The Undertaker has had a number of finishers in his career, but which one ranks top out of them all?
In his long career, The Undertaker has been a constant inspiration and a legend unlike any other. He has had a number of gimmicks, including The Deadman, the American Badass and the leader of the Corporate Ministry.
As well as a selection of fine gimmicks, the WWE Hall of Famer has also had a selection of finisher moves.
The Undertaker’s finishing moves changed over his incredible 30-year career and are some of the most memorable in the history of wrestling.
In this article, we will look at all the finishers he has used over his career and rank which ones are the best and which ones simply don’t cut the mustard.
The Undertaker’s Finishers
Taker Care Of Business (Standing Dragon Sleeper)
Definitely the weakest of The Undertaker’s finishers. This standing variation of the Dragon Sleeper was rarely use and even less impressive looking.
The Undertaker managed to lock in a Dragon Sleeper hold, but kept standing on his feet. His opponent lay on his back, whilst still standing, remaining in a hold similar to a Sister Abigail move.
This is by far The Undertaker’s finisher that is least remembered. He only used it briefly during his American Badass run, and did not keep it in his arsenal when he went back to being The Deadman.
Chokeslam
Potentially the most iconic move of the Deadman’s, but its lack of exclusivity brings it right down this list.
The Chokeslam, which was said to have been invented by Abraham Lincoln, does exactly what it says on the tin. The Undertaker performs the finisher by lifting his opponent into the air by his throat, choking him as he slams him into the ground.
The move was occasionally used by The Undertaker as a finisher, but he preferred other moves as his match winner. The moves were used as finishers by Big Show and Kane in the WWE, dampening their status as a top finisher in the company.
Hell’s Gate (Gogoplata)
The best submission on this list is the Hell’s Gate.
The move is a triangle choke that sees The Undertaker press his leg into the throat of his opponent. This led to multiple superstars passing out and bleeding from the mouth when the finisher was brought into the WWE in 2008.
The Undertaker introduced the Hell’s Gate as a finisher during his 2008 feud with Edge. He used the move to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge, but later had it banned by Vickie Guerrero (in storyline) for being too deadly.
It was later unbanned, and The Undertaker used it as a finisher until he retired in 2020.
Tombstone Piledriver
The most iconic finisher move of The Undertaker is his Tombstone Piledriver.
Despite the name referencing his character’s past as an undertaker, the move actually predated him by many years.
However, the Undertaker made the Tombstone Piledriver his own, and it became one of the most iconic finishers in the history of WWE.
The Undertaker used the Tombstone Piledriver as his finisher to win most of his huge matches. It won him multiple WWE Championships, including against Hulk Hogan in 1992.
A jumping variant of the move was employed as The Undertaker’s Super Finisher, helping him win the main event of WrestleMania 26 against Shawn Michaels.
Last Ride
Whilst the Last Ride was not used as much as the Tombstone Piledriver, it is by far The Undertaker’s best finishing move.
The move takes the power bomb that was invented by Lou Thesz and makes it even more impressive. The Undertaker takes his opponent into the power bomb position, then lifts him even higher into the ear, straightening his arms before sending him crashing to the mat.
Whilst the move looks incredibly impressive and is one of the most impactful moves ever, it does have its drawbacks.
It would be impossible to pull off on the bigger wrestlers, even by someone as big and strong as The Undertaker. The chances of him being able to life the likes of Big Show and Mark Henry above his head for the Last Ride is impossible.
The Undertaker did attempt this finisher against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30. Sadly, in his concussed state, he was only able to lift him up for a power bomb in the corner. He ultimately lost the match and his WrestleMania streak.
For me, the Last Ride is The Undertaker’s best finishing move. It looks devastating and is so unique that most other wrestlers couldn’t even attempt to pull it off.
You could argue the Tombstone Piledriver is the best, but for me, it has to be the Last Ride.
What do you think is the best finisher of The Undertaker? Let us know what you think down in comments section below!
If you want to read more, click below to learn about the history of the Texas Death Match in the WWE.
