10 Wrestlers With Better Signatures Than Finishers

2. Lance Archer

Better Than This
AEW

The finisher:

A total luxury of a two-hit combo, the Blackout is magnificent. Lance Archer is a colossus. Him slamming anybody from any position is a spectacle, but the beauty of the Blackout is in its maximisation of his physical gift. It looks like he is sending his victims from the top of a skyscraper to the asphalt below. It also works as high drama from a mere attempt; the struggle to escape works as a real heart-in-mouth movement. As amazing as it is, it's not a weapon of 100% efficiency. It can be escaped.

The better signature:

At some point, and it will be amazing when it happens - see Wardlow Vs. Luchasaurus - the giants that make a mockery of the All Petite Wrestling designation are going to spit out the puny and lock horns with one another. This is where the finisher with which Archer lit up the 2019 G1 Climax comes in: the Everybody Dies (EBD) Claw. It's a phenomenal move because it should be a hokey relic from wrestling's distant past. In Archer's literal hands, it is not. It's over, it's convincing, he can apply it on anybody, and the repeated smudging of brain matter all over the canvas is amazing cartoonish hoss sh*t only Archer can get away with.

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!