10 Most Expensive Wrestling Moves Ever
Those manoeuvres that cost wrestlers or companies some seriously big bucks.
For those who can get to the top of the mountain, the pro wrestling business is a world full of huge paydays, lavish bonuses and the sort of glorious contracts that would make even the Million Dollar Man nod appreciatively. Well, so long as those contracts don't get completely discarded should "budget cuts" start to become the buzzword of the day at Titan Towers...
Away from the hefty contracts and jaw-dropping salaries, though, there are individual wrestling moves that have ultimately involved a significant financial cost over the years. Whether that's to a wrestler themselves or to a company as a whole, certain moves have come with a significant price tag - sometimes by design, sometimes by unfortunate accident.
It's here that the focus is on right now, with the spotlight shone on those moves that may have cost an organisation a major price to pull off, that may have caused a talent to leave plenty of money on the table, or some in-ring action that has even led to pricey courtroom settlements.
With all of that in mind, then, here are ten particularly noteworthy moves that hit promotions and performers in their pockets.
10. Slack, Stiff Goldberg Kick Proves Costly For The Hitman
With one stiff kick, Bill Goldberg deprived the wrestling world of one of - if not the - best to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Sure, Bret Hart had by that point had a 22-year in-ring career brimming with all-time classics, but that's not the point. At 42 years of age, in great shape, and still more than capable of putting on brilliant matches - as shown by his WCW tussles with the likes of Booker T, DDP, Chris Benoit and even Ric Flair - the Hitman had plenty left in the tank by the time he was forced to officially retire in 2000.
As the Excellence of Execution has detailed in recent years, stars such as Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio would have made for great opponents if Bret made what him himself has labelled an inevitable in-ring return to WWE. Even then, that's not taking into account further battles with old foes like Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker and possibly even Steve Austin if the stars had aligned.
While as fans we had such contests taken away from us, on a fiscal sense Bret Hart also had several further well-paid years of in-ring competition stolen from him. Adding further insult to injury, Hart's insurance plan with Lloyd's of London refused to pay out $2.2 million to the Calgary native when he was forced to end his career.