Ranking What Was Really The Best Wrestling Finisher Every Year 1990-2020

19. 2002 - F5

Best Finishers
WWE

2002 was the year of Brock Lesnar, and Brock Lesnar put himself over as a new, scary powerful and legitimate breed of hoss with his F5 finish.

It was ghoulishly fun in those early appearances because Lesnar's abundant greenness created a real and potent sense of danger - as in, he probably shouldn't have been launching people that high into the air. He didn't know his own strength, much less how to manage it in a context that required him to protect his opponents.

He was rather sensibly paired with far smaller expert bumpers the Hardy Boyz early in that mega-push, and they sold it wonderfully. He sent them into orbit at his will.

Crafted to emulate the helplessness and crushing impact of debris in a tornado, it was a spectacular, unique and believable finish.

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!