There was a time when the finishing maneuvers of Superstars meant the end of a match. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. In fact, kicking out of something like Hulk Hogan's leg drop made for a moment §the like of which were previously unfathomable. The Ultimate Warrior did just that at WrestleMania VI, a moment that led to Hogan's defeat. Sunday night demonstrated just how much the industry had changed in regards to finishers as seemingly every match featured an instance of a competitor kicking out of a finisher. While that lends drama to the matches and help makes WrestleMania that much more special, it also leads to the complete devaluation of the moves. When done correctly and effectively, the spot can add credibility to a wrestler. The perfect example is Roman Reigns during his match with Brock Lesnar. But those instances were hurt significantly by the fact that seemingly no finisher put an opponent down on the first try at WrestleMania. Seth Rollins and Randy Orton each kicked out of each other's trademark move, as did Sting and Triple H. Same with Undertaker and Bray Wyatt. It hurt the audience's ability to suspend disbelief and took away from what should have been a monumental show of strength and resiliency by Reigns late in the show.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
