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 singles push of WWE's resident Swiss Superman, Cesaro, I figured it would be perfect to discuss one of Cesaro's signature moves. It's time to dive into the target of today's finisher discussion...
THE SHARPSHOOTER
The targets here are primarily The Rock, Sting, Tyson Kidd, Edge, Riki Choshu, Cesaro, Bret Hart, and Natalya. 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 Sharpshooter are the setup, the amount of pressure a wrestler puts on the spine, and the way the maneuever is sold. Without further ado, let's get into the list.
While The Rock's character may be one of the most electrifying in wrestling history, his Sharpshooter did not meet the standard. Rocky's signature Sharpshooter is one of the worst Sharpshooter's I have ever seen. It looks like he barely sits down into the maneuever, and his opponent doesn't sell the move like it's agonizing. I feel like I could fall asleep if The Rock locked his sharpshooter in on me, so he's out of the conversation.
Next, we have the innovator of the Sharpshooter, Riki Choshu. Choshu is a legend in the wrestling industry and is credited for inventing the 'Sasori-Gatame' (translated in English as "for the scorpion.") However, Choshu's rendition of the maneuver suffers from the same issue as The Rock. Choshu's might even be a little worse, but what type of person would I be to eliminate the inventor of the move immediately? Unlike The Rock, however, Choshu would put away his opponents with this move the majority of the time. Despite this, he is also eliminated from this discussion.
Next, we have Natalya. Despite Natalya being a descendant of the man who popularized the maneuver in North America, Natalya's Sharpshooter isn't the most exciting in the world. I don't have much to say on Natalya's variation of the maneuver. I do like that she wrenches on her opponent's legs, almost bouncing up and down on her opponent to make the maneuver look more painful. Her opponents sell the move decently, but Natalya's sit-down doesn't make the move look too hot. With that being said, The Queen of Hart's is out of the conversation.
In my best Tony Schiavone voice, IT'S STIIIIIIING! Sting is one of the two most popular wrestlers to ever utilize this move as a part of their arsenal regularly. As a legend in the industry, I mean no disrespect, Sting's variation of this maneuver (the Scorpion Death Lock) is nowhere near the top of the list. His sit-down in the maneuver is pretty solid, but it just doesn't even look that effective. I'm not a fan of Sting's rendition of this move. Sting is out.
Surprisingly, this is where we begin to get into the upper-echelon of Sharpshooters. We have 'The Rated-R Superstar' Edge at this position in the line-up. Edge has the most unique variation of the Sharpshooter of everyone on this list. Edge's rendition, the Edgecator, is a kneeling inverted variation of the maneuver that looks much more brutal than any other method of performing this move. The only reason that this move isn't number one comes in the fact that Edge never put a single person away with this maneuver (as far as I know.) It looks absolutely brutal. I couldn't imagine the pain from Edge's knee being shoved into your spine with your spine already being bent half-backward. Sadly, Edge is off of the list.
Next, we have Tyson Kidd's rendition of the Sharpshooter. Tyson was an absolute ring general within his in-ring career. Looking at Kidd's sharpshooter felt like a breath of fresh air after having to watch Riki Choshu's version of the move. Tyson Kidd's variation has a nice arch of the legs that effectively stretches the spine. Overall, Kidd's Sharpshooter looks much more painful. I would not want to be locked into that move. While there's not much bad about this Sharpshooter, it isn't number one on the list.
Our penultimate pick in the "Best Sharpshooter" conversation would be WWE's Cesaro. Serving as the inspiration for this piece, Cesaro's Sharpshooter is one of the best I have ever seen. The first aspect of Cesaro's take on the move comes in the setup. Typically, The King of Swing lives up to his name prior to locking in the Sharpshooter. The combination of the Cesaro Swing and the Sharpshooter puts 'The Swiss Cyborg' at number two on the line-up. However, there can only be one top name.
You had to have known it was coming. 'The Excellence of Execution' Bret Hart is the king of the Sharpshooter. No doubt about it. Bret Hart's facial expressions and mannerisms make this maneuver for me. Hart's sit-down into the Sharpshooter looks absolutely brutal on almost every single opponent he's locked the maneuver on. Arguably, Bret Hart has put more people away with the Sharpshooter than anyone else in wrestling history. The legitimacy Hart brings to the wrestling industry, he also brought to this maneuver. This is a man whose name will be tied to this maneuver for the rest of time.
WINNER: BRET HART
Who do you think owns this move? Cast your votes in the Google Form below. Click here to open the direct link in a new window if you are unable to view it.
WHO DID YOU VOTE FOR?
KEEP THE DISCUSSION GOING BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW!
0 comments: