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Best finish to a match


DraxSpago

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Love finish to Backlash 2000. Chubby post neck surgery Austin returns and cumbersomely thwacks the McMahon faction with chair shots, Linda re-instates Hebner, Rock pins HHH for the title and the crowd explodes.

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Love finish to Backlash 2000. Chubby post neck surgery Austin returns and cumbersomely thwacks the McMahon faction with chair shots, Linda re-instates Hebner, Rock pins HHH for the title and the crowd explodes.

 

This should've been how WrestleMania 16 went off the air.

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Bret winning the KOTR '93, this event holds such a place in my heart, it is what tipped me over the edge as a Bret fan, man he played the wounded warrior so well, got thrown about by Bam Bam for ages and finally with one last effort he had in him secured the victory roll and the win, I love Bret's finishes to matches.

 

I wish they hadn't done the dusty finish moments before though. The match didn't need it, but I suppose they wanted Bam Bam looking strong still.

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Rockers/Orient Express is up there, perfectly done!

I know some people don't like that one because it's a wee bit convoluted but I love it. It's also the finish that really got my son into wrestling properly, blew his young mind. He'll be on here citing it in 20 years as the moment he got hooked on wrestling.

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Summerslam 97, Taker vs. Bret, with Shawn as the ref.

 

The cleverest, most logical, genius finish of all time.

Yeah, great shout. A fantastic response to what looked like they'd booked themselves into a corner. It's brilliantly executed and set up two PPVs in one swing.

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Despite the fact its been done about 100 times since to not nearly the same effect, the finish to Rock vs Mankind in the Survivor Series 98 tournament final was a genius twist on the previous years events. A bit like Bret v Taker at Summerslam 97 it set up a massive match and eventual title change, while also helping set up the angles that would separate the two who needed to go at it at the upcoming Wrestlemania.

 

As an aside, I've always wondered what the reaction the bloke in my sig had at the end of the match, and then after the reveal that Rock was working with the McMahon's. Does he post on here? :D

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Always loved the finish to Eddie/Brock. Kept me guessing right up tot he end while watching it as a kid.

Yeah, that match was filled with venom. And carnage.

 

 

 

 

Anyhoo, does the finish to HBK/Undertaker HIAC count? Debuting an astonishing character like that - had anyone ripped the door off a cage like that before that wasn't Robocop?

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HBK's acting at Wrestlemania 24 is the worst thing ever. It's like when Rik Mayall would do "acting" on Bottom Live shows.

 

I think HBK's OTT acting at SummerSlam 2005 tops his WM24 performance and Rik's too for that matter.

 

 

He meant to be an OTT Twat at Summerslam 05, taking the piss. Wrestlemania 24 was him trying to do it properly and be emotional, which makes it all the more embarrassing and sub Hollioakes.

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There's a cracking Jushin Liger vs Great Sasuke match where the story is Liger bullying and outclassing the plucky underdog Sasuke at every turn. At the end of the match Sasuke goes for a springboard but slips and lands splat on his face. Liger points and laughs at him and plays it up to the crowd big time. As Liger is distracted Sasuke hits him with a quick hurricanrana for the win. Best surprise ending I've ever seen. The fake botch just makes it perfect.

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Kept myself to six.

(1) Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels, Survivors 1992

Throughout this match they told the story that Michaels (Intercontinental Champion) was the fresher and hungrier of the two, that Bret had been defending the title too often and "burning the candle at both ends" (thanks Brain) and Shawn dominated for long stretches as a consequence. Bret made a few uncharacteristic mistakes and even after he survived Shawn's then-finish, that wristclutch back suplex (retconned to "Teardrop Suplex," though I never once heard it called that on commentary), you got the impression that Shawn would wear the Hitman down in the end. Throughout the match Bobby Heenan observed that Bret had not even ATTEMPTED the Sharpshooter - "He has not gone for his bread and butter." It felt like the champ was keeping that one last roll of the dice in case he needed it, and boy did he need it at the end. The finish itself was a perfect payoff to that. Shawn readies himself for a dropkick from the middle rope and the Brain tells us "This is it" and I pretty much believed him. Michaels launches himself into the middle of the ring, Bret catches him by the feet, applies the Sharpshooter, and the challenger submits. Bret played his last card, and he won. I thought it was a lovely bit of storytelling.

(2) Sting vs Dallas Page, Nitro, March 1998

I really got into this match and near the end, in spite of myself, knowing full well that Page (United States champ) wasn't ready for the big belt and knowing what each man was doing at the forthcoming Spring Stampede. They wrestled a clever match and at the end the thought crept in that DDP could win. The actual finish saw Page try and get the Diamond Cutter out of the corner which The Stinger avoided by grabbing the top rope and stopping the momentum and then used the position the two were in to grab the Scorpion Death Drop and get the pin. The reversing of each others finisher and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is one of the most dramatic finishes they can pull off when it's done right and this was perfect because you know if DDP hits the Diamond Cutter, he wins the belt. They were obviously pleased with how the finish came off, they recycled it a year later when Sting won the belt from only to lose it back to him in a four-way at the end of the night.

(3) Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi, Navigate For Evolution 2003

OK, it helps if you know the backstory. Kobashi has recovered from several injuries to claw his way back to the top contenders spot. He's going for the belt that he's not been able to win yet against his career rival, who he's never beaten for a singles title. Both men are really getting on and despite their history of belters, you know this is likely to be their last big collision. After an utter war, Kobashi smashes Mitsy with the lariat, his usual finish. The champ kicks out. Kobashi splatters him with a brainbuster, he kicks out again. Kobashi elevates him from the seldom used and never survived Burning Hammer, crowd and commentators lose their minds, Misawa gets unceremoniously dropped, Kobashi pins him and wins the belt. My reaction at the time was "Kick out of that, bitch." It's pretty simple in actuality, but the finality of Kobashi FINALLY taking the big belt from his toughest opponent needed such a blunt, hammer blow of a go-home.


(4) Samoa Joe vs Austin Aries, Final Battle 2004

Again, this one was so impressive because of the work that had been put in throughout the match and that the finish paid off from that. The seemingly unstoppable Joe told the story with his face and with his body language that like Bret in the example above, he was knackered, and at several points throughout the match Aries gets the better of him. A key element to the story of the match was that Aries kept trying and failing to get Joe up for the brainbuster, and that played in nicely at the end. A clearly knackered Joe tries to put Aries in the Muscle Buster and he gets reversed into a Crucifix Bomb. Aries kicks him flush in the face, the crowd audibly gasp, Joe's face shows how dazed he is, and Aries goes for the kill. The match has conditioned the live crowd so well that they pop enormously when the challenger gets the champion overhead for the brainbuster. They're going absolutely mental as Aries goes outside and up top because they ALREADY KNOW HE'S WON. The 450 is academic, a mere exclamation mark, the new champ crowning himself in style. After the reign Joe had, they did a remarkable job convincing the viewer during the match that Aries actually has a chance of beating him and the finish is the explosion of everything they've built towards.

(5) The Briscoes vs Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura, GHC Jr Tag belts, January 2008 (IIRC)

This one is more down to the ingenuity. The Briscoes get Marufuji ready for their springboard Doomsday Device and somehow Marufuji catches Mark as he flies through the air and lamps him with Shiranui Kai off his brothers' shoulders. Jay actually turns his back because he assumes the move completed and that the three count he can hear is Mark getting the pin. It's a stunning visual and an outstanding work of co-operation between the three guys that it looked as smooth as it did. The finish was so good that ROH copied it in Age Of The Fall/Briscoes tag title match a couple of weeks later but with Jimmy Jacobs catching Mark with the End Time instead, which looked almost as good.

(6) Bayley vs Sasha Banks, TakeOver Respect

This was my match of the year down to the tremendous storytelling. Bayley's working on Sasha's arm/hand in general was great as a callback to their previous match but the fact it played into the finish was superb old-school wrestling. When Bayley grabs hold and gets the Rings Of Saturn (near enough) I was buzzing - she's worked the arm, working the arm was crucial in her being able to escape the Bank Statement moments earlier, and working the arm was going to win the match for her. When she actually went for the fingers too, that's when it crossed over into BEAUTIFUL. Probably sounds sappy but I was kind of moved by how brilliant that was. "Grab the fingers!" I shouted, and SHE DID, because it made sense. Because that's what you or I would do in the same position. It's probably my favourite finish ever, because of the story told to that point being finished in such a perfect manner.

 

There's a cracking Jushin Liger vs Great Sasuke match where the story is Liger bullying and outclassing the plucky underdog Sasuke at every turn. At the end of the match Sasuke goes for a springboard but slips and lands splat on his face. Liger points and laughs at him and plays it up to the crowd big time. As Liger is distracted Sasuke hits him with a quick hurricanrana for the win. Best surprise ending I've ever seen. The fake botch just makes it perfect.

 

Ah, the Super J Cup. Have that whole show on a SiMania tape, still. Belter. I don't think it was a fake botch so much as Liger improvising and making the best of a bad situation. Genius.

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(3) Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi, Navigate For Evolution 2003

 

 

 Obvs

 

 

 

(4) Samoa Joe vs Austin Aries, Final Battle 2004

 

 

 

Obvs x 2. Joe's glassy eyed stare after taking one kick to the head too many is what proper wrestling acting should be.

 

 

 

(5) The Briscoes vs Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura, GHC Jr Tag belts, January 2008 (IIRC)

 

This one is more down to the ingenuity. The Briscoes get Marufuji ready for their springboard Doomsday Device and somehow Marufuji catches Mark as he flies through the air and lamps him with Shiranui Kai off his brothers' shoulders. Jay actually turns his back because he assumes the move completed and that the three count he can hear is Mark getting the pin. It's a stunning visual and an outstanding work of co-operation between the three guys that it looked as smooth as it did. The finish was so good that ROH copied it in Age Of The Fall/Briscoes tag title match a couple of weeks later but with Jimmy Jacobs catching Mark with the End Time instead, which looked almost as good.

 

 

 

I was there for that one. I remember looking at Jay and thinking "They've made you look like a real tit mate you look like a right tit mate". And Sugiura desperately thanking Maru after the win.

 

 

 

I imagine Liger was furious having to put that spot monkey over to begin with. Then he botches the finish.......

 

 

 

It has no emotional value but the ending to Fatal Four Way 2007: Tower of Doom, everybody's fucked. Edge gets up first, goes to spear Cena who leapfrogs out of the way leaving Orton to try and catch Edge with an RKO. Edge pushes off leaving Orton to be picked up in an AA. Orton slips out but gets pushed into a spear, Cean hits the AA on Edge, HBK rises from the dead to hit one last desperation superkick on Cena who then falls backwards onto Orton and gets the three. Utter indy level nonsense but because its those four guys its also utterly brilliant. The only finish I remember from any B-show post 2004

 

Also for something a little different Misawa vs Kobashi 31/10/98. By this time All Japan main events has become ridiculously dangerous, to the point where they're almost uncomfortable to watch now, especially after what happened to Misawa. As expected this match features all the head drops you could wish for and goes for over 40 minutes. You would expect the finish to be a super top rope neck destroying driver of some description but in fact Misawa, looking fucked, hits Kobashi, looking dead, with a couple of quick elbows to the face. The kind of thing he'd usually use in a strike exchange 10 minutes into a match. Kobashi just crumples to the mat and Misawa pins him, Whether he was legit knocked out or its just very good acting I never could figure out

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