Every pro wrestler needs a finishing maneuver, especially in WWE, where every wrestler needs to be as distinct as possible from the others. A great finisher is the kind of maneuver that looks and feels like it could believably end a match and get a huge reaction from the live crowd. On top of that, it should be an expression of a wrestler’s best asset, be it strength, agility, or ability to use an opponent’s limbs against them.
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WWE’s women’s division offers a nice variety of finishing moves, from power moves to submissions, so let’s take a look at the 10 best finishers fans can see these days, working all the way to the best one.
10 Sharpshooter (Natalya)
Innovated by Riki Choshu in Japan and popularized in the West by Sting and Bret Hart, the Sharpshooter has been around long enough that it’s easy to take for granted. In that sense, it’s not unlike Natalya, second-generation star and Hart Family member who’s often the bridesmaid in WWE, the kind of performer that functions as a “good hand” rather than an anchor for the women’s division.
It doesn’t help that everyone vaguely affiliated with the Harts ends up using the Sharpshooter as a finisher in this promotion.
9 Figure Eight (Charlotte Flair)
Like Natalya, so much of Charlotte Flair’s presentation has to do with who she's related to. But the execution differs for Flair because there’s so many aspects of the character that uses her father Ric Flair as a springboard. Rather than coming out to the introduction of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, she comes out to a club remix of the iconic music.
And instead of the Figure Four leglock, Charlotte utilizes a variation with a bridging effect that she calls the Figure Eight, a clever remix on the iconic maneuver.
8 Kirifuda Clutch (Shayna Baszler)
A legit MMA talent with a 15-11 record, Shayna Baszler’s “Submission Magician” gimmick is anything but a put-on. Appropriately, to go with her no-nonsense persona, she has a legit finishing maneuver in her repertoire to put an end to matches in the form of the Kirifuda Clutch.
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The Kirifuda Clutch is nothing flashy, as it’s “just” a rear naked choke, but… it’s a rear naked choke, a “beginner” move that’s also oft-used in MMA because it’s supremely effective and so difficult to escape.
7 Code Of Silence (Carmella)
Fans would never mistake Carmella for a power wrestler or anything like that, and it seems Carmella was fully aware of that fact. To account for her size, Carmella developed a submission, the Code of Silence, which allows her to use her legs to choke opponents while also doing a one-handed push-up at the same time.
It’s an awesome-looking move that Carmella can do on pretty much any wrestler once she’s got them on the ground, making for one of the most underrated finishers in modern wrestling.
6 Twisted Bliss (Alexa Bliss)
There aren’t a ton of high flying finishers in WWE’s main roster women’s division, but one of the most prominent ones belongs to Alexa Bliss, and looks very cool. Originally named the Sparkle Splash when she was a babyface in NXT, Twisted Bliss is basically a twisting front flip splash off the top rope.
No one else in wrestling does this move, which Bliss developed based on the way she would dismount off of the balance beams in her gymnastics days. It’s interesting that she uses it, because it feels like such a pure babyface move, which Bliss has never been on the main roster.
5 Riptide (Rhea Ripley)
A ridiculously tall powerhouse with a heavy metal look, it should come as no surprise that aggressive Rhea Ripley has a highly impactful finishing. Ripley’s is a powerbomb with a pump-handle set-up called the Riptide, which not only looks great, but is often executed with authority.
The pump-handle set-up always looks cool, because it involves Ripley having full control of an opponent’s body, being so strong that she can just put an opponent’s arm where she wants to set up this powerful move.
4 Dis-Arm-Her (Becky Lynch)
Submissions like the aforementioned Figure Eight and Code of Silence look impressive, but sometimes a more straightforward finisher to get a tapout victory is in order. While “The Man” Becky Lynch has one of the worst slam finishers in WWE in the Manhandle Slam, she’s also got one of the best submissions as well in the Dis-Arm-Her.
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A play off of Yuji Nagata’s variation on the armbar, Shirome, Lynch’s Dis-Arm-Her looks great with the arm placement, and also looks incredibly painful. On top of that, the “disarmer” pun is pretty great, especially because it’s not just based on her name. It’s shocking that they never called it “The Lynchpin” or something.
3 Natural Selection (Charlotte Flair)
Given WWE’s over-reliance on Charlotte Flair, it’s only appropriate that she has two entries on this list. While the Figure Eight is notable for the Ric Flair connection, it’s not always a sure thing like many finishers.
However, if she’s able to hit Natural Selection, it’s almost always a decisive move to end a match. While the set-up seems a little contrived, requiring an opponent to be on her knees, it totally works for Charlotte Flair, making her seem like an opportunist.
2 K.O.D. (Bianca Belair)
One of the great new sensations of WWE’s women’s roster and already a former SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair has a perfect finisher in the facebuster slam K.O.D., short for Kiss of Death.
Not only does the reverse fireman’s carry set up look reminiscent of Kenta Kobashi’s legendary match-ending nuclear option the Burning Hammer, but it’s perfectly suited to Belair because she’s absurdly strong, and the K.O.D. allows her to show off that strength.
1 Bank Statement (Sasha Banks)
It’s hard to resist a submission finisher with a set-up as cool as Sasha Banks’ Bank Statement. To get the coveted tapout victory, Banks starts off putting her opponents' arms in a straightjacket position, delivering a double-knee lungblower to the back before transitioning into a crossface.
It sounds complicated, but it’s such a decidedly cool sequence of moves that all make sense together. Sometimes such an intricate series might work against a wrestler, but it’s perfect for Sasha Banks because it conveys that, despite her size, she’s a hard worker in the ring, stringing together moves to get the win.
