10 Wrestling Finishers That Could Legit Kill You
2. Burning Hammer
I'm not talking about the Tyler Reks version, not that I'd want to be hit with that either.
The Burning Hammer is a legendary move, closely linked with Kenta Kobashi despite being invented by Kotetsu Yamamoto in the '70s, a finisher to end all matches that was only seen on rare occasions until recent times. The move was the ultimate big match closer; Kobashi used it only seven times and not a single soul kicked out of it.
It isn't difficult to see why. The move is an inverted Death Valley Driver, the opponent being dropped square on their head from an Argentine Backbreaker position, removing any chance of breaking the fall or softening the blow. There's no way to avoid head to mat contact. In the annals of wrestling finishing moves, the Burning Hammer was once the top of the metaphorical food chain.
It is terribly overused now but the dangers of the move remain very real. Like many other moves in this list, the move involves dropping someone right onto their head from a great height, compressing the neck in the process. There is no way to stop the head from absorbing all the contact, and heads aren't supposed to do such things.