Crossface Chicken Wing Is a Stupid Name for a Wrestling Move

Finishing moves are used to close a match in professional wrestling and hence, it plays a key role in shaping up a match and the accompanying story. With a scintillating finisher, a superstar wraps up the match, pinning the opponent to seal the victory.

There are several high-end finishers in WWE and many of those moves have evolved over the years. From high-flying finishing stunts to strength-based ones, a number of captivating maneuvers have secured names in the history book. On the other hand, there are finishers that are not convincing for the eyes. For both good and bad, a finisher's name is just as important as the move itself. Here are 10 of the worst finisher names ever heard in WWE that got fans' attention for all the wrong reasons.

10 Khallas (Jinder Mahal)

Jinder Mahal had a dream run in 2017 when he became the WWE Champion. As a matter of fact, he had a meaningful title reign which lasted a couple of months. As a heel, The Modern Day Maharaja had back-ups in Singh Brothers, and he also introduced a new finisher.

Mahal brought a new finisher called 'Khallas,' which means 'finish' in Hindi, the primary language of India. It was certainly one of the worst names ever, especially when the commentators struggled to pronounce it during a match. The name and idea behind Mahal's finisher aren't bad at all, but actually saying 'Khallas' out loud proved to be a tongue twister for some.

9 The Natural Selection (Charlotte Flair)

Being a versatile wrestler, Charlotte Flair has had a number of finishers that showed just how creative she was when it came to wrestling. While she uses the Spear to get the job done, she also uses Figure Eight. However, The Queen has another finisher in her arsenal, which is called Natural Selection.

Natural Selection is a brilliant move, as Charlotte attacks her opponent from behind and plants their face on the mat. While it might be an eye-catching maneuver, the name doesn't suit it. Calling it Natural Selection is just absurd and it may accidentally imply worse things than a sick finisher like this should.

8 The Lie Detector (R-Truth)

R-Truth has had many finishing moves ever since arriving in the WWE. The highly-entertaining superstar has been on a roll in the past year, raising the bar of the lower mid-card division with the 24/7 Championship, making him a bona fide fan-favorite.

What younger fans may not recall is that, a few years ago, R-Truth had a finishing move called the Lie Detector. It was certainly a bizarre name for any finishing maneuver to begin with, and it failed to any kind of sense in R-Truth's case.

7 The Underwear Swipe (Phantasio)

It's possible that not many people remember Phantasio, who had a short stint in WWE in the '90s. Phantasio had a couple of TV appearances on RAW, and he generally wrestled in dark matches and house shows. Nevertheless, his finisher was a weird one, which is why it made the list.

Phantasio's finishing move was known as Underwear Swipe - yes, really. Basically, he would take out the underwear of his opponent to roll up for a win. While his finishing move was worse, its name was equally bad so at least it was appropriate.

6 The F5 (Brock Lesnar)

Arguably the most dominant man in any era, Brock Lesnar has been in the wrestling business for years. Lesnar has primarily used one finishing move throughout his career, which is called F5. The eight-time world champion has won many historic matches with this iconic move but the name just doesn't honor his legacy properly.

While it might be a deadly and unique finisher, the name is certainly strange. Containing just a letter and a number, it doesn't do justice to the lethal finisher, making it one of the worst (and most confusing) names in wrestling history.

5 1916/Bloody Sunday (Finn Balor)

Finn Balor uses two finishers in his matches. The first is the Coup de Grace: a double stomp from the top of the rope that's one of the most stupendous moves seen in WWE today. Moreover, his other finishing move is a treat for eyes, but the name doesn't go well with it.

Balor's other finisher is called 1916, which is an elevated DDT. When he used the same maneuver in Japan, it was called Bloody Sunday. 1916 or Bloody Sunday -  both bewildering names for such an exquisite finisher that sound more like obscure historical references only Balor gets - doesn't fit well,which just makes it as terrible as it is confusing.

4 The Wasteland (Wade Barrett)

Wade Barrett had a great run in WWE for nearly five years. The former Nexus member won some notable accolades in his career but besides winning the King of the Ring tournament, Barrett also won the Intercontinental Championship five times.

In the initial part of his career, Barrett had a spectacular finisher but the name didn't make sense. Wasteland, his finishing move, seemed like a predictable and dull name for such an impactful maneuver, and he eventually stopped using it.

3 The Disarmer (Becky Lynch)

Becky Lynch, the reigning RAW Women's Champion, is currently one of the biggest names in WWE and is certainly the biggest draw of women's division. Remaining the RAW Women's Champion for over a year, The Man has made a statement and she's going nowhere but up. Predominantly, Lynch finishes her matches with a submission move, Disarmer. Also, this name sucks.

A myriad of women might have tapped out to the Irish Superstar, but the name of the maneuver is not fitting. The Disarmer is a unique armlock but its strangely lame name diminishes the credibility of this distinct maneuver.

2 The Cross Face Chicken Wing (Bob Backlund)

Bob Backland was one of the biggest names from the past, attaining colossal success in the '70s and '80s. The three-time WWE Champion held the record of the second-longest title reign in WWE history, just behind Bruno Sammartino. The legendary superstar had an incredible wrestling career lasting 30 years that saw him win countless titles and matches, but his finishing move was a bizarrely named one.

Infamously, Backland finished off his foes with what was known as the Cross Face Chicken Wing. It was basically a softer version of Rear Naked Choke, but the confusingly convoluted name that sounds more appropriate at a fast food joint was one of the worst finisher names in history.

1 The Cobra (Santino Marella)

Any list talking about the awful finisher names wouldn't be complete without Santino Marella's famous finisher: The Cobra. The maneuver was ludicrous, and the fans were often vocal about it. The badass name contrasted too much with to the actual move, which was - to put it kindly - a joke.

A real life cobra is considered to be one of the most dangerous reptiles in the world. But by giving the name "Cobra" to Santino and his pet arm sleeve, WWE made a mockery of the venomous snake. It's because of this that The Cobra should be called one of the worst finishing move names ever.

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About The Author

Avik Das (413 Articles Published)

Avik is a wrestling enthusiast, and he has been following it since the Attitude Era. The Rock and The Undertaker are his favorite wrestlers. He has a Bachelor's degree in English Literature.

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Crossface Chicken Wing Is a Stupid Name for a Wrestling Move

Source: https://www.thesportster.com/wrestling/wwe-worst-finishers-names-ranked/

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