[Column] The Finisher
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Sean Carless on "The Finisher"
by Sean Carless
THE FINISHER By Sean Carless scar...@cogeco.ca
In today's wrestling universe a wrestler is marketed completely, he is not
portrayed so much as an athlete but as a "Superstar" conveying to the audience
that these competitors are a cut above and glamorous not unlike a Hollywood
actor. Throughout the Annals of Wrestling, "Finishing maneuvers" have played an
important role in a wrestlers persona; It was a non-verbal signal to the Fans
at ringside that the match was indeed over. Most finshers are supposed to have
a degree of "uniqueness" to them all the while possessing a devastating effect
that would separate that hold from the rest of the Wrestlers repertoire. All in
all The Finisher reflects the Athlete himself.
Gone are the days where two men in black or white tights traded holds and
counters on the mat before finally forcing his adversaries shoulders to the
canvas for a fall. Back in the early days of wrestling, the pre-worked era of
pre World War 2 America, it was not uncommon to see a wrestler apply a headlock
for hours at a time (This is not an exaggeration) This act grew tiresome to
crowds who neither had the time nor the patience to sit through a multi-hour
contest. Shortly after, matches began to be predetermined while others were
still legitimate contests. Eventually by Lou Thesz's era, the style was all but
completely worked, although men like Thesz among others were trained shooters
or "hookers" who could sway a contest if a promoter attempted any chicanery.
There was no such thing as finishers in this era as the bouts were contested
more on a "catch-as-catch-can" style meaning the bouts would end by virtue of
one man countering a hold into a submission or pinfall as opposed to a
predictable one move situation that most of today's North American wrestling
ends in. Eventually as time passed Wrestlers utilized maneuvers that were
identifiable with them alone. The late Antonino Rocca was a pioneer of the
dropkick, leapfrog & head scissors among other high risk gymnastic holds that
were uncommon in the era. Edouard Carpentier was also a forerunners of this
style. By the late 60's & 70's most Wrestlers had holds that were utilized to
finish a match, Bruno Sammartino used a Bearhug, Buddy Rogers utilized a Figure
Four and Fritz Von Erich among other "German" portrayed wrestlers utilized the
Iron Claw. Killer Kowalski although not German used a unique variation of the
Claw where he would grab a foes stomach with both hands and twist until forcing
a submission. By the time the 80's rolled around Wrestlers more larger in
stature and build (some naturally some not) began using maneuvers that
exhibited more power. Into the later 90's more spectacular athletic Finishes
were on display that were at one time physically impossible. One can never
forget the first time 400 Lbs. Vader debuted a moonsault (at a time that the
moonsault was still not used by many lighter weight wrestlers in the U.S.
either) Today's finishes although ultra athletic feats are almost improbable
and in some cases even with the suspension of belief that is necessary to enjoy
a wrestling match still come across as absurd. Sports Entertainment has
overtaken the last semblance of Sport as one is expected to believe that a
simple elbow drop or chop when delivered with a charismatic setup can actually
defeat a man, but to each their own. That is what makes being a Wrestling Fan
so unique; It's the only sport with something for everyone.
We will now break Finshers down into basic categories and list three very basic
examples:
Submissions: The submission hold is the last link Wrestling has to realism as
most Submission holds could in be applied in real life situations (look no
further than the UFC for demonstration of this) Most Hart Family Dungeon
graduates chose to use a base submission style, Bret with The Sharpshooter,
Jericho with the Walls & Benoit with the Crossface for example. The Hart style
is based strongly around the submission style and these holds are strongly
emphasized in said style. In order for a "worked" submission to makes sense,
psychology has to be employed. The classic submission wrestlers will throughout
their bouts work on a solitary body part (the corresponding part to the holds
effectiveness)and wear it down as simply applying a crossface or Anklock to an
unweakened foe makes little if any sense.
Power Moves: The power based finisher is one that usually portrays a foe being
knocked unconscious through impact. These type of finshers are often
administered by large men however this is not always the case as men like DDP
and Jake Roberts hung their hats on the Diamond Cutter and DDT respectively
with the uniqueness of the moves being it could be delivered at anytime to
anyone.
High Risk or Aerial: Often used by smaller "cruiserweight" Wrestlers these
holds are usually more Style than substance and are more visually appealing
than anything else. A smaller Wrestler takes the chances that larger athletes
are physically unable to do and are forced to "get over" by taking very high
risks by wowing crowds with spectacular, almost otherworldly athleticism. The
only problem is that a lot of today’s Wrestlers overkill these holds and use
arguably too many "high spots" and that invariably destroys the uniqueness of
seeing the moves as the crowd is programmed to no longer think of these holds
as being special. (TNA & ECW have been guilty of this, however the good still
ultimately outweighs the bad.)
Some quick Finisher notes:
- The Powerbomb was one of the most utilized holds of the 1990's. But the hold
was invented by Judy Martin who was one half of the tag team Glamour Girls with
Leilani Kai. Together the duo held the forgettable WWF Womens Title. Judy
improv'd the move during a Women's match and the rest was history.
-The WWF(F)(E) title has actually only changed hands by actual Submission twice
(discounting any "Screwjob or towel throwing Sports Entertainment finishes)
Bruno Sammartino won his first of two WWWF Titles by forcing Buddy Rogers to
submit with a backbreaker while Bret Hart forced Ric Flair to give up to the
Sharpshooter in 1992 for his first of 5 WWF Titles.;
-The DDT's origins have been traced back to Michael Hayes (although Jake
Roberts makes other claims) Hayes speaks of the DDT's origins when he attempted
what I believe was a suplex. Hayes apparently mistimed the maneuver and dropped
his foe headfirst to the mat. The crowd popped and he decided to incorporate
the "accidental" hold into his repertoire.
-The Undertaker was not the first man to use the Tombstone piledriver in WWF,
that honour belongs to the Magnificent Muraco who finished with the hold for
his over 6 year run with the company.
The STF stands foe Stepover Toehold facelock. The first wrestler to use that
hold in North America was Kensuke Sasaki in WCW in 1992 ,eventually "teaching"
it to Erik Watts.
-The Stone Cold Stunner was invented by Johnny "Ace" Laurenitis where it was
known as the Ace Crusher. The crusher was the forerunner of many maneuvers like
the Stunner, Whippersnapper, Diamond cutter and 3D. The irony of Austin's
Stunner is that it seldom "stuns" anyone (Stun meaning to temporarily
incapacitate) it instead completely knocks any opponent unconscious, and the
foe is usually out cold for along duration of time. The physics don't make
sense but that’s just over analyzing.
-Wrestling's most unique finisher is probably the Mandible Claw; When Mick
Foley debuted on RAW on April 1,1996 he finished his opponent Bob Holly with a
unique submission maneuver known as the Mandible Claw; The Claw in "theory" is
effective because the index and middle fingers are jammed into the mouth of an
opponent pushing down under the tongue that has supposed "paralyzing" effects.
I'm no Doctor So I don't know but Sam Shepard was a Doctor and he was the
innovator of the hold in the 1960's. Shepard is best known for being the basis
of the Henry Kimble character from the Fugitive, was accused of murdering his
wife but always claimed innocence. Shepard did the time and when released
having his medical license revoked had to briefly take up Wrestling to make
ends meet. Foley as Mankind would take the hold to new heights. The irony of
this finish is that Foley who arguably put his body on the line more than
almost any other would utilize arguably the least physical finisher in
Wrestling history, but Foley made it work and added to the appeal when he
decided to couple the hold with a certain infamous sweat sock.
Unfortunately there are times when Finishers are so ridiculous and improbable
that the usual suspension of belief is completely thrown out the window.
Although there are countless lazy and/or asinine holds throughout Wrestling's
vast history,this is simply a taste of some real Bad ideas that wrestling
crowds have been unfortunately subjected to. I recently took a poll of fans and
these are the results we came up with: Top (Bottom?) 5 Worst Finishers:
1. Damien Demento's "Thumb" to the throat;
In late 1992 the World was subjected to Damien Demento, a character that
supposedly heard "Voices". He was announced as hailing from the outer reaches
of your mind. Mr. Demento seldom won matches but when he faced preliminary
wrestlers at TV tapings he would finish the match by sticking a heavily taped
thumb (to which he spoke) into his foes neck, the result was "submission" in
addition to hilarity. It was never explained why this was supposed to hurt or
what advantage the "tape' gave the weak submission hold.
2. Sgt. Slaughter's "Noogie" (1990)
Slaughter throughout his wrestling career was probably most identified with the
Cobra Clutch, and even The Camel Clutch for a brief spell, however in a brief
window in the Fall of 1990, The "Sarge" utilized a hold that could be best
described as a Noogie, much like the ones we received as Children from bullies
and big brothers alike. Slaughter was hardly the intimidating image as he dug
his knuckles into the skulls of his hapless foes. Fortunately WWF made him
adopt a new finisher soon after.
3. Scotty 2 Hotty's "Worm"
There is no doubt that Scotty 2 Hotty was a popular figure in Sports
Entertainment throughout 2000 and 2001. However even though crowds would "pop"
for his unconventional finisher, there was no doubting it's inherent
ridiculousness. Scotty with a half crazed look on his face would hop on one leg
four times, then proceed to do a "worm" before coming to a sudden standing stop
and dropping arguably the weakest forearm blow in the sport. The fact that
other wrestlers allowed themselves to be "beaten" by this insult is still a
mystery.
4. Ronnie Garvin's "Garvin Stomp"
"Rugged" Ronnie Garvin fresh from a successful stint in the NWA, entered the
WWF in 1988. "Hands of Stone" even though a former NWA Champion, barely made a
dent in the WWF during his 2 year tenure winning only one pay-per-match during
his brief stint with the company. Garvin seldomly won a match against top level
stars but was probably best known for his trademark "Garvin Stomp". He would
begin stomping his opponent who lay motionless on the canvas and proceed to
stomp clockwise every part of the foes prone body: Legs, arms, then finally the
head. The hold was the only maneuver that fans really responded to, even though
to my knowledge he never won a match with it.
5. Scott Steiner's "Steiner Recliner"
There was a time when Scott Steiner was widely regarded as one of the sports
top in ring talents. Unfortunately for the Michigan native, a combination of
bulk and injuries slowed down the once superb tactician. Steiner opted for more
of a style over substance approach when he adopted his "Big Poppa Pump" persona
in 1998. After the turn, the injury plagued Steiner, because of his
deteriorating skills began utilizing a version of the camel clutch, I say
"version" because Steiner’s was in actuality a lazy chinlock as he seldom
hooked the arms of his foe behind his legs, a position that in fact adds all
the "leverage" to the hold. Steiner would simply wrap his hands around his
oppositions throat while gingerly squatting over them, the result was a very
pathetic visual that had crowds wondering why with the power based style that
Steiner employed, that he couldn't use a hold like a powerbomb or even a suplex
variation, or perhaps fans just wished "freakzilla" would simply put the effort
forward to apply the hold properl
_
Velocity- 11/30/02
Velocity is my property, I talk cockily
Get up off of me cause I steam your ass like broccoli,
-John Cena