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As wrestling fans, we have to routinely suspend our disbelief to enjoy the shows we watch. But there are moves that definitely look like they hurt a lot on the receiving end. What doesn't get talked about much, though, are the moves that actually hurt the doer more than the receiver. In an effort to protect their opponents and deliver their moves as safely as possible, some wrestling moves require the one executing the move to take the bump more than their opponent. In this article, we take a look at the top 10 extreme wrestling finishers that are the most painful to the one doing the move than to the one receiving the move.
10 EXTREME Wrestling Finishers Most Painful to Do than to Receive
10. Spear
Used by: Goldberg, Edge, Bobby Lashley, Roman Reigns, Rhyno
If you think about it, the Spear is actually a very simple move. We see it all the time outside of wrestling, even. In football, the Spear is simply a shoulder tackle. But even in football, where people getting injured is almost just as common as a touchdown, a shoulder tackle could lead to a load of different injuries. Smacking your shoulder against someone could lead to a shoulder dislocating. Accidentally hitting your head may lead to a concussion injury. Heck, in wrestling, the Spear is most of the time countered by throwing the user against the corner post or the barricade, and in these instances, the move hurts nobody else except the guy charging head-on. In fact, Goldberg once shared that after spearing Diamond Dallas Page in, by then, his longest match to date, the master of the Spear knocked himself out.
9. Diving Elbow Drop
Used by: “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Kairi Sane, Bayley, Shawn Michaels, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Matt Hardy
As you will see later on in this list, the commentary team does not exaggerate when they call moves from the top rope as high-risk maneuvers. First on our list is the Diving Elbow Drop, which involves someone dropping from up high straight down to their opponent. Of course, they don't actually hit their elbows on their opponent most of the time so as to not hurt their opponent, so the brunt of the impact is mostly on the person doing the drop. There are even variations of the elbow drop that has the user drop on their knees first before driving their shoulders on their opponent, so as to minimize the impact. Regardless of the version of the move used, this finisher puts the user's knees, elbows, and shoulders at risk.
8. Stunner
Used by: Steve Austin, Kevin Owens, Mikey Whipwreck
The Stone Cold Stunner is no doubt one of the most iconic finishers in the history of pro wrestling. It looks great and always gets a huge pop from the audience, and the move was involved in many memorable moments during the attitude era and beyond. However, years of using the finisher have led to back problems for Stone Cold, which he admitted would cause him to wince when he thinks about using the move towards the end of his career. His use of the stunner may have also contributed to the injury that led to him fracturing three bones along his spine to break in one match against Booker T. Nowadays, Kevin Owens uses the stunner, and with that body weight, we can only imagine just how much worse that move is for him than the Rattlesnake.
7. Tombstone Piledriver
Used by: The Undertaker, Kane, Justin Credible, Fit Finlay
Most variations of the piledriver are banned by many promotions due to the real damage that the move could do to the neck and spine when the wrestler hits their head on the mat. But the Tombstone Piledriver popularized by The Undertaker, while still holding some risk for the one on the receiving end, poses more risk for the one doing the move. To protect their opponent, the user will have to land on their knees. It might not look too devastating, but considering the weight of The Undertaker and whoever he is piledriving in the equation, you'd understand just how much force his knees have to endure. In fact, The Undertaker's long use of the move has always caused the Dead Man knee problems, which would make it even harder for him to execute the move later on in his career.
6. Pedigree
Used by: Triple H, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Velvet Sky
Almost synonymous with burying talent, the Pedigree has been Triple H's go-to finisher all throughout his career and is one of wrestling's most protected moves. Getting your face driven to the mat might sound like it hurt, but actually, the Pedigree has the user's knees hitting the surface first, with the head being protected between the user's thighs. The Pedigree requires the user and the receiver to jump into the air for the move, and years of jumping and dropping down to your knees will end up causing problems. Even if Triple H wears kneepads as part of his ring gear, years of use still led to injuries to the knee. Now, there are also other variations of the double underhook facebuster (the generic name of the Pedigree, if you will) used elsewhere that even has potentially riskier consequences, like Velvet Sky's sit-out version that could compress your spine in the long run, and CM Punk's top rope version Pepsi Plunge, which we imagine would cause more damage as the elevation is even higher.
5. Diving Leg Drop & the Atomic Leg Drop
Used by: Hulk Hogan, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Kelly Kelly, Matt Hardy
In the previous item, we commented on how much more devastating landing on your butt is compared to landing on your knees. Now, imagine consistently doing that from the top rope. Yes, landing on the mat from way up high while in a sitting position is definitely not painless, and there are recorded instances where the Leg Drop has shortened careers. The most infamous of these injuries belong to the icon Hulk Hogan, who, for years of using the move as a finisher, has had inches slashed from his height due to spine compression and has necessitated multiple surgeries to address back pains. Now, Hogan has to walk with a cane. Hogan's version of the move was the running leg drop, which was dropping off from mid-height, and it already caused that many problems to his back. Some variations of the leg drop involves jumping from the top rope, which, as you'd imagine, could even lead to more serious problems.
4. RKO (and other cutters)
Used by: Randy Orton, Chris Hero, Christopher Daniels
Just like the Stunner, the RKO is such a popular move among fans. Its combination of flair, Randy's rituals before hitting the move, its impact, and the anticipation that it can be used at any moment from any position all add up to a pop whenever it's used by The Viper. The move, which is a Jumping Cutter, is the most devastating version of the cutter because of the required elevation to execute the move. The fact that Randy has been hitting the RKO on all sorts of surfaces eventually led to him having multiple back issues, including the one he has right now. Other variations of the cutter has less momentum and has less likelihood of getting used outside of the ring, so they have lesser cases of injury, but landing on your back nonetheless still would cause a lot of back injuries for many wrestlers.
3. Frog Splash
Used by: Eddie Guerrero, Rob Van Dam, Chavo Guerrero, Christian Cage, 2 Cold Scorpio, Rey Mysterio, Mercedes Moné
The Frog Splash is one of the most high-flying and death-defying moves in wrestling, topped by just two more top-rope maneuver that we'll discuss later on in this list. Not only does the user have to jump really high to gain a lot of elevation, but it also requires the user to land on their elbows and knees to protect their opponent, as hitting belly to belly would devastate both performers. The move is so devastating when done wrong, in fact, that Eddie Guerrero almost lost his way in the WWF when he dislocated his elbow during his debut in a tag match at Raw. The use of the move, along with Guerrero's arsenal of high-risk moves, would cause the WWE Legend immense pain throughout his career, contributing to his life-long struggle with painkiller medications.
2. Swanton Bomb
Used by: Jeff Hardy, Lita, The Great Sasuke
The Great Sasuke invented an even riskier version of the senton, which would later be adopted and popularized in the west by Jeff Hardy. A killer move that never fails to get fans off their seats, the move is also attributed as one of the causes of Hardy's suffering. It doesn't help that he has been involved in a lot of ladder matches where he would actually use the move on the ladders. The move is so painful that Hardy would admit in interviews that he stopped thinking about how to protect his opponents from his move to just trying to minimize the pain it might cause him. Hardy's countless injuries cause a negative loop for the Charismatic Enigma, as Jeff would find it harder to control the execution of the move the more injuries he sustains, which would cause him to execute the move much more recklessly, resulting in even more pain. But the adrenaline of the high-risk move, as well as the clamor of the fans every time he does the move, makes it hard for Hardy to retire his very dangerous finisher.
1. Diving Headbutt
Used by: Brian Danielson, Chris Benoit, Harley Race, The Dynamite Kid, El Santo, El Hijo del Santo,
And finally, we have the infamous diving headbutt. Normal headbutts, in comparison, could be slightly protected by not actually hitting one's head at the opponent, or hitting a soft part of the opponent's chest to cushion the hit. The velocity that a Diving Headbutt introduces to the equation, though, makes the move much more devastating. Since the move most of the time has the performer hit their head on the opponent's chest or shoulder instead of their head, the move has always been much more devastating for the one doing the move. This move caused Daniel Bryan's first retirement and the multiple head traumas that Chris Benoit sustained that contributed to his later death. The move does not only cause head concussions, but also serious spine problems and brain damage resulting from these injuries. The flying headbutt is so devastating for its user that Harley Race has been recorded regretting inventing the move for all of the pain and suffering that resulted from people inspired by him to do the move.
And that's our list of the most extreme and most painful wrestling finishers that are riskier and more damaging to their user than the ones receiving the move. This list is a reminder that the wrestlers we cheer for actually risk themselves to entertain us, so it goes a long way for fans to simply appreciate the risks take and understand the damage that these maneuvers cause just for our entertainment. If anything, we hope that these moves could eventually be retired and be relegated to games like AEW Fight Forever or WWE 2K23. Otherwise, we hope that these moves can be saved for special occasions. There are so many flashy moves that just look as exciting and safer for both parties, after all, and we hope that the next generation of wrestlers would learn from the examples of their predecessors to veer away from these moves.
