Reading through some of the responses in the "good matches ruined by their endings" thread, I realised that there are a lot of high profile examples of wrestling match endings that have negatively affected how well that match is perceived. But I'd probably find it more difficult to name examples of the opposite: matches which are actively enhanced by strong or creative finishes. 

This also draws off some discussion about WALTER/Ciampa from this week's Takeover ending with a single chop, which seems to have divided opinion. I watched that match and instantly loved it. It felt particularly refreshing for a modern WWE match to end with a move like that and it factored in the injury and subsequent selling of Walter's right hand as he had previously attempted offense with his left. I liked the match already but that unique finish helps it to move up a level in my eyes. 

I suppose I'm asking for both the best finishes in general as well as average or forgettable matches which have been immediately elevated by a memorable ending. 

The match itself is a very, very solid affair, and certainly nothing to sneeze at but not truly GREAT, but as overplayed as it became? HBK/Flair. "I'm sorry, I love you," Sweet Chin Music. Perfect ending.

I also have to show love to Taz/Bigelow from Heat Wave '98. A solid brawl, though not as entertaining overall as their previous effort at Living Dangerously, but the gimmicked ramp and Taz ripping himself free from the wreckage is just such a perfect visual that set his path to the World title on fire.

Come to think of it, I'd wager that a good chunk of Taz matches from the debut of the "shooter" gimmick until Anarchy Rulz '99 could be listed here. 

AJ Styles Vs Kota Ibushi at Invasion Attack 2015. The match itself is great, but the drama with Kenny Omega and THAT finish (which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it) make it stick out in my mind. There's also Bash At The beach 1996, which was a decent match completely elevated by the reveal.

Fujinami vs Maeda immediately comes to mind. The necessary improvisation ended up suiting the theme of the match far better than a time-limit draw would have...even if the video of the match doesn't do the finish as much justice as this photograph, one of my favorites in wrestling history.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania 31 was totally average until that jaw-dropping finish convinced half the internet they'd just seen a great match.

Bret/Piper at WM8 wouldn't be nearly as well-regarded without the finish. It's a great finish in its own right that stands out even more by virtue of being one of the few clean jobs Piper did in the WWF.

I really don't recall if Shelton-Shawn was this awesome match or not, but that springboard into Sweet Chin Music was beautiful.

11 hours ago, Kadaveri said:

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania 31 was totally average until that jaw-dropping finish convinced half the internet they'd just seen a great match.

Also Orton vs Bourne on that July 2010 episode of Raw. Fairly quality television match and nothing particularly outstanding,  but the RKO counter to the SSP just blew the place up and cemented the match. The timing by both those guys to make that spot work was next level stuff, it could have been an epic fail on live television too and they took a huge risk with it.

The Doc vs Kobashi match from August 93. That was the craziest most brutal finish I've ever seen. It would have been a good match anyways but that finish took it to another level.

I feel like every Randy Orton TV match has a clever finish 

Yup. Randy Orton coasts on having probably the best finisher of all time AND the best timing to implement insane counters. Decent matches get elevated by virtue of an insane RKO out of nowhere.

 

Edge/Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns was a great match but Roman stacking both opponents and making sure that all of their shoulders were on the mat before pinning them took it a step above. Shit was glorious.

5 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

Yup. Randy Orton coasts on having probably the best finisher of all time AND the best timing to implement insane counters. Decent matches get elevated by virtue of an insane RKO out of nowhere.

Randy Orton has the best finisher of all time? In what alternate universe?!

Just now, Shrike02 said:

Randy Orton has the best finisher of all time? In what alternate universe?!

In terms of versatility and applicability? Absolutely. It's an upgrade to the Diamond Cutter, which already was an amazing finisher.

3 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

In terms of versatility and applicability? Absolutely. It's an upgrade to the Diamond Cutter, which already was an amazing finisher.

Ok then. I ... I should stop being so argumentative. But I don't see this line of reasoning as persuasive. I'll step back and compose an actual argument based on first principles down the road.

I'm all ears, bubba. Or eyes. I mean I'm not trying to turn this into objective truth or anything, but I'd be down to have the "best finisher ever" as a topic of discussion somewhere down the line.

29 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

In terms of versatility and applicability? Absolutely. It's an upgrade to the Diamond Cutter, which already was an amazing finisher.

I agree with you, but how is it an upgrade from the Diamond Cutter? Okay, I'll grant you, it's been a while since I've seen DDP pull off one of those in his heyday, but they seem like the same move to me. 

Do you mean just in terms of the whole "outta nowhere" aspect of the move? DDP did some of that, but Randy definitely took it to the next level. 

There's more of a snap to the RKO than there was to the Diamond Cutter.

 

Also, to add to the main purpose of the thread, I'd say that Kobashi/Hansen, July 29th, 1993, has a great, different finish. Hansen just stands up and smacks the shit out of Kobashi. I don't think I've seen many things like that afterward.

Another one that comes to mind is SmackDown's Elimination Chamber at No Way Out 2008. That powerslam reversal into the tombstone is just *chef's kiss*

The RKO checks all the boxes for a great finisher- its safe, anybody can take it regardless of size or ability, it looks cool and dangerous (in the context of fake pro wrestling), and there are a million clever ways to set it up or counter it. 

@KawadaSmile If I remember correctly Kobashi was in the air mid leg drop or mid moosault when Hansen clobbered him, right?

4 minutes ago, joeg said:

 

@KawadaSmile If I remember correctly Kobashi was in the air mid leg drop or mid moosault when Hansen clobbered him, right?

Something much more simple and brutal. Kobashi slammed Hansen to set up for the moonsault. Hansen just stands up and grabs Kobashi on the top rope. After exchanging blows, Hansen lariats (more like straight up punches) Kobashi in the face. 

JoeG is talking about the April match, Kawada is talking about the July match. Both awesome finishes.

Ooooh yeah. Ok. I'm thinking of their Korakuen match from April. Kobashi's big singles matches always seemed to have a brutal, believable finish.

3 hours ago, C.S. said:

I agree with you, but how is it an upgrade from the Diamond Cutter? Okay, I'll grant you, it's been a while since I've seen DDP pull off one of those in his heyday, but they seem like the same move to me. 

Do you mean just in terms of the whole "outta nowhere" aspect of the move? DDP did some of that, but Randy definitely took it to the next level. 

I can understand the argment for both sides. Yeah, DDP did the Diamond Cutter from various angles sometimes but you look at some of Orton's most memorable RKOs and the timing on those were insane: the Evan Bourne Shooting Star Press into the RKO, Seth's Curb Stomp attempt into an RKO at Wrestlemania 31 - I believe there's also one from RAW with Carlito attempting a springboard or something that was awfully nice too.

The drop kick Jim Brunzell lands on Tito Santana to win the high flyers - strike force matchup from St. Paul in 1982 is a fantastic, hard hitting ending to an action packed, back and forth scientific encounter. Having a definitive winner in a face vs face match is always a nice bonus in old school matches, and an ending like that really punctuated the match as a great one for me.

Flair/Von Erich from Christmas Star Wars '82. Take a largely one-off appearance by Flair and spark the hottest feud in wrestling. 

Misawa's surprise win over Jumbo is the ultimate example of this for me. Very good match, not nearly as good as their rematch three months later (I know some disagree), but it's the one that endures because of the finish, the atmosphere in the arena and everything it set up. 

Mankind winning the WWF title from the Rock was just the typical clusterfuck match of its time until Austin came out to one of the biggest pops of all time. That plus the post-match celebration of "Mrs. Foley's baby boy" made it one of the Attitude Era's greatest moments.