https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2CxCLUjWFs Part of what makes a great submission finisher work is seeing the visual of the opponent locked in helplessly with nowhere to go. It makes it look legitimate, and gives credibility to those who are able to escape from it. Samoa Joe's Coquina Clutch has made its way to NXT, and has already been used to tap out a variety of opponents. The move is able to be pulled out from a variety of situations, and looks extra spectacular when Joe flips his opponent over and locks it in. Out of every move on the roster, few would inspire such real pain as Joe clutching you in this hold, and applying as much pressure as he could. So yeah, sure beats Cena's STF.
26. Sheamus: Brogue Kick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF9ySRG83TA A boot to the face is a move that many wrestlers have had in their repertoire over the years. It's basically a go-to for big guys. From Kevin Nash to The Undertaker to Hulk Hogan, there have been many variations of the boot. It's not often, though, that you see a bicycle kick in WWE like the one that Sheamus delivers. Quite often, the Brogue Kick looks like it will take his opponents' head off. Sheamus started out with The Celtic Cross when he began (a Razor's Edge), but switched over to The Brogue Kick shortly after and has stuck with it. While nearly everyone on the roster could do some variation of the Brogue Kick, it would be hard to make it look better than what the Celtic Warrior is capable of delivering.
25. Heath Slater: Smash Hit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSgpkYsAO-Q Is a finishing move really a finishing move if it's never used to finish anyone? This may be one of the great Zen koans of our time when it comes to Heath Slater. In the Nexus, Slater used a jumping Zig Zag type move to pin his opponents, but he seems to have traded it for an Impaler DDT. Gangrel used this move in the Attitude Era, and Edge later adopted it as the Edgecution. Slater doesn't have their level of success, so it's possible that he has a new finisher and we just can't see it. Still, this lifting, spinning DDT is always impressive looking.
24. Ryback: Shellshock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxh03MHu4aY Ryback's Shellshock is like a less impressive (but probably safer) version of the Muscle Buster. On the plus side, he's able to simply lift his opponent without having to use the top rope. At times, Ryback is able to show off some incredible power by shocking larger guys like Mark Henry and The Big Show with it, but maybe The Big Guys' marching around the ring isn't for everyone.
23. Natalya: Sharpshooter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWsKcv288vE The Sharpshooter is simply a classic wrestling move. Many long time fans have fond childhood memories of Bret Hart, Sting, and even The Rock using it to finish off their opponents. Now, Bret's niece Natalya has taken the move as her own and done the legacy proud. The finisher works so well, because it looks believable, and has added drama with the application of the hold. The victim tries to desperately crawl their way out while in agony, and slowly claw their way to the ropes. Will they give up before they get there? Or will they be pulled back into the center of the ring? It's too bad that Nattie doesn't get to use the move more often, as from time to time, she's made it look absolutely brutal, like in the video with Melina above.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com