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3 Most Protected Finishers In WWE Today, Ranked
There are many challenges on the road to becoming a legendary WWE superstar, but one of the most difficult challenges is figuring out a great finishing move. There have been so many great moves over the years that it can be an issue trying to find one that hasn’t been done before, and that can also bring a reaction out of a WWE crowd, and that’s only half the battle, as you also need to net some actual wins using that move. Over the years, there have been some great moves that stayed protected for a long time, and while there are fewer of those around these days, they still do exist. That’s why we’re ranking the 3 most protected finishers in the WWE today, and here’s our criteria.
The biggest element of this list is obviously that it’s a finisher currently being used by an active talent in the company. That means while Undertaker has shown up quite a bit lately on WWE TV, his patented Chokeslam is not on this list. The other key part of this is that the move needs to actually be protected, so while the Cross Rhodes, the RKO, and the Spear might be huge finishers, they find themselves kicked out of more than you’d think, so they aren’t here either.
3. Sol Ruca (Sol Snatcher)
At spot number 3, we’re highlighting one of WWE’s brightest up-and-coming superstars in Sol Ruca, who is currently a double Champion in WWE NXT. Ruca recently made her in-ring debut on SmackDown, too, and she dazzled main roster fans with one of the most original and impressive finishers in all of wrestling, the Sol Snatcher.
Ruca has only been wrestling in WWE for around 3 years, but she’s already got one of the most entertaining finishing moves in wrestling. Utilizing her gymnast background, Ruca either runs up the turnbuckle or leaps from the top and does a forward flip into a cutter, bringing down her opponent to the mat with impact and style.
After it dazzled a few crowds on TV, the move has become a marquee moment in any match Ruca’s involved in, with WWE adding other layers to it, like when Ruca hit two people at once with it. Now that the finisher is so popular, it’s also been increasingly protected. Ruca doesn’t lose all that much anyway as a whole, but if she hits that move, the likelihood of her losing diminishes substantially, and it’s likely to be that way when she eventually joins the main roster full-time.
2. Aleister Black (Black Mass)
Earlier this year, Aleister Black made his return to WWE, and in the same segment instantly reminded everyone why his finishing move is one of WWE’s most vicious. Black laid out The Miz with a thunderous kick to the temple that brought a lot of people back to when Black was knocking out opponents left and right with that move in NXT, and it was devastating back then too.
Black Mass is at its heart a pretty simple move, but it’s the execution that makes it work so well. At this point, Black has it down to a science, executing the kick cleanly and with a smoothness that then dips into high impact, and Aleister almost always makes the kick feel and look as if he just knocked someone’s head off.
WWE thankfully didn’t mess with a good thing, and while Black’s booking has been a bit questionable since returning, what has remained intact is the devastation his finishing move delivers. Even against foes like Damian Priest, the move continued to be effective and brutal every time he connected with it. Aleister Black could use a few more wins at the moment, but Black Mass still holds its place as one of the deadliest moves in WWE, so when Black hits it, he’s likely going to come away with the win.
1. Bianca Belair (K.O.D. – Kiss of Death)
We’ve arrived at the number 1 spot, and that belongs to The EST Bianca Belair and her standout finishing move, the K.O.D. The K.O.D. (aka the Kiss of Death) has become the most effective and protected finishing move in WWE, and Belair always makes the move look completely devastating.
Belair lifts up her opponent onto her shoulders and then flips them over and brings them down face-first onto the mat. It’s like an Attitude Adjustment that then turns into a face-first powerbomb, showcasing Belair’s varied skillset while also simultaneously looking brutal for the opponent. Belair also has the ability to pull this finisher off against pretty much any opponent, regardless of their size, and each opponent allows the move to shine in its own way.
There’s also the matter of how much the move has been protected over the years while still staying under the radar. The K.O.D. might not be as well known as the RKO, the Curb Stomp, or the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, but it’s actually more protected than just about all of those. When Belair hits a K.O.D., it’s rarely followed by a kick out, and that’s been the case for years. That likely won’t change when Belair returns to the ring either, so at the moment, The EST has the most protected finisher in WWE.
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