10 Wrestlers Who Changed Their Finisher When They Got Old
6. AJ Styles
His finisher before the Styles Clash was formalised as a killer in the first few TNA shows, the Spiral Tap made all the sense in the world for 2002 AJ Styles to lead with.
The motion as he flies through the air beggars belief now as much as it did back then. The gif above these words isn't even from said peak period, yet Styles' dusting off of the move dazzles arguably even more from a man starting to resemble the polished WWE headliner we've come to get used to in the 2020s.
Age is more than just a number when it comes to attempting spots that ask for so much. As he put it during a Twitch stream when asked about why it (and other certain high spots) disappeared;
One move I’d like to bring back is the Shooting Styles Press,” Styles said. “I’m just afraid I’d hurt myself doing [the Shooting Styles Press]...I’m not a young cat anymore. Same deal with the Spiral Tap – I’m getting too old to be pulling that stuff. I’d probably hurt myself trying that one.”
Never say never, but few have pivoted as deftly from working hard to working smart as the man that, two decades on, remains 'Phenomenal'.