10 Forgotten Finishers Wrestlers Suddenly ABANDONED
8. The Rock’s Shoulder Breaker
Complete with poodle hairdo and beaming smile, a young Rocky Maivia tried to be the WWF's next 1970s-style babyface in a rapidly-changing industry. Fans wanted something different by the mid-to-late-90s, so it wasn't long before Rocky's high-fiving act was roundly booed. Just as well he had the Rock Bottom and People's Elbow, eh?
Yeah, about that.
Maivia's original finisher was a running shoulder breaker, which does sound a little lame. In truth, Rocky hoisted his foes up with serious speed and crunched them down over his knee with gusto, so the move wasn't too bad. It did nonetheless come across as an uninspired choice by 1996, to be fair.
If you need more forgotten Rock gems, how about his next finish: A routine German Suplex. That lasted mere months before he debuted the Rock Bottom in 1997 and a star was born. The outlandish People's Elbow followed after that, but Rocky was already a made man by that stage.
Just as well!