10 WWE Superstars Who Gambled On A Brand New Finisher
6. Chris Jericho
The wrestling Madonna has adjusted just about everything from his offering during a celebrated decades-long career, but the move to using the Codebreaker following his 2007 return was one of his lowkey smartest moves.
Flitting between the Walls Of Jericho and Lionsault (and very briefly the Breakdown) during his original WWE run, 'Y2J' had stuck with the big hitters he'd used before signing with WWE as safe choices for match-enders. They were believable, generated reactions and were well tied to his character - but that only enhanced the power of his brand new strike the second he unleashed it.
Just months after Jericho started dropping his opponents hard on his knees, he dropped just about everything else about his old gimmick. A year after coming back from obscurity, every part of his personality had changed, but the Codebreaker remained.
The knees-to-face look was a marginal improvement on Carlito's backstabber, particularly if the opponent was able to sell it as if their face, neck and head had all been compacted by the sheer impact. Until unleashing his Judas Effect backfist for All Elite Wrestling, it remained his calling card.