One major theme of professional wrestling is evolution. Wrestlers must evolve their characters to avoid growing stale and, ultimately, creating a negative fan reception, and changing their in-ring repertoire is the foremost brilliant means of doing so. Alexa Bliss, for instance, has moved to use a variant of Bray Wyatt’s Sister Abigail over her Twisted Bliss finisher upon returning to WWE for the first time since Wyatt’s 2023 passing – and it works perfectly.
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Sometimes, though, wrestlers must reach deep into their closets and dust old moves off. From high-impact slams and mesmerizing top-rope dives to brutal head-spiking drops and stiff, potent strikes, these ten moves deserve a comeback before it’s too late.
Ricochet: Double-Rotation Moonsault
Ricochet Was The True ‘King Of Flight’ In Japan
- Ricochet has long been a modernistic king of the cruiserweight style.
- He has a range of high-flying moves to choose from.
- The double-rotation Moonsault is his most jaw-dropping to execute.
Ricochet was always going to be All Elite, but his arrival some five years after the promotion’s inauguration, at
All In 2024
, saw the real-life Trevor Mann as his watered-down WWE self. Though still capable of defying gravity, Ricochet stays on his feet for the most part: his finisher in AEW, for example, is a Lariat that, while convincing in its execution, doesn’t fit his 5’9″ stature.
If the former ‘King of Flight’ were to wow audiences again, a rendition of his double-rotation Moonsault would fit suitably. Wholly absent from his repertoire in WWE except that one time in War Games, the move is easily one of the most jaw-dropping in wrestling history, and would go a long way in Ricochet’s post-WWE redemption.
Jon Moxley: Headlock Driver
The Move Was His Original WWE Finisher
- Jon Moxley has used various finishers throughout his career.
- He previously used a Headlock Driver in WWE known as Dirty Deeds.
- Moxley delivered the head-spiker with intensity and believability.
Jon Moxley has used a broad range of finishers throughout his 21-year career, including a William Regal-stolen Knee Trembler, the Glam Slam-esque Hook & Ladder, and his current migraine-inducing Paradigm Shift DDT. These moves all have the same common denominator: they target the head. This was the case, too, with Moxley’s original WWE finisher, a Headlock Driver.
Protected in WWE, given its neck-compressing impact, the original Dirty Deeds was a perfect fit for the then-Dean Ambrose, but it would be better suited for the
current barbaric mantra Jon Moxley has been aiming for in The Death Riders
, particularly if he were to bring the move out of retirement against a rival whose neck issues previously caused a medical retirement, such as Cope.
Cody Rhodes: Straightjacket DDT
Cody Primarily Used The Move As Stardust
- Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts popularized the DDT in the eighties.
- Cody Rhodes has used a handful of DDT variants.
- His Stardust-era straightjacket DDT was his most vicious incarnation.
Invented by Black Gordman and popularized by Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, the DDT has seen myriad upgrades to its primitive front facelock execution, from the basic Impaler DDT and jumping DDT, to the inhumane Blockbuster DDT and Shooting Star DDT. Cody Rhodes, though, utilized a blinding variant, applying a straightjacket instead of a standard front facelock.
Used mainly during his time as Stardust, the move was the most compelling element of his otherwise cartoon villain-esque act. Though it perhaps wouldn’t suit him as the goody-two-shoes babyface he has played since his 2022 WWE comeback, a heel turn could be the trigger for ‘The American Nightmare’ to resurrect his killshot of a DDT.
Will Ospreay: Essex Destroyer
It Is One Of Many Tricks Up His Sleeve
- Will Ospreay is an aerial artist who can unleash many attacks.
- Among them is a Blockbuster DDT called the Essex Destroyer.
- The move is no longer in use as not all of his opponents could take it correctly.
For new Will Ospreay viewers, it won’t take much to be wowed. ‘The Aerial Assassin’ is a rope-based magician whose wrestling repertoire exceeds imagination, with such aerial offense having included a flawless Sasuke Special and a springboard Cutter, the OsCutter, which sees Ospreay reach mountaintops as he springs off the middle rope.
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One move that Will has abstained from using in recent years, though, is the Essex Destroyer. A Blockbuster DDT, the move sees Ospreay perform a front flip as he grabs an opponent in a DDT position, forcing them into a head-spiking backflip. It’s a doozy of a move – but not everybody can take it safely, given that most of Will’s foes are larger than him. It should, however, be brought back against smaller rivals, like Kyle Fletcher.
Grayson Waller: Leapfrog Curb Stomp
It Was Previously His Finisher In NXT 2.0
- Grayson Waller has an eye-catching arsenal of moves.
- The leapfrog Curb Stomp was perhaps his most brutal of finishers.
- Waller hasn’t used the move since joining the main roster.
Though he is seldom given the platform to showcase it, Grayson Waller has a versatile, awe-inspiring moveset. ‘The Aussie Icon’s’ execution of such moves as a leaping somersault Stunner and a somersault Unprettier have sent wrestling fans into a frenzy whenever used.
Before this, though, Waller utilized a leapfrog Curb Stomp, sometimes dubbed the Posterizer, as a signature move. Perfectly blending brutality with majesty and magnificence, the move, which was a perfect out-of-nowhere finisher, would be the sort of attraction for WWE audiences to garner interest in the Aussie act once again,
though it may have to wait until Seth Rollins retires his own Curb Stomp
.
AJ Styles: Spiral Tap
AJ Believes He Can No Longer Perform The Dive
- AJ Styles’ Spiral Tap is a thing of beauty.
- He hasn’t performed it in over a decade.
- Styles believes he can no longer execute it correctly.
While the Styles Clash, the Phenomenal Forearm, and the Calf Crusher have all been serviceable finishers for AJ Styles in WWE, there is one move that fans have been crying out for: the Spiral Tap.
Previously a staple of ‘The Phenomenal One’s’ repertoire
, it was the move that made AJ phenomenal, but he hasn’t used it since 2014, when he first began in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Having since been performed by such names as Tyler Bate and Wes Lee, AJ Styles has opted against it, much to fans’ chagrin, though he has a solid reason for not taking to the sky. Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Styles noted that he “can’t pull it off” the same way that he used to (H/T Fightful):
“If you’ve ever heard, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it,’ that’s 100% the case. It’s a very awkward way to flip and do stuff. I had put it on the back burner for so long, I just lost it. It’s in my head. I can’t pull it off the way…if I can’t pull it off the way that I want to do it, I don’t want to do it at all, if it’s not perfect. I haven’t attempted it on a trampoline, in a pool, nothing. It’s there for the Ospreays [Will Ospreay] and anybody else who wants to do it.”
Candice LeRae: Springboard Reverse Frankensteiner
It Was A Staple Of LeRae’s Moveset On The Indies
- The reverse Frankensteiner always draws a good reaction from audiences.
- Candice LeRae performed the move with a springboard prefix.
- It’s difficult to execute right but looks grandiose when done so.
There is a reason that Candice LeRae no longer uses her springboard reverse Frankensteiner: WWE’s stance against regular head drops. While the company has become
less strict about DDTs, Piledrivers, and Canadian Destroyers
, they are unlikely to allow a lower-card act like LeRae in on the fun.
It’s a move that would go a long way in reminding audiences why Candice is as tenured a wrestler as she is, though. A staple of her arsenal on the independent circuit, the move demanded drastic timing and communication between ‘The Poison Pixie’ and her victim to prevent serious damage from being done. LeRae performed it perfectly every time.
Kevin Owens: Steenalizer
Owens Has Been Open About The Move’s Safety Concerns
- Kevin Owens’ 2024 heel turn saw him resurrect the Package Piledriver.
- Fans have clamored for him to do the same with the Steenalizer.
- Owens admitted to retiring the move voluntarily, citing safety concerns.
There is a 99% chance that Kevin Owens will never again wield the Steenalizer. Though the move was never the cause of injury, Owens is aware of its safety concerns, as he told Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp in 2020 (H/T Fightful):
“I retired that one myself, actually. I had a couple of close calls where, everyone I gave it to was fine, but I felt like it was too close where maybe it wouldn’t have been fine. I would be upfront with everybody I was going to give that move to. like, ‘It’s kinda crazy, I wouldn’t take it. If you don’t want to take it, tell me.’ I never had anyone say no. It was literally fine every time, but I felt like a couple of times it was a close call, and it’s just not worth it in the end, so I retired it myself.”
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Despite its unlikelihood, the Steenalizer, much like Randy Orton’s Punt Kick, could be brought out of retirement on the rare occasion that Kevin Owens crosses the line, and would allow its recipient some time off to sell the effects of the move. If nothing else, it should be used by Owens against someone who is used to taking it, such as Sami Zayn, to
emphasize the difference between their newest rivalry and their previous battles
.
Finn Balor: 1916
It Was Previously The Bloody Sunday
- Finn Balor rose to international renown as Prince Devitt in NJPW.
- His finisher at the time was the Bloody Sunday, a single-underhook DDT.
- He used the move in NXT, but never on the main roster.
Another move that may not pass WWE’s concussion protocol, the 1916 is an old flame of Finn Balor’s. It was his go-to match-ender in NJPW,
where he competed as Prince Devitt
and held the coveted IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship three times, each of which was caused by him planting the champion into the canvas with his beautifully hideous take on the DDT.
Though it was brought out on occasion in NXT, it is yet to see the light of day on RAW and SmackDown, Finn instead utilizing the much safer reverse 1916 when on the main roster. It should be brought out of retirement, though, if nothing else to remind audiences how world-class a performer ‘The Prince’ truly is.
CM Punk: Pepsi Plunge
Punk Brought The Move Back In AEW
- CM Punk took the Pedigree a step further when he crafted the Pepsi Plunge.
- He drives the defenseless opponent off the turnbuckles face-first.
- It returned during his AEW stint, though he is yet to hit it in WWE.
Some of the most prized wrestling finishers take a pre-existing move and add extra flair: such is the case with CM Punk and the Pepsi Plunge. A standard Pedigree, Punk delivers the move from atop the ropes, planting the trapped victim onto the canvas with the same impact as the recipients of Triple H’s original double-underhook facebuster in the mid-nineties.
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Punk revived his ROH finisher when in AEW, including using it to win his final Tony Khan-branded match at
2023’s All In
, but he is yet to perform the move on WWE programming, instead using a standing Pedigree vs. Cody Rhodes at the
Royal Rumble in 2024
. Given that the move is his in-game ‘Super Finisher’ in WWE 2K24, it feels like a matter of when, not if, the Pepsi Plunge is seen in WWE.
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