10 Worst Finishers In WWE Today

6. The Skull Crushing Finale

Lightning Fist
WWE Network

Theoretically, Miz's Skull Crushing Finale should look halfway devastating. It did when Dennis Condrey did it.

The problem with Miz's specific adaptation is that he simply isn't Awesome at projecting any sense of physical credibility. Miz is a lot like John Cena, in many ways; he's a natural, charismatic storyteller and entertainer, so if you ignore his sloppy fundamentals, you will be sports entertained. If you're pedantic, you will notice that his finisher is piss-weak.

Using the GIF above, let's scrutinise, in depth, what you're likely happy to go along with as a bit of escapist fun in your spare time.

The move is, or should be, a full nelson facebuster. Miz here, and on several other occasions, does not actually apply the full nelson. His opponent is under no obligation to fall flat on his face, because escape is an evident, visible possibility. Perhaps, in this example, Ryder has been so programmed to lose that he simply collaborated out of muscle memory.

Miz misses step B, in addition to step A; Condrey here grabs his opponent by the hair to position himself for the full nelson component of, to reiterate, the full nelson facebuster. Miz also barely sweeps the leg away from Ryder's leg, and barely drives his opponent to the mat with any degree of force.

Really good promos though.

Contributor
Contributor

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!