Big moves in wrestling get repeated and innovated over time, heck all moves in wrestling get repeated and innovated over the years. Of course iconic moves are associated with specific superstars. While often times their “exclusive” to a certain wrestler for branding purposes, they’re not beholden to them exclusively either.

With some many maneuvers and wrestlers, sometimes it’s easy to either forget or simply didn’t know some wrestlers pulled off some iconic moves that other wrestlers were known for or had invented and innovated themselves.

UPDATE: 2023/12/09 07:30 EST BY STEFANO MOCELLA

Every year that passes by in wrestling makes it more difficult to innovate and outright invent a new signature move. The business has just been around for so long and there are so many promotions around the world. In today's digital landscape, fans also have more access to wrestling content than at any point in history, making it more difficult for a wrestler to find a move that fans haven't seen before. Fortunately, there are always ways to tweak or modify a tried and tested move for a wrestler to make it their own. In this list, we'll examine some iconic moves in wrestling and some wrestlers you didn't know performed them, either the original way or who put their own spin on it.

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10 The Cutter - Johnny Ace

Modified Versions Used By Steve Austin, Randy Orton, Diamond Dallas Page

Move Name

Wrestler

The Ace Crusher

Johnny Ace

Stone Cold Stunner

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Diamond Cutter

Diamond Dallas Page

RKO

Randy Orton

John Laurinaitis is one of the most polarizing figures in professional wrestling. To some, he’s served as Vince’s top sycophant, complimenting him on all of his maneuvers with his signature raspy voice. The Bellas and Bryan Danielson call him family. He’s often laughed at stateside for his brief run as a bleach blond Dynamic Dude, but in Japan he was one of the most successful Gaijin wrestlers of his era.

One thing that no one can ever take away from him is that he is the innovator of a move called The Ace Crusher, which morphed into not just The Stone Cold Stunner but The Diamond Cutter / RKO as well.

9 The Moonsault - Mando Guerrero

Moonsaults Have Since Been Used As A Staple High-Risk Move

Notable Moonsault Performers

Shawn Michaels

Lita

Charlotte Flair

Kurt Angle

Chavo Guerrero

During the 80s, the mysterious Great Muta would defeat his opponents with a devastating moonsault, when not blowing the Ancient Mist in their eyes. At the point, the move was seldom seen stateside and with no internet to tell fans otherwise, it was easy to think that Muta invented the move.

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However, it was actually invented by and then popularized by two members of the Guerrero family. Mando had invented the move in Mexico and Chavo (later Chavo Classic) popularized it stateside.

8 450 Splash - Scott Steiner

450 Splashes Are Now Banned In Some Promotions With Only Special Exceptions

Notable 450 Splash Performers

Scott Steiner

AJ Styles

Mustafa Ali

Paul London

Neville/Pac

Plenty of fans know that a younger and more agile Scotty Steiner adapted the Hurricanrana and dubbed it The Frankensteiner, bringing it to an American audience who had never seen it before. But even longer than before The Frankensteiner, the future Big Poppa Pump innovated one of the most exciting moves in all of wrestling - The 450 Splash.

It wasn’t long after he invented it that he was too big to do the move, but Luchadors and Cruiserweights all over actually owe Steiner a big thank you.

7 The Pedigree - Andre The Giant

A Pedigree From Andre The Giant Would Be Killer

Notable Pedigree Performers

Andre the Giant

Triple H

Seth Rollins

CM Punk

Stephanie McMahon

Triple H has been using The Pedigree as a big time finish since the moment he came to the WWE. His disciples like Seth Rollins and Tommasso Ciampa also use the move in tribute and to shock audiences here and there. CM Punk has used it before on the Indies off the top rope as The Pepsi Plunge.

But when he was a younger and far more athletic, Andre The Giant did a whole lot more than big chops and standing on his opponents’ gullets (not that he had to, but he did). Andre actually did The Pedigree on more than one occasion.

6 Diamond Cutter - Triple H

Triple H Stopped Using The Move As a Favor To DDP

Notable Diamond Cutter Performers

Triple H

DDP

Speaking of the legendary Cerebral Assassin, Triple H didn’t always use The Pedigree as a finish. He actually came to the WWE and tried to borrow from his future subordinate, Johnny Ace and use the cutter as a finish.

But after a simple request from his friend Diamond Dallas Page to not use that move, as Page was doing his best to try and get the move over in WCW, Hunter decided he’d get a different finishing move over instead. Needless to say, the switch worked well for all parties.

5 The Scorpion Death Lock / Sharpshooter - Ronnie Garvin

Perhaps The Most Iconic Submission Move In Wrestling History

Notable Sharpshooter/Scorpion Death Lock Performers

Bret Hart

Sting

Natalya

Cesaro

Ronnie Garvin

Invented by Japanese legend Riki Chosu, the Sasori-Gatame was a devastating leg submission hold that to this very day few have found a counter for. It was popularized in the states by the likes of Sting (as the Scorpion Deathlock) and Bret Hart (as The Sharpshooter).

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Bret popularized the move so well that when it’s done nowadays it’s in tribute to The Hitman. But aside from The Stinger, Rugged Ronnie Garvin of all people actually was one of the first superstars to bring the move stateside.

4 Tombstone Piledriver - Steve Austin

Steve Austin Used The Now Iconic Move In The Early 90s

Notable 'Tombstone' Piledriver Performers

The Undertaker

Kane

Steve Austin

Justin Credible

Kazuchika Okada

One of the sad things about Steve Austin getting dropped on his stack of dimes at SummerSlam 1997 is that he and Owen were having an amazing wrestling match. While talking through the match backstage, Austin famously made sure Owen knew how to land with during the Tombstone spot.

Owen said he'd land on his rear end and Austin just assumed The King Of Harts was ribbing him. Perhaps because five years earlier, Austin inadvertently did the same exact move to Masahiro Chono and broke his neck in the same manner Owen did to The Rattlesnake that he knew it was a bad idea.

3 The Skull Crushing Finale - Chris Jericho

The Miz Would Adopt The Move As His Finisher

Notable Skull Crushing Finale Performers

Chris Jericho

The Miz

For years, for a time, The A-Lister, The Miz has been accused of trying to be like Chris Jericho. It’s an easy comparison - both men can get tremendous heat on the microphone. Both men wore suits for a time and all sorts of outlandish ring gear just to look ridiculous.

Both men also used the awkward looking Skull Crushing Finale as a finish. When Jericho used it, his version was called The Breakdown. He broke out this move sometime in 2001 and would use it until the end of his first WWE run in 2005. When he returned in 2007, he introduced the Code Breaker as his alternative finish to the Walls of Jericho.

2 The Superplex - Cowboy Bob Orton

The Superplex Is Now A Mainstay In Wrestling Matches

Best Superplexes In Wrestling

Barry Windham

Bret Hart

Dynamite Kid

Cowboy Bob Orton

Randy Orton

For a brief time before nine hundred high impact moves were kicked out of 12 times each per competitor every match, a move like The Superplex was devastating and awe-inspiring to see.

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The move was popularized by Barry Windham and used by the likes of Bret Hart and in recent years Randy Orton would occasionally break out the move from his repertoire. He can actually claim ownership of the move however, since his father Ace Cowboy Bob Orton was the first person to use it.

1 The Heart Punch - The Undertaker

Used The Move As Mean Mark Callous In WCW

Notable Heart Punch Performers

Mean Mark Callous

Greg Valentine

Crush

As The Phenom, The Undertaker renamed Billy Robinson’s reverse Piledriver and called it The Tombstone. But we all know that. Prior to his epic WWE run, he was Mean Mark in WCW and used perhaps a more devastating move - The Heart Punch as his finish.

Originally used by old school heel, Ox Baker, the move was rumored in Kayfabe land to stop a man’s heart. Other wrestlers would eventually adopt the move over the years, as Crush would use it in WWE and who can forget, Greg The Hammer Valentine's version.