WWF: The finishing "finishers"

Wristlocks, clotheslines, snapmares and bodyslams rarely win matches, but they do soften up an opponent for the stunning finisher. The World Wrestling Federation, over the years, has given its fans some of the most amazing and stunning finishing moves. Whether it is Bret Hart's Sharpshooter, or Diesel's Jackknife, or for that matter Yokozuna's Banzai Drop, they have all been quite sensational.

As I mentioned before, wrestling matches are rarely won through simple moves, therefore, every wrestler, in his armory, has that special move, which is unleashed in order to deliver the knock out blow to the opponent. Through this column I will try to point out some of the most amazing finishers that the WWF has ever produced. Mind you, though, these are my personal favorites and some of you may have different opinions. So, what said, let's get started.

My all time favorite finisher has to be the move that has caught my imagination the most. It is none other than Bret Hart's Sharpshooter. The Sharpshooter has to be one of the most technical finishing moves in the history of the WWF. The Hitman was a master technician and, therefore, the move "suited him to a 'T.'"

The Sharpshooter was not about brute power or some high-flying gymnastics, but about a masterly locking of the legs of the opponent. Bret used this move to a great effect and the way he went about executing it was absolutely brilliant. When the opponents were stronger and bigger, Bret Hart used to concentrate on attacking their legs -- right from the beginning of the match. Then, after Bret had done it for some time, he went for The Sharpshooter, which proved too much for his opponents and they had to quit.

Bret Hart won many matches through this move. Who can ever forget his victories over Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair, which were brought about by this move.

The second move about which I would like to talk is The Jackknife. Yes, it was the seven-foot monster Diesel who used this move as a "License to Kill."

The Jackknife is basically about power as the the move involves a lot of strength in order to pick the opponent up and then fling him down with a tremendous amount of force. The fact that Diesel had a seven-foot frame made the move a nightmare for all his opponents. The thought of falling from a height of seven feet and that with a huge amount of force, is not something that would thrill anyone.

Remember that eight second match? It was Bob Backlund against Diesel in a Championship match. The match was finished within eight seconds, thanks to the Jackknife.

Diesel literally won the Title in eight seconds.

There has hardly been a move that has been more intimidating than the Jackknife and there had been hardly anyone who had got up after being treated to this stunning Finisher.

However, history will find it difficult to find a finishing move that can match Yokozuna's Banzai Drop. Yes, it is this move about which I would talk now.

The Banzai Drop, to put it simply, was all about "body weight," which the Japanese wrestler had in abundance. Yokozuna weighed almost 600 pounds and when he dropped those 600 pounds on an opponents' chest, there was only one way out and that was defeat. This great move will be remembered for its sheer uniqueness as never before, or after, has a wrestler used his body weight to such an advantage as was done by Yokozuna when he used the Banzai to finish his opponents.

The next move in my list is Razor Ramon's "Razor's Edge." The move was a combination of power and skill. I find it difficult to explain, so I am not going to try here. However, if you saw it you would know about how it is executed.

What I can tell you is this. The move, no doubt, was difficult to execute against those who were big and bulky, yet it was a move with a difference. The point that it was different can be easily proved by the fact that it has no imitations like many other moves have. It was because of these qualities of uniqueness that I had to mention this move.

Moving on, I would like to take you to the Mankind's Mandible Claw. Normally, wrestling moves are about power or highflying jumps and kicks, or for that matter, the very technical leg locks or Knee Locks, but the Mandible Claw was none of these. The move is basically about putting the claw in the opponents' mouth and then strangling him by cutting the air supply that takes place through the breathing pipes in our throat. The claw used to paralyze the opponent and in the end the opponent had to give in. The most amazing thing about the move was that, even though there is no power or complicated techniques involved, the move was very effective and helped Mankind to put fear in the minds of many of the sports superstars.

The list of such stunning moves is long, but before ending it I would like to mention some other moves which I feel are worth a mention.

The British Bulldog's Power Slam -- the move was simple, but the amount of power the Bulldog generated in it's execution was what made the move so deadly.

The "DoomsDay Device" by the Legion Of Doom -- again a great combination of power and high flying skills. The move was deadly for the opponents and breath taking for the spectators.

"The Last Ride" by the Undertaker -- another top class move. Based on brute force, this move is simply too hot for the opponents to take. Add to it the six-foot, 10-inch frame of the Phenom and you get a killing combination.

Wrestling moves have always added the extra flavor and thrill to the matches -- when you see a 500 pound monster flying from the ropes, the thrill is quite unbelievable, or when you see a drop kick from the top rope, it is really breathtaking. Though, as the name suggests, it's the "Finishers" that ultimately finish a match. As long as pro wrestling exists, the "Finishers" will also be there. Why? Because that's exactly what the crowd wants and because that's exactly how the show should end.