10 Fascinating Facts About Famous Wrestling Finishers

6. The Original Lyrics To Sweet Chin Music Were Written By...

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WWE.com

Shawn Michaels grasped the Heartbreak Kid character immediately upon breaking into the singles ranks in the early 1990s.

He was outstanding in the legendary barber shop segment in which he smashed Marty Jannetty's face through the glass. He oozed cocky energy and practically embodied the persona before it was marketed. Weirdly, given his in-ring prowess, he failed for quite some time to tweak it between the bell. In that segment, he rocked Jannetty with a superkick. It looked awesome.

Inexplicably, he didn't use it as a finish - but perhaps inexplicably isn't the correct word. He was wrong to use the teardrop suplex but was right to think he should have, if that makes sense. Vince prized the colossus, and Shawn knew it. To compensate for his relative lack of size, he piled on the muscle and used a throw in a bid to work the boss. It didn't work; crowds responded flatly to the finisher. It was Pat Patterson, wrestling genius, who took Michaels to one side and told him to emphasise his best weapon and not pretend to be the power guy he wasn't.

WWE became exponentially worse when Patterson faded in influence, and this trivia note is just one of several reasons why.

 
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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!