10 Best AEW Finishers

2. Chris Jericho's Liontamer

Chris Jericho Liontamer
FITE TV

People understandably don't like it when WWE is compared unfavourably to AEW when it isn't necessary, but what follows is not unfavourable.

It's a practical reality; Jericho was often the smallest man in the ring during his WWF/E runs, which enforced a shift to the more traditional Boston Crab for the purposes of realism and actual application.

There is a clear contrast between the Walls of Jericho and the Liontamer it originated as in Jericho's early career, and he has reverted back to it in AEW because in this promotion, the roles are subverted; he is invariably the larger athlete, and the Liontamer allows him to more convincingly cinch the hold in to project a deeper sense of agony. Even when he isn't, he has used the finish to put over the finish of the match itself; at Full Gear, he manipulated Cody into a disgusting position to put over the idea that MJF "had" to the throw in the towel, and that Cody would not look weak for his inability to escape.

That Jericho has repurposed the move as a finish, and not a near-fall mechanism, is genius in itself. He got it back over as a finish, to put Darby Allin away, before the events of Full Gear, and it will now deepen the power of the next successful escape.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!