Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by Avik Das
Professional wrestling is a combination of entertainment and athleticism. The promos, storylines, and the build-up of each rivalry contribute to the entertainment part of pro-wrestling, while the matches and WWE moves in the ring are associated with the athleticism part.
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From basic to finishing, many WWE wrestling moves are used throughout matches. However, a handful of them become iconic because of the popularity of wrestlers who are performing the moves. The other reason could be the sheer athleticism and risk involved in a move, leaving a majority of fans in awe.
In this article, we take a look at such famous wrestling moves list in history.
#20 Mandible Claw
Mandible Claw was popularized by Mankind aka Mick Foley while using it as his submission, making it one of the greatest WWE moves in history. Later, Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend character would use it as his submission, even putting Mick Foley in Mandible Claw once.
It’s one of the moves that could legitimately take someone out. The attacking wrestler would put pressure on the receiving one’s mouth with middle and ring fingers. The pressure is given downward until the opponent passes out.
#19 Figure Eight
Figure Eight is one of the WWE wrestling moves of Charlotte Flair, the multi-time Women’s Champion and the daughter of legendary Ric Flair. There are many noticeable similarities between Ric Flair and Charlotte Flair, and this maneuver is one such example.
Figure Eight is an updated version of one of Ric Flair’s WWE moves, Figure Four leg lock. But Charlotte uses her whole body to take the pressure upward, turning it into one of the best WWE finishing moves in the squared circle today.
#18 Rey Mysterio’s 619
619 is the finisher of Rey Mysterio. Dominik Mysterio, the son of Dominik Mysterio, has from his father, and it is one of his WWE finishing moves of the Dirty Dom.
The move is ideal for a small-stature wrestler like Rey Mysterio. He would put the neck of an opponent on the second rope and deliver a spinning kick with both feet to the face.
#17 Sweet Chin Music
Super kick is a frequently used wrestling move nowadays. It is seen as a basic move, not the finishing move anymore. However, Shawn Michael’s Superkick, which is known as Sweet Chin Music, is considered one of the iconic WWE moves of all time.
Shawn Michaels would hype the move by stomping his foot on the mat before kicking the opponent in the face.
#16 Batista Bomb
Batista Bomb, which was used by Batista, was one of few moves names to be named after the wrestler. It was the finishing move of The Animal, which looked agonizing and devastating.
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Batista Bomb is a powerbomb. With his strength and athleticism, Batista would pick up the opponent and slam the opponent hard on the mat to complete the move.
#15 F5
F5 requires a significant amount of strength to execute, which is a reason it is the WWE finishing move of The Beast incarnate, Brock Lesnar, who has been using it since his debut in 2002. It is among WWE moves names, but the visual of it looks brutal.
Lesnar would pick up his opponent on his broad shoulders. With a little spin, he would throw the opponent backward, resulting in the fall of the opponent on the face first.
#14 Sharpshooter
Sharpshooter was a finishing move of various old-school wrestlers, but Bret The Hit Man Hart made it widely popular during his stint in WWE. Besides Bret Hart, it was among WWE wrestling moves for the likes of Edge, Sting, Natalya, The Rock, etc.
It’s a leg lock variant of WWE moves. It can be performed in a sitting or standing position.
#13 Chokeslam
The tall and gigantic wrestlers generally added Chokeslam to their wrestling moves lists, with biggest the examples being The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show. It’s a body slam that makes a significant impact on the opponent’s back and body.
The attacking wrestler would pick the opponent in the air after grabbing by the throat, thus making it look like a choke, and then, the opponent gets slammed on the mat from a great height.
#12 Elbow Drop From The Top Rope
An elbow drop from the top rope might sound like normal today, but it is a historic significance. Macho Man Randy Savage turned into one of the iconic WWE moves of all time.
Now, in the era of high-flyers, elbow drop from top rope has become a norm. Bayley had an elbow drop in the arsenal of WWE wrestling moves.
#11 Swanton Bomb
Swanton Bomb is arguably one of the most dangerous WWE wrestling moves ever. Without proper execution, the high-risk maneuver can injure the attacking as well as receiving wrestlers.
Jeff Hardy made this familiar name in the wrestling fraternity. It would be performed from a high ladder or top turnbuckle, as the wrestler would launch the whole body on the opponent.
#10 Jackhammer
Bill Goldberg’s Jackhammer was a benchmark of his superhuman strength that made his character indomitable. Even though he originally started using it in WCW, it would be considered one of the WWE maneuver since he spent two stints in WWE, and he used it as one of his WWE finishing moves.
Jackhammer is identical to a Vertical Suplex but requires enormous power to execute, as the opponent needs to be held at a ninety-degree angle in mid-air before slamming the back on the mat.
#9 The Undertaker’s Hell’s Gate
Considering The Undertaker is such an iconic character, a number of his WWE moves are also legendary. Hell’s Gate is The Deadman’s submission move, which has put a myriad of his opponents to sleep over the years.
This is one of the WWE wrestling moves to be derived from MMA or Mixed Martial Arts, where the submission hold is better known as ‘Triangle Choke’.
#8 Pedigree
In the iconic WWE wrestling moves list, Pedigree is one of the top finishers for its distinctiveness and popularity in different eras. Triple made the maneuver famous by using it as his finisher from the beginning of his WWE career.
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It’s a double undertook facebuster, with the opponent’s face landing on the mat. Besides King of Kings, Seth Rollins uses Pedigree among his secondary WWE moves.
#7 Hulk Hogan’s Leg Drop
A leg drop might sound like a basic maneuver in the squared circle, but Hulk Hogan made it believable and immortal in the 1980s. It was the greatest finisher in old-school wrestling, as Hogan won many championships and epoch-making wrestling matches with that move.
When the opponent would lay down in the middle of the ring, The Hulkster would launch his right leg on the chest of the opponent to get the pinfall.
#6 Attitude Adjustment
Just like John Cena, his finisher Attitude Adjustment or AA is one of the greatest finishing moves of all time. In the initial years of his career, he called it FU, but later, the name was changed to Attitude Adjustment.
Cena would pick up his opponent and flip on the mat. The back of the opponent would land first on the mat. With his impressive strength, John Cena made the move iconic by lifting some heaviest wrestlers ever to step foot in the ring.
#5 Tombstone Piledriver
A Tombstone Piledriver is one of the difficult WWE moves to execute, and only wrestlers with the highest level of dexterity and experience can deliver it safely.
The move was made famous by the Brothers of Destruction, The Undertaker and Kane. After turning the opponent upside down, the head of the opponent would land while the attacking wrestler sits or kneels on the ring mat.
#4 The Rock Bottom
The Rock Bottom is one of the WWE moves names to be kept after the wrestler’s name and one of the most famous WWE finishing moves of all time. He closed and won numerous gigantic matches with this move.
The Great One would pick his opponent and slam the back on the wrestling mat.
#3 The People’s Elbow
The Rock Bottom isn’t the most popular move in The Rock’s arsenal. His People’s Elbow is called ‘ the most electrifying move in sports entertainment ‘, making it one of the greatest WWE wrestling moves ever.
People’s Elbow is standing in the middle of the ring, but the way The Rock executes the moves makes all the difference. He hypes up the audience before running from one end to another side of the ring, and then he would drop the elbow on the chest of the opponent. He occasionally won bouts with that move.
#2 Stunner
While talking about the best WWE moves, Stunner, the finishing move of Stone Cold Steve Austin, deserves to be among the top maneuvers in history. The rivalries, noteworthy opponents, and the history behind it contributed to the legacy of Stone Cold Stunner.
Stunner is a facelock jaw breaker, as the opponent would drop after bouncing on the right shoulder of Steve Austin. Today, Kevin Owens uses Stunner as his finisher.
#1 RKO
The extensive popularity of RKO in the mainstream world is placing it on the top of the most iconic WWE moves in history. The Randy Orton move is quick and effective, which has contributed to its popularity.
RKO is a version of a cutter, notably Diamond Dallas Page’s Diamond Cutter. Presently, the internet has countless memes based on RKO.
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Avik Das is the founder of Sportsheed. He is a sports lover with broad knowledge of Professional Wrestling, MMA, Football, and Cricket. He has an English major and has previously written articles for various sports and entertainment websites
