10 Secret Genius Details Behind Wrestling Finishers

3. Steve Austin's Stunner

Kenny Omega One Winged Angel
WWE.com

The Stunner was a phenomenon within a phenomenon.

Again: at least two millennial WhatCulture staffers shared the exact same experience in their adolescence. At school, separate schools in different parts of the country, as stupid hormonal idiots, they and their mates used to try and "get" each other with Stone Cold's finish. A quick hand-tap to the gut, and you knew what was coming. You arched your head backwards, and if your mate was lucky, you'd crack it against a wall or a filing cabinet.

The set-up was just perfection. It was a pop before a pop masterminded by the greatest pop generator in the history of professional wrestling.

Austin generated five pops before the bell even rang, from the shattered glass to every top turnbuckle crowd appeal. Because he was Austin, a genius of crowd interaction, he by 1998 had devised a way of getting his finish even more all the way over. The kick to the stomach tweak orchestrated a gasp of anticipation and hope that added everything to the catharsis of watching Mr. McMahon get his reckoning.

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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!