Some of you might be thinking what is this move doing on this list? Its just a simple lariat with a wrist-clutch added to it. To counter that point, one must look at just how much of an impact (pun intended) the Rainmaker had on Kazuchika Okadas career. During his initial run in NJPW, Okada was considered one of the least-entertaining wrestlers on their roster, and not even an excursion to TNA could bring him additional attention. However, beginning in 2012, Okada was completely repackaged, and given a new finisher. With this new move, Okada rose through the ranks of New Japan at an astonishing rate, and it was this move, this simple Lariat, that allowed him to capture the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in one of the most shocking moments in NJPW history. Theres a reason that Dave Meltzer ranked this as the best wrestling maneuver for both 2012 and 2013: its presented as a dangerous threat that can be delivered out of nowhere can often leads to the end of a match.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
