15 Greatest Match Finishes In Modern Wrestling History

Kenny Omega Vs. Jon Moxley I was an unforgettable match - divisive, but also misunderstood.  

It was considered by its critics a transgressive, off-putting match with gross-out plunder spots that were "beneath" Omega and Mox, who shouldn't have needed a single weapon to tell a story. 

The weaponry was the story here, though: this match was premised on Omega's hubris, on the idea that he could walk into Mox's battleground and triumph. He couldn't, which set into motion his slow-burn heel turn. 

The actual use of the weapons was artful, too. Each told a story. In one example, Mox used an actual chain in response to Omega's condescending line "What are you gonna do Jon, are you gonna chain wrestle me?"

It was also cleverer and far more safe than the aftermath indicated. The storytelling was incredible, in that Mox and Omega had already established a disgusting tone before introducing what was only sugar glass. This felt far more scary than it actually looked. After an amazing war, Omega attempted to flatten Mox with the Phoenix Splash onto exposed wooden boards. This was a tremendous use of escalated violence before one considers the depth behind the spot. Virtually every weapon used before the gross finale looked like it sucked to absorb, but none were actually traumatic - until the finish, where it truly mattered.

But there was a rich subtext behind the move Omega missed before being spiked, crown-first, on thick wood with the Paradigm Shift. He missed both the move and the man synonymous with it: Kota Ibushi. This finish highlighted Omega's struggles to adjust to life in the U.S. mainstream - an early hint that he'd need to rely on shortcuts as a heel to get there.