10 Best Ways WWE Protected Finishers
2. Santino Marella's Comedy Schtick Leads To An All Powerful Cobra
Of all the names you likely expected to see rock up on a list of this ilk, WWE's go-to butt of the jokes for much of his tenure with the company likely wasn't at the forefront of your mind.
But as the record incredibly shows, not only was Santino Marella's brilliantly hammy Cobra finishing strike to the throat a move that was unexpectedly protected throughout his WWE run, but it was also only ever kicked out of on TWO occasions; those stars being Daniel Bryan and Sheamus, with that former icon's kick-out at Elimination Chamber 2012 still sitting as one of the most electric pops of the PG era.
As already mentioned, WWE's presentation of Santino as a strictly comedic character for the most part led to the performer rarely being in a position or bout of any real consequence or even being in a match at all as a lot of his schtick went down in backstage segments, etc. So, when he did ultimately find the time to fully whip out his Cobra in a contest, it usually meant he was coming away with a rousing victory and adding more names to a surprisingly impressive list of scalps.