One of the most memorable finishes in MMA history, the welterweight championship bout at UFC 34 would make an amazing pro wrestling visual. The champion heading into the bout was Carlos Newton, and he was facing the wrestling powerhouse and future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes in the co-main event of the show. The two men had a decent back and forth affair until the second round when Newton locked the challenger in a triangle choke while Hughes was still standing, pressing Newton against the top of the fence. Suddenly Matt slammed the champ to the mat in a move akin to a powerbomb, knocking him unconscious, and the referee stopped the bout and awarded the victory and the title to Hughes. Controversy began to stir when the replay showed that it may have been less an intentional slam and more of Hughes collapsing to the mat, out cold from the choke. This was backed up when Matt could be seen repeatedly telling his corner that he was out, and the dazed look on his face supported that assertion. Newton protested but the decision stood. This would be a unique finish in a WWE match, although you would obviously have to make some tweaks to it (the same as with any finish on this list). A wrestler who uses a mat-based submission such as Daniel Bryan could have the Yes Lock applied while being hoisted in the air by a much larger opponent, and then as the opponent slams him to the mat, unconscious from the choke, Bryan blacks out as well with his shoulders in a pinning position. The referee would be torn between counting the three or stopping the match due to the other wrestler going out from the choke.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
