Is The Finisher Kick-Out Ruining Wrestling?

Karl Gotch once criticised Harley Race - Harley Race! - for flying through the air like a “kamikaze clown”. The man predicted the death of television wrestling before two mainstream boom periods objectively undermined his argument. This is so common it has become cyclical; in two decades’ time, today’s generation will find something to criticise about tomorrow’s, ironically forgetting that the generation of yesteryear criticised them. It is a dance as old as the sleeper hold, and just as tiresome.

There is one constant throughout this evolution: greatness. As long as there is greatness, those greats will find a way to make logical and dramatic even the most well-worn tricks of the trade.

There are performers today who retain the ability to protect their finishers.

Kenny Omega struggles to even apply his One-Winged Angel finisher in his major matches. The risky and convoluted set-up, open to a counter, underscores how lethal it is when he detonates the bomb. That’s why he risks detonating it. There is no escaping the fallout. It is carefully considered strategy in an era apparently bereft of it.

Neville, before he was sent to purgatory, handled his Red Arrow as smoothly as he struck it. He only used it to put away worthy opponents when tested to the limit. We may never see the conclusion of the story - but whomever kicked out of that would have been made.

You can’t go home again. Wrestling has evolved too far. You can find nuance and intrigue in the go-home stretch.

In contrast, the kayfabe power of Kazuchika Okada’s Rainmaker has faded over time, but the Ace of the New Era has become an unbeatable God in 2018. The finishing move isn’t quite as definitive as its title suggests. Even John Cena, who has systematically de-weaponised his own arsenal under the guise of Big Match John, retains a powerful aura and manipulates crowds into buying near-falls. The AA never puts anybody away the first time. Because the character is so strong, the move is - even though, in recent years, it isn’t. Which is to say, the work still works.

When AJ Styles kicks out of the Kinshasa at WrestleMania 34, it won’t strip away his aura, but it will add another dramatic layer to their match. The foundations of the move are so strong that one gust of wind cannot topple it

The finisher kick-out remains the pinnacle of pro wrestling drama, when used effectively. And, since greatness is a constant, the preeminent practitioners of pro wrestling will find a way to preserve it.