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Aug 09, 2023

10 Most Boring Finishers Of WWE's Golden Era

There were a bunch of finishing moves that were actually kind of boring during

There were a bunch of finishing moves that were actually kind of boring during the Golden Era, including finishers from WWE's top stars.

The Golden Era of WWE — lasting from the early 1980s to the early 1990s — was a major boom period for the company and pro wrestling at large, with Hulkamania bolstering the promotion's national expansion. As revolutionary as the era was, the in-ring content of the Golden Era is very different from what fans are used to with modern wrestling. Matches back then were far less fast-paced and flashy, and finishing moves were often rather simple.

RELATED: 10 1980s Finishers That Wouldn't Work Today

While some straightforward moves like Mr. Perfect's Perfect-Plex and Randy Savage's Flying Elbow were effectively exciting, there were a bunch of signatures that were actually kind of boring — including finishers from WWE's top stars of the era.

A well-liked midcard babyface in the 1970s and 1980s, "The Polish Hammer" Ivan Putski was shockingly jacked even for the era, and enjoyed a 173-day run with the World Tag Team Championship alongside Tito Santana. However, his finishing move — also called The Polish Hammer — left a lot to be desired. Basically, Putski would fold his hands together and swing them at an opponent's chest. It's one of those moves that fans can see today in strikers like New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Shingo Takagi, albeit never as a finisher.

One of the Golden Era's most outrageous stars, The Ultimate Warrior was some kind of deranged combatant from another dimension ("Parts Unknown") who was at one point in line to take Hulk Hogan's place as the face of the company. Despite his energy and intensity, his finishing maneuver shockingly wasn't the most exciting thing on earth (or in Parts Unknown). After a Gorilla Press Slam, Warrior would bounce off the ropes and perform a Running Splash, meaning he’d just jump and fall face-down on a guy's chest.

One of the most basic wrestling moves that amateur wrestlers learn in high school, the Full Nelson is often used as a set-up for another maneuver these days, like The Miz's Skull Crushing Finale or the Dragon Suplex. However, back in the 1980s it was used as a finisher by both Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules, who fought over who had a better one at WrestleMania 3.

RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Used The Full Nelson As A Finisher

Modern fans have seen a pretty exciting version of the Full Nelson from Bobby Lashley, who violently jerks his opponents around after locking it in. When Hercules did it, he just kind of wiggled a bit.

As silly as the Iron Claw submission may look, for many fans it's forever associated with the Von Erich family, starting with patriarch Fritz Von Erich and going down to his children, including superstar son Kerry Von Erich. Upon arriving in WWE in 1990, "The Texas Tornado," still utilized the Iron Claw, but not as a finisher. Instead, he had the Discus Punch, where he’d spin around before delivering a forearm to his opponents. It was appropriate to his WWE sobriquet, but was ultimately a bit underwhelming.

Italian-Canadian wrestler Dino Bravo spent six years in WWE as the average foreign heel midcarder. On top of that, his finishing maneuver wasn't much to write home about either, as it was a simple Sidewalk Slam. While he made the feat of strength required to execute the move look effortless, for modern fans it's just a regular pro wrestling move. At worst, it's tough for WWE fans of recent years to not see it and think of Michael Cole shouting "Vintage Kane!"

One of the most underrated stars of the Golden Era, Rick Martel turned heel on his Strike Force tag team partner Tito Santana to become "The Model" Rick Martel, a self-absorbed heel with a perfume spray bottle he’d use to cheat in matches. Once he gained an advantage of his opponent —- usually by said spray bottle — Martel would lock in his finisher, a regular Boston Crab. While it may have been a great endgame move in the past, it's become such a cliche thanks to cartoons and other representations of pro wrestling that it's difficult to not feel underwhelmed by its actual use in the ring.

Working a proto-Steve Austin gimmick as a violent loner in WWE, Bad News Brown boasts an impressive past, not only as an Olympic bronze medalist in judo, but also as a trainee of Antonio Inoki in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo. Appropriately, his finisher, The Ghetto Blaster, is a version of Inoki's signature move, the Enzuigiri head kick.

RELATED: 10 Things Wrestling Fans Should Know About Bad News Brown

While occasionally he could make it look good, like when he nailed Bret Hart with it at WrestleMania 4, at its worst it looked like he gently touched the back of his opponent's head while falling down at the same time.

Following his feud with former boss "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, the infamous and memeworthy Virgil adopted DiBiase's Million Dollar Dream as a finisher, which is a great submission maneuver. Otherwise, however, Virgil utilized as his signature one of wrestling's more common transitional moves: the Russian Leg Sweep, which is basically a side-hug that involves tripping a dude so he falls backwards. To evoke The Hitman again, it was one of Bret Hart's famous "Five Moves of Doom."

A wrestler best known for being buds with Hulk Hogan and having way too many gimmicks over the course of his career, Ed Leslie is best known to fans as his WWE character, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. Playing off the Barber thing, Beefcake's finisher could have been anything — for example, a scissor kick, a chop to the head, or an Enzuigiri called "The Close Shave" or something. Instead, Beefcake had as his big match-ending move one of the least dynamic submissions in pro wrestling: the appropriately named Sleeper Hold.

The iconic Hulk Hogan is a problematic figure in so many ways, but one of the more baffling things about his in-ring performances was the fact that his finisher was the Running Leg Drop, where he’d bounce off the ropes and drop his leg onto a guy's throat. Not only is it kind of unspectacular for one of the top stars of wrestling, but it's not befitting a guy who regularly bragged about the size of his "24-inch pythons" but said little about his legs. Not to get all "five stars if it happened in the Tokyo Dome," but at least in Japan his finisher was a lariat.

Danny Djeljosevic is a writer based in San Diego, CA. His last name is slightly easier to pronounce than it looks.