10 WWE Superstars Who Gambled On A Brand New Finisher

1. Mankind

Undertaker Dragon Sleeper
WWE.com

In 1998, Mick Foley risked his body and life to get over in a King Of The Ring Hell In A Cell clash that instantly made him a bigger star than he'd ever been before...until putting a sock on his hand somehow propelled him even higher.

Often lamenting just how successful Mr Socko had been in comparison to some of his lesser-known (and entirely different) exploits years earlier, Foley probably wouldn't have been able to get it over to such a degree had he not inspired such sympathy earlier in the year.

The Mandible Claw had been a devastating destabilising and debilitating hook hold targeting the gullet of his opponents until Foley put a sock on his hand began grasping for his opponents' mouths, but the fans had long given up caring by that point - they were far more into him reaching into his sweatpants for the gimmick than giving thought to the way it supported its changed persona.

The more he steered away from the original Mankind character, the more money and fame he attained. Somehow, Socko simply made sense.

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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