Welcome to another edition of FINISHER VS FINISHER for Smark Out Moment.
Finisher vs Finisher pits two or more wrestlers together that are known for performing the same signature maneuver against each other in an attempt to sort out who is the true master of the move. It's up to us to examine the positives and negatives associated with each person's legacy with the move and determine which one of them pulls it off better.
Honoring the recent release of WWE's former Monster Among Men, Braun Strowman, I figured it would be perfect to discuss one of Strowman's signature moves. It's time to dive into the target of today's finisher discussion...
THE POWERSLAM
The targets here are primarily Braun Strowman, British Bulldog, Batista, Mark Henry, Bobby Lashley, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Rhyno. Of course, others have used the move in the past, but these wrestlers have made this a cornerstone of their signature maneuver palette.
The main ways I would think one could judge a proper Powerslam are the setup, the snap into the slam, the wrestler's size in relation to the move, and the effectiveness of the maneuver as a finisher.
With Davey Boy Smith Jr. feeling the necessity to carry on his father's legacy, he does not do so well when it comes to his dad's finishing maneuver. Smith Jr.'s running powerslam is a maneuver he would adopt from his father's wrestling career. The snap of the slam is decent enough, but it did not look nearly as impactful as other variations of this move. Smith Jr. is eliminated immediately from this discussion.
Next, we have the current WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley. Lashley has held the WWE Championship for over three months. However, there is a reason he didn't utilize the powerslam to win the title. Lashley's variation of the running powerslam was dubbed the Dominator. (Note: Lashley would also do an inverted version of this slam that is, personally, one of my favorite wrestling moves of all time. However, this is not the maneuver we are discussing - only the front running powerslam.) Lashley's Dominator is a good one and would put away many opponents, but there is an element of weakness seen within the move. The Dominator is a great maneuver, but the snap is the weakest link in this combination. With that being said, this maneuver is out of the discussion.
Next, we have Batista. Batista never utilized the powerslam as a finisher, however, he would often bust it out throughout his WWE career. With Batista's pure stature and physique, his powerslam looks absolutely devastating (especially on smaller wrestlers like CM Punk and Rey Mysterio). However, his downfall comes in his inability to put away opponents with the move. The snap on this powerslam is great! With more illustrious powerslams existing in wrestling, we must excuse The Animal from this conversation.
Moving on, we have "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry. With a nickname like that, performing a finishing maneuver with the word "power" in its name is very apt. Henry would utilize this powerslam, dubbed The World's Strongest Slam, throughout his career. In his setup, Henry would often list his opponents horizontally against his chest before parading around the ring and dropping him with immense force. Henry had a beautiful snap with the maneuver, and would often put his opponent away with this move as his main finisher. The only drawback to Henry's powerslam comes from its lack of running. The force of Henry's powerslam is immense, but much of a typical powerslam's force comes from the running performed beforehand. Due to this drawback, Henry is disqualified from this conversation.
This variation of the powerslam absolutely surprised me with how much I loved it. Our next competitor is ECW legend Rhyno. Rhyno is particularly known for his Gore and Piledriver finishers. However, he also boasted an absolutely sick powerslam. Rhyno's set up for the maneuver was great. He would pick his opponent upon his shoulders and carry him around for seconds that feel more like minutes. Instead of falling forward in his running powerslam, he would rotate sideways and slam his opponent on their back with an intense snap. Overall, this is the best-looking powerslam on our list - but its biggest drawback is its inability to put people down for the three-count. With much remorse, Rhyno is out of this conversation.
Next, we have WWE Hall of Fame inductee British Bulldog. This man single-handedly popularized the running powerslam in the United States during his time in the WWF. The British Bulldog's rendition of the running powerslam is one of my favorites. Bulldog would have the typical setup for his powerslam, and he defeated many opponents with this maneuver. His snap in the maneuver is absolutely stellar, and his impact looks devastating. Bulldog's powerslam looks like he is actively crushing the organs of his opponents when he drives them into the mat. The one drawback for Bulldog's powerslam comes from his small stature. At 5'11", the former WWF Intercontinental Champion's powerslam loses some legitimacy due to his lack of size to back the emphasis of his move. This leads us to our top powerslam...
The top powerslam of the list comes from Braun Strowman. The former WWE Universal Champion used the running powerslam for the majority of his WWE career, and would put almost every opponent away with the maneuver when he landed it. Strowman's running setup and snap combination looks absolutely devastating. However, there is only one thing that sets this rendition of the move apart from any other - Strowman's monstrous size. At 6'8" and 385 lbs, Strowman's size makes this maneuver the most legitimate and believable game-ending maneuver in professional wrestling. With that being said, our choice for the best powerslam in wrestling is...
WINNER: BRAUN STROWMAN
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