10 Forgotten Finishers Wrestlers Suddenly ABANDONED

8. The Rock’s Shoulder Breaker

John Cena Lightning Fist
WWE.com

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!

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.