10 Most Copied Finishing Moves In Wrestling History
3. The Spear
There was a time when the Spear, a.k.a. the glorified-shoulder-tackle-to-the-abdomen, was actually a devastating wrestling maneuver. Goldberg in WCW and Rhyno in ECW were among two names that made this maneuver look amazing, and as such, this move satisfied those fans who loved to see one-sided contests and sheer destruction.
Fast forward two decades later and the Spear has lost a considerable amount of its former glory. In an attempt to cash in on the ‘Goldberg effect’, WWE has made many of its Superstars, current and former, adopt the Spear as either a signature of finishing maneuver, which has devalued the move significantly. These wrestlers include Batista, Bobby Lashley, Big Show, Kaitlyn, Edge, Christian, Christy Hemme, Sheamus, and most recently, Roman Reigns and Charlotte.
When so many people use the same move, and some of them don’t even end their matches with it, you end up with an overexposed maneuver that doesn’t look like a believable finisher. Particularly poor examples of Spear execution fall on the shoulders of Reigns, Edge and Kaitlyn, whose Spears looked like they were simply hugging their opponents and pulling them to the mat, instead of pushing them forward with considerable force like Goldberg did.
WWE needs to seriously rethink its wrestler’s finishing moves, because the Spear is one of the most boring maneuvers today. It isn’t creative, it isn’t physically-impressive, and it isn’t devastating whatsoever.