10 Best AEW Finishers
4. Jon Moxley's Paradigm Shift
Powered by its old life as the Dirty Deeds, a finish he used to successful effect in WWE, the less-regulated environments of NJPW and AEW have enabled Jon Moxley to modify his finish as the 'Paradigm Shift'.
It speaks to the power of the performer that Mox can get a DDT over, even a less demented version of it. There's an awesome snap to the original WWE version that reflects his sudden volatility as a personality. It's the most expressive and in-character finish for the way in which he moves, the way in which he carries himself, and the added elevation of it is a very intelligent and literal visual representation of how he has ascended in aura following his WWE exit. It also simply looks exponentially deadlier, and serves a purpose beyond looking like an emphatic match-ender.
In AEW thus far, Moxley has modified it yet further to put over certain opponents to a higher level. When he's killing Alex Reynolds and Michael Nakazawa in seconds, he uses the simplest version of it. When faced with the far more resilient and promising Darby Allin, he dusts off a disgusting, spiked top-rope variation.
This specific Paradigm Shift got Allin's death-defying character over as a man Moxley needed to half-kill just to put away.