10 Wrestlers Who Changed Their Finisher When They Got Old

2. CM Punk

Jericho Finisher Copy
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There was one very obvious reason why CM Punk had absolutely no chance of using this elevated top rope version of Triple H's Pedigree when he signed his WWE developmental deal in 2005.

Because of the damage to his knees, obviously!

No, The Pepsi Plunge wasn't long for the world as soon as Punk infamously put pen to paper (to ROH World Championship belt) to spend the next several years butting heads with Vince McMahon, his "idiotic daughter" and especially his "doofus son-in-law", but 'The Straight Edge Superstar' later revealed that it wasn't the worst thing in the world to have to let go of.

Retiring it because it played hell with the knees - as all wrestling does, let alone dropping to them from a great f*cking height every night - Punk simply aged out of a spot that was ageing him. The Anaconda Vice was satisfying for a purpose serving replacement, and he hit the jackpot poaching KENTA's Go2Sleep as the impact finisher that stuck.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett