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

29. 1992 - Lariat

Best Finishers
WWE.com

The picture is old, but the move is timeless.

Jim Ross might call it bowling shoe ugly, but there's a certain majesty to the Stan Hansen lariat. It's a force of nature you'd put a cheeky flutter on besting a stag in the wild. And, as has become enshrined in legend, what was already a brutal finisher lobbed by a massive Texan brick sh*thouse was made practically lethal, considering he was half-blind and couldn't perceive depth. His thought process seemed to be this:

Can't quite make out that fella's head, best take the whole thing off the shoulders to make sure.

Hansen in '92 was holding down his spot in the face of AJPW's emerging Four Pillars, lacing that bicep with an added zeal and selling the impact with that wild, expressive face.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!