Finishing Sequences

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Is it only me who often finds themselves disappointed with finishing sequences and/or match finishes in general? You will be watching a good match, and the finish happens and you get a 'that was it?' type feel?

I get the idea from watching TNA tonight (Who I feel are terrible about this. They have a much higher match quality than WWE most of the time, but their finishes tend to be lackluster) and it happened a few times.

Aries/Joe are in a barn burner, Aries hits his running corner drop kick, brain buster, that's it.

Angle/AJ vs Kaz/Daniels- AJ does a crazy ass gainer onto Daniels on the outside, and we get a pretty typical ankle lock in the ring (Kaz clearly was within reach of the ropes btw)

I was waiting for something bigger to happen in the ME but it was just a typical bottle shot, 3 count from Roode. How dumb is Sting? He saw Roode with the bottle and just walks into it. Yawn (this match was bad throughout anyway but the finish was abysmal.)

Anyway, what do you like to see out of a great finishing sequence, and what do you think are some of the best finishes to matches/finishing sequences of all time?

IMO a great finishing sequence is going to be A.) back and forth B.) at a higher pace than the rest of the match generally speaking and C.) Provide me with moments where I think the match is ending for both guys (commonly known as false finishes). If you can provide these aspects to the ending of a match, you have a great finish. Obviously it's a fine line and IMO WWE often times crosses the line (with the cheesy generic kickout of finishers spam) and it needs to be done more subtly than ROCK KICKS OUT OF THE STUNNER! AUSTIN KICKS OUT OF THE ROCK BOTTOM! back and forth and back and forth. This cheapens finishers and makes people anticipate that finishers aren't really going to end a match. It needs to be done with SIGNATURE moves (different from finishers), counters to finishers, submission struggles are good (will he/won't he get to the ropes?!?!?) and things of this nature.

So IMO here are some good examples of classic finishing sequences:

[video=youtube]http://youtu.be/08IYnKwk3iQ[/video]

[video=youtube]http://youtu.be/ZkU08QNL_pk[/video]

No so much a sequence, just an all time amazing finish for the story being told
[video=youtube]http://youtu.be/gini9P-dsH8[/video]

[video=youtube]http://youtu.be/X9llXNkA1Ts[/video]

[video=youtube]http://youtu.be/D_sT9He21xQ[/video]

Also HBK/Taker Mania matches epitomize great finishes.
Oh and Jericho/Punk had some solid finishing sequences as well.

Post what makes a finishing sequence great for you, and share examples of great match finishes.

 

[Lockard 23]

Depends entirely on the match. If it's a regular TV match that's only gonna go on for about 3-4 minutes anyway, then I don't mind if the finisher is just hit out of nowhere and that's it. I wouldn't even mind if matches that short just end in a regular small package or something. I think the intense back and forths (especially if/when guys start kicking out of each other's finishers) should be left mostly for the big matches, and I don't just mean any PPV match, but preferably main events.

 

[Jose Tortilla]

Well, imo it's like they want to give it all.
And atm the ref says: 'Take it home' they have to rush a little to end it. And it's often in a weird over rushed way.

 

[Matt]

i kind of like the old wwf matches where they win the match from out of nowhere.. you dont know it's going to happen and they dont need a finisher to do it.. most of the time these days you know when a match is going to end (exceptions are when they trick you by doing their finishers and kicking out)

 

[Crayo]

Great thread. Personally I like shock value to the finish. I don't want to see an awesome match end with the typical finisher, like Orton preparing for an RKO and hitting it ending the match. I want something shocking, I want the pace to double in the ending minute or two, and the winner countering an awesome move from the opponent to get the win. An example would be Bourne/Orton, if that was on a PPV and the match actually meant something, Orton's RKO after Air Bourne would have been one of the moments of the year. That is the stuff I like in finishes.

 

[seabs]

I want a match to end with a non finisher, it's quite common in Japan for example for a match to finish with a strike such as an elbow or clothesline after a finisher. It makes everyone look better. The person who loses made the other go further then usually required, whilst the winner was smart enough to adjust his moveset.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Depends entirely on the match. If it's a regular TV match that's only gonna go on for about 3-4 minutes anyway, then I don't mind if the finisher is just hit out of nowhere and that's it. I wouldn't even mind if matches that short just end in a regular small package or something. I think the intense back and forths (especially if/when guys start kicking out of each other's finishers) should be left mostly for the big matches, and I don't just mean any PPV match, but preferably main events.

I'm not talking about tv matches at all. This is about PPV matches pretty much exclusively. You don't start watching a tv match expecting greatness, and if anything the status quo of a TV match finishing with a regular finisher or sequence of moves is what establishes the patterns that can then be broken at PPV to help set up a good finish.

__________

I want a match to end with a non finisher, it's quite common in Japan for example for a match to finish with a strike such as an elbow or clothesline after a finisher. It makes everyone look better. The person who loses made the other go further then usually required, whilst the winner was smart enough to adjust his moveset.

If an American match ends with a clothesline everyone would bitch and you know it. I don't mind matches ending with non-finishers, it just has to be booked right.

Can you think of any examples from non-Japanese matches that provide the type of finish you are talking about and enjoy?

 

[Robbie Coletrain]

Can you think of any examples from non-Japanese matches that provide the type of finish you are talking about and enjoy?

Big Show vs Rhodes at Extreme Rules when he stepped on the table, no but seriously wtf was that about?
I think a perfect end to a match was HHH vs Taker in HIAC this year, i know it was a finisher but i thought it was just the perfect ending with HHH doing the DX chop then hit with the sledgehammer, then a tombstone, loved that finish and the whole match tbh.

 

[Aids Johnson]

I really get into the divas matches. :troll: Roll up, FTW.

 

[Bort]

You want every match to be an "epic" finisher fest, OP? 'Cuz that's really, really stupid.

 

[Rysenberg]

Agree with Dolph's and partly Seabs as well. They should make superstars have multiple ways of finishing a match so that they leave us uncertain of when it is going to end.

It tends to be worse when faces win to be honest, it's always so blatantly obvious when and how it is going to be happen, eg. Punk, Cena, Orton, Sheamus. And it totally ruins my match enjoyment.

Also every superstar should have a submission, they are always a good way of leaving me unsure.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

You want every match to be an "epic" finisher fest, OP? 'Cuz that's really, really stupid.

I guess you didn't read what I posted? Or watch the examples I posted? No, not at all. This response is really, really stupid.

I hate finisher fests like HHH/Taker put on. They don't do anything for me at all.

 

[Donald Trump_]

I want a match to end with a non finisher, it's quite common in Japan for example for a match to finish with a strike such as an elbow or clothesline after a finisher. It makes everyone look better. The person who loses made the other go further then usually required, whilst the winner was smart enough to adjust his moveset.

It's funny how JBL does his finisher the clothesline and wins. But a clothesline from anyone else fails. Same with the big show spear compared to Edge's. Big Show doesn't put win with the spear because it's not his finisher.

 

[Leo C]

It's funny how JBL does his finisher the clothesline and wins. But a clothesline from anyone else fails. Same with the big show spear compared to Edge's. Big Show doesn't put win with the spear because it's not his finisher.

It is a problem with lots of finishers that other wrestlers use as normal moves, it looks weird.

And that's the thing, talking about WWE exclusively, you sort of already know how the match is going to end. Matches never end with signature moves, so when one is hit, you pretty much know there is going to be a kick out. And only a few guys have submissions, which is a pretty interesting way to end matches too. They either have to make signature moves put a few opponents away or have people kick out of finishers, but a big PPV match with a back and forth last minute is always great.

 

[Bort]

I guess you didn't read what I posted? Or watch the examples I posted? No, not at all. This response is really, really stupid.

I hate finisher fests like HHH/Taker put on. They don't do anything for me at all.

TL;DR, tbh.