WWE: 10 Normal Moves That Used To Be Deadly Finishers
10. The Atomic Drop
It's a fairly simply move by today's standards. The wrestler lifts his opponent up as if he was going for a back suplex, but instead drops his tail bone right down on his knee. At the most, it now causes the wrestler to either be stunned for a bit before advancing to the next move or be humorously thrown out of the ring. However, there was a time when the atomic drop was no laughing matter. Enter Bob Backlund, a great wrestler of the 70s and 80s who at one time was the WWE (then WWWF) champion for over four years. Many wrestling fans know Backlund for innovating the crossface chickenwing submission hold, but there was a time when Backlund used a running version of the atomic drop (dubbed the Atomic Spinecrusher) that would ensure a victory. Perhaps it was the running start that helped give the move enough power to keep a wrestler down for three seconds. Now it's hard to imagine a wrestler being pinned after receiving an atomic drop of any kind.
9. The Neckbreaker
You've seen this performed thousands of times by hundreds of wrestlers. There are many different variations of the move, but they all involve concentration of the neck region as the wrestler falls on the mat. No matter what the position might be, or what flashy moves might be performed before it hits, the neckbreaker simply doesn't end a match anymore. If anything, it's more of a minor annoyance that, at its best, would get a quick two count. Yet even this most common of wrestling moves had at one time been thought of as a deadly finisher. One such example that comes to mind is the Honky Tonk Man. The Honky Tonk Man was once the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. How did he get that prestigious title? By using a finisher called the Shake, Rattle, and Roll. It was a glorified swinging neckbreaker, and the set up was about as goofy as Honky Tonk himself. Or how about Ravishing Rick Rude? He was able to beat many a foe with the Rude Awakening, a simple hangman's neckbreaker with the "necessary" addition of swiveling hips. At one time the neckbreaker was considered to be a move that could quite literally break a wrestler's neck. But in 2014, it might as well just be called a neck cramp.
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It's a fairly simply move by today's standards. The wrestler lifts his opponent up as if he was going for a back suplex, but instead drops his tail bone right down on his knee. At the most, it now causes the wrestler to either be stunned for a bit before advancing to the next move or be humorously thrown out of the ring. However, there was a time when the atomic drop was no laughing matter. Enter Bob Backlund, a great wrestler of the 70s and 80s who at one time was the WWE (then WWWF) champion for over four years. Many wrestling fans know Backlund for innovating the crossface chickenwing submission hold, but there was a time when Backlund used a running version of the atomic drop (dubbed the Atomic Spinecrusher) that would ensure a victory. Perhaps it was the running start that helped give the move enough power to keep a wrestler down for three seconds. Now it's hard to imagine a wrestler being pinned after receiving an atomic drop of any kind. 