https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6dyiRb0rQs Okay, so at this point in their respective careers Natalya performs the Deathlock/Sharpshooter better than Sting does. No question about it. Near the end of his run in TNA, he didn't even bother sitting down for the move anymore. However, we're also grading on how iconic a move is, so The Man Called Sting wins in spades. The Scorpion Deathlock has been around far longer, and has been used to tap out some of the biggest names in the business. And most importantly, still pops the crowd like crazy when it is applied.
21. Chris Jericho: Liontamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzrKOOXcuAE Depending on who Chris Jericho is facing, the Liontamer looks either like your everyday Boston Crap, or a devastating submission that looks like it will break you in half. It basically depends on how flexible his opponent is. No matter what, though, he's established the finisher as a legitimate one over the years by tapping out countless stars with it all over the world. It's arguably the greatest of his 1,004 holds.
20. Kane: Chokeslam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-dYut4AfzY The chokeslam is one of the all-time coolest wrestling moves, but these days Kane's is pretty "meh." Perhaps because The Big Show is on the same roster and can do a better one (somehow his rarely wins matches), or maybe it's because The Big Red Machine is slowing down, and is pushed so poorly, that his chokeslam just doesn't carry the same weight that it used to. Unfortunately for Kane, he doesn't get to use the Tombstone anymore, so he's left with his big brother's other hand-me-down wrestling finisher. Some smaller guys like Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston, can sell the move like a million bucks, but other times it ends up looking half as cool as it should if the timing is off.
19. Kalisto: Salida del Sol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr9bKkiuPNo Kalisto is a high-flying man who needed an impressive looking finisher. His Salida del Sol is one we haven't seen in WWE since Ultimo Dragon briefly used it during his sadly forgettable run, so it feels fresh. He grabs his opponent, jumps in the air, flips over their head, and lands on his butt. It's complicated, but he makes it look easy. It's a pretty cool looking move, but somewhat limited. There's no way he could hit this on say the entrance ramp without getting a very sore bottom.
18. Sting: Scorpion Death Drop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACfca-cPBcM Okay, so Sting's reverse DDT lands him major points for being an iconic finisher. It's been used on top wrestlers over the decades from Ric Flair to Hulk Hogan and Diamond Dallas Page. However, it's not very flashy or particularly destructive looking. Still, the way he holds his opponent's head back as they helplessly look up at the ceiling is still pretty great. It's too bad we didn't see him in WWE years earlier dishing out Death Drops on Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker.
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