Most Protected Finisher In WWE Gets KICKED OUT OF At WWE WrestleMania 38

"The end" indeed...

by Michael Sidgwick
WWE WrestleMania 38 Happy Corbin Drew McIntyre
WWE.com

The streak...is over.

While there are select finishers left in WWE with a 100% effectiveness rate, none have lasted as long as Baron/King/Constable Corbin's End of Days. It was protected heavily since his NXT days, and the performer has been a main roster mainstay since 2016. That was until WrestleMania 38, at which Drew McIntyre withstood it to eventually defeat his long-term rival.

It would be charitable in the extreme to describe the moment in the same shocked tones as the Undertaker's first loss at the Show of Shows. The spot commanded no deafening "Holy sh*t" chants, though it did heighten the drama of what was a mid undercard match considerably, so there's that.

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Six years is a long time. Though Crush kicked out of the Razor's Edge, that move was considered the finisher of all finishers. The End of Days beat it by two full years; Razor Ramon's entire WWF run under that persona lasted four.

It was something of a shame - rarely has WWE exercised such patience with a dramatic device - but they deserve credit for preserving its potency for as long as they did, particularly in an era of shortcut excess.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!