10 WWE Finishers Leftover From Old Gimmicks

4. Marty Jannetty - Rocker Dropper

Bray Wyatt Fiend Sister Abigail
WWE

Nothing about The Rockers should have fed into Marty Jannetty's solo career following their acrimonious split. Unfortunately, getting smashed through the Barber Shop window only benefitted attacker Shawn Michaels in the long run, leaving Jannetty no choice but to try and recapture the glory days as a struggling solo star.

From keeping the theme music and look to eventually trying to rebadge a makeshift team with Leif Cassidy as 'The New Rockers', Jannetty's penchant for the glory days also extended to a finisher that belonged in a part of the past you'd think he'd want to forget about.

The Rocker Dropper didn't look any more dangerous than any other move (that is to say, dangerous in the wrong hands, but not when performed by polished in-ring talents such as Jannetty), but it cost Marty $500,000 and WWE $10,000,000 when prelim wrestler Charles Austin sued the company after being paralysed by an attempt gone wrong in a 1990 squash.

There were no repeat incidents with the move, but by the mid-1990s, the story hung over the hold with far more gravitas than Marty's former gimmick.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. 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