the Burning Hammer was actually classic pro wrestling; if you tell the fans the truth first, they become more willing to accept a lie.