Say what you will about how real or fake wrestling is, there are some moments that are undeniably amazing. Many of those moments happen when a finisher gets dropped on someone. A good finisher can make a great wrestler, but whose is the most devastating? Black20 has the answers.

10. Pearl River Plunge - Ahmed Johnson
In terms of sheer impact and punishment, not many finishing moves can compete with Ahmed Johnson’s Pearl River Plunge.  Aptly named after his hometown of Pearl River, Mississippi, the Plunge starts out as a simple butterfly suplex.  It’s true genius, however, lies in the fact that it leaves the opponent flat on his back, shoulders pinned to the mat, opening the door for Ahmed to score an easy 1-2-3 victory. A variation of the Plunge, featured in the video below, is just as destructive, if not more so, than the original.




9. The Sharpshooter  - Bret Hart
The Sharpshooter is the greatest submission finisher of all time.  Hart didn't always use it, but when he did it was an event.  The move didn't have the glamour of a frog splash or the spontaneity of a Stone Cold Stunner, but the Sharpshooter was a nod to technical wrestling.  Those who appreciate real wrestling ability love to see an opponent placed in a hold so devastating the only way out is submission; the Sharpshooter was the greatest of these maneuvers.

8. The Five Star Frog Splash – Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero wasn’t the first person to use a frog splash to finish off opponents, but his was the best. Often changing directions in mid air, Eddie gave the frog splash his own spin and certainly made it prettier than anyone before him, or after him for that matter.



7. Figure Four Leg Lock – Ric Flair
Ric Flair is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and when he applied his patented figure four leg lock, you understood why. It was all in the performance, as Flair would shake that wild head of white hair while gyrating in what appeared to be pain, but turned out to be adrenaline fueled by an almost certain win. There was nothing fancy about the figure four leglock, but it helped put submission moves on the map in professional wrestling.



6. Top Rope Elbow Drop - "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Some of the best wrestling finishers can be gauged by their sheer entertainment value, and one of the most entertaining moves in wrestling history is without a doubt “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s elbow drop from the top rope.  Critics that denounce this move as too low impact to be classified as a finisher are missing its true essence.  The truth is, everything about Savage’s elbow drop screams greatness.  From the minute he shoots up the turnbuckles and points his fingers towards the heavens, you can feel the madness.  He then soars gracefully across the ring, only to come down hard with brute, merciless force on his unwitting opponent.  And, the Savage elbow can be just as invigorating as it can be brutalizing, as seen below.