Sometimes a signature move can be just as important as a wrestler's finishing move, especially if it gets the crowd excited and ready for the big finish. Fan interaction has always been a crucial element in professional wrestling. In years prior, many performers would call the match in the ring, letting the audience's reaction be their guide to the next spot. Nowadays, things are done a bit differently but receiving crowd response is still a very important component.

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A performer's finisher is usually guaranteed to trigger a crowd reaction. However, just below the reaction for a finisher is the reaction to a signature move. A signature move isn't a finisher, rather an offensive maneuver that fans have come to expect from a performer. Some signature moves are a prelude to a finisher, while others are just transitional spots. Whatever the case, there's been some signature moves over the years that fans just can't seem to get enough of.

UPDATE: 2023/06/18 23:12 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

The big difference between a signature move and a regular move for a wrestler is the crowd response. Wrestlers often use the same moves in every match they compete in. However, there is always one move that the crowd pops big for. This is not a move that ends a match, but one that gets the fans all excited, and either popping loud for the moment or even giving big chants along with the moves as the wrestler pulls them off. A match without this signature move would often turn off fans, as these are the moves that everyone expects anytime a specific wrestler steps into the ring.

20 Dusty Rhodes' Bionic Elbow

Years before The Rock was stopping for his People's Elbow and JOhn Cena was hitting people with his Five Knuckle Shuffle, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes had a signature move of his own that was even more devastating. However, just like those later moves, it didn't look like it really hurt and was really there to get the fans excited about what was coming next. This was Rhodes' Bionic Elbow.

Dusty would get an opponent into position, and then he would do his jiggling and little dance in the ring. With the opponent stunned and unable to do anything but wait for contact. After Dusty wiggled his hips, he would spin his hands in circles and then stop and hit a big elbow to his opponent's head, knocking them to the mat. It was a way to get the fans excited over anything else. Dustin Rhodes and Cody Rhodes both use it on occasion to pay homage to their dad.

19 Roman Reigns' Superman Punch

Roman Reigns finishing move is the spear, which he uses with great impact to take someone out with one big hit. No one in wrestling today hits a spear like Roman Reigns. However, there is a signature move that Roman uses before he hits his spear to get his opponent stunned, so he can time his finisher properly. Roman actually has two signatures, with the Drive By and the Superman Punch, but it is the punch that gets the fans all involved in what he is about to do.

Roman gets his opponent down with a power move and then waits in the corner. He then squats down before rising and giving a loud war yell to the sky. He then races across the ring, leaps into the air, and comes down with a giant punch that takes just about anyone in wrestling down to the mat. Then, it is just a matter of time before his hits his spear for the one-two-three.

18 Dudley Boys' Wassup

It is funny, because the Dudley Boyz didn't use Wassup in ECW and it was a move they used once in WWE before Vince McMahon asked that they do it all the time. This was not something that D-Von Dudly liked, but McMahon overruled him (via Wrestling Inc). Soon, the Wassup became one of the most popular signature movies in the Dudley Boyz repertoire.

This was the move where the Dudley Boyz took an opponent down to the mat. With them on their back, Bubba Ray would then grab their legs and spread them apart while D-Von climbed to the top turnbuckle. The two would then yell "Wassup" (which at the time was part of a beer commercial slogan) and then drop down with a headbutt to the opponent's groin. It didn't lead to much, but it was something the fans loved.

17 The Young Bucks Superkick Party

The Young Bucks remain one of the top tag teams in the world today, and two of the biggest stars in AEW. While they have just as many haters as fans, they do a lot right and that includes getting fans involved in their matches. Something they have done since their days in PWG, Ring of Honor, and NJPW was utilizing superkicks - almost to an absurd amount.

This became know in the indies as the Superkick Party. There was even a time in Ring of Honor where a ticket began counting on the screen for every superkick they delivered, and they would often throw 20 or more superkicks in a short amount of time, taking out everyone around them. In AEW, they no longer use the Superkick Party (although it is part of their personal theme song), but they still deliver some of the best superkicks in the industry.

16 Asuka's Mist Blow

It is often strange to consider cheating to be a signature move, but when it is as iconic as Asuka's mist blow, that is exactly what it is. Asuka works with a mist pack somewhere on her body and when things get tough, she is able to put it in her mouth, pop it open while in there, and then blow her mist into her opponent's face, often blinding them and helping Asuka hit her finisher to pin the blinded opponent.

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This, of course, did not originate with Asuka. One of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling when Asuka was coming up in the business was The Great Muta. The legend would always blow his green mist, and that was something American fans saw regularly when he worked in WCW and feuded with Sting back in the early 1990s. Asuka took it on as her own and has kept the move alive with wrestling fans in the 2020s.

15 Claudio Castagnoli's Big Swing

Claudio Castagnoli started using his Big Swing in the indies. When he worked in PWG, fans would start calling on him to do the swing, and then count along to see if he could break previous records. The move is simple, yet difficult. Claudio takes his opponent by their feet and then starts spinning in circles. It would take him numerous spins before he even got too dizzy to continue.

There are two things to note about this signature move. The first is Claudio hitting enough swings without falling himself due to dizziness. The second is the other wrestler keeping himself at a perfect angle for the swing. Claudio's record in WWE was 23 swings on Seth Rollins. In Chikara, he almost hit 100 swings on Grizzly Redwood while Bryan Danielson counted along.

14 Sheamus's Beats Of Bodhran

Sheamus is one of the biggest bruisers in WWE. He has been turning in solid matches for years as someone who just goes into the ring and beats up his opponents. His finishing move is the Brogue Kick, but he has several signature moves as well.

While he uses White Noise and the Irish Curse, his most popular signature move is, by far, the Beats of Bodhran. This is where Sheamus puts his opponent on the ring apron, spreads their arms across the top ropes, and then starts to chop them in the chest as the fans count to 10.

13 Undertaker's Old School

Undertaker has plenty of signature moves he uses to go along with his finishing move of the Tombstone Piledriver. One of these is something that pops the crowd huge when he pulls it off. This is what fans call Old School.

The move really doesn't do too much, but as with most popular signature moves, it is there for the fans more than anything. For Old School, Undertaker climbs to the top buckle while holding his opponent's hand. He then walks across the top rope, which is always impressive for a man of his size, before dropping an elbow onto his opponent.

12 Daniel Bryan's Chest Kicks

Daniel Bryan got over huge with the WWE Universe thanks to his Yes Movement. While WWE seemed intent on keeping Bryan in the mid-card, the fans wouldn't stop cheering for him and forced WWE to push him to the main event of WrestleMania.

Bryan also gave the fans plenty to cheer for in the ring. He got the Yes Chant going strong and fans loved his aggressive style. One of his biggest signature moves was his chest kicks. Bryan would start kicking his opponent in the chest over and over while the fans chanted Yes. Then, in the end, the fans would do a prolonged Yes and Bryan would deliver one last kick to the head.

11 Ric Flair Chop

The Ric Flair chop became something that surpassed even the Nature Boy's in-ring career. He delivered some of the biggest chops in the business and often his opponent's chests would be red and swollen by the end of matches. What made it bigger was the fans chanting, "woooo" during each chop.

Flair had Figure Four as his finishing move, but it was the chops that had the biggest influence on the sport. No matter who throws chops in the corner now, fans yell "woooo" when they do it, showing respect to the man who popularized this signature move.

10 The Chokeslam

The Chokeslam has been used as a finisher by the likes of Kane and The Big Show for over two decades. Before that though, the Chokeslam was a signature move for The Undertaker, which he occasionally used to finish larger opponents who he couldn't get up for the Tombstone.

The Undertaker wasn't the only performer to use the Chokeslam as a signature move. Scott Hall also frequently used the move throughout his career. Additionally, The Hurricane used the Chokeslam as a comedic signature move during his early 2000s run with WWE. The move is still used today, although it has lost a lot of its shine over the years.

9 Rikishi's Stink Face

Some hardcore fans look down upon comedy in pro wrestling. They feel that pro wrestling should be treated as a serious contest between two or more competitors. Other fans believe that there's always room for a small laugh regardless of the setting. Comedic signature moves exist to please that second set of fans. Arguably the best comedic signature move ever belongs to Rikishi.

During the Attitude Era, Rikishi would get his opponent in a vulnerable position in one of the ring corners, shove his backside in his opponent's face, and begin gyrating his hips. Hate it or love it, the Stink Face left its mark on pro wrestling history.

8 Triple Suplex

A slip of the tongue on pro wrestling's biggest stage forever linked Brock Lesnar to the suplex. However, Lesnar isn't necessarily at the top of the list when it comes to suplexes, especially as a signature move. Lesnar's affinity for the suplex only grew to its current state after his 2012 return to WWE. During his first WWE run, Lesnar used the suplex, but the move was way more closely associated with Kurt Angle.

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Angle's triple suplex spot was a fan favorite during his first WWE run. Angle's amateur background made the move a perfect fit for him as well. Eddie Guerrero would also use a version of the triple suplex, though his variation was a trio of vertical suplexes.

7 John Cena's 5 Knuckle Shuffle

John Cena is perhaps the most polarizing figure of pro wrestling's last 20 years. Many of Cena's detractors have pointed to his lack of depth in terms of wrestling moves as one of the main reasons for their dislike. Some fans have even gone as far as dubbing Cena's offensive repertoire as his "5 Move of Doom." Amongst those five moves is the 5 Knuckle Shuffle.

At some point during every match, Cena lets his opponent know he can't see him, waves his hand over his face, then drops a fist on his opponent's face. It's not the most devastating move, but Cena's fans have grown extremely fond of it throughout the years.

6 Randy Orton's Draping DDT

In the 80s, Jake Roberts elevated his DDT finisher to near mythical status. As a result of overuse by other performers, the move had lost most of its luster heading into the new millennium. Enter Randy Orton. During his rise to prominence, Orton began using a variation of the DDT as his signature move. Orton would drape his opponent across the second rope before delivering a vicious DDT.

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Orton has become almost synonymous with the move and still uses it with regularity. That being said, the Draping DDT has also become a part of other performer's arsenal. Namely, Tommaso Ciampa in NXT.

5 Rey Mysterio's 619

Rey Mysterio is one of the most innovative in-ring performers ever. For over 20 years, Mysterio has left audiences in awe with some of the maneuvers he's been able to perform. One of those maneuvers is the 619. The move starts with the opponent hung up on the second rope. Mysterio then gets a running start, grabs the top and second rope, and spins himself, hitting his opponent in the face with his feet.

Most fans think of the 619 as a finisher, but the follow-up West Coast Pop or splash was actually more often than not his actual final move for the victory. Mysterio used the move sparingly during his time in WCW. The 619 didn't get its name or gain its popularity until Mysterio used it in WWE. Since then, San Diego's area code has become the most popular area code in all of wrestling.

4 Ultimate Warrior's Gorilla Press Slam

The Ultimate Warrior energized an audience like no other performer before him. Complete with eye-catching ring attire and a high-energy ring entrance, The Ultimate Warrior's mere presence was a shot of adrenaline to any live audience.

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Inside the ring, however, The Ultimate Warrior remains one of the most limited performers in history. John Cena catches a lot of heat for allegedly being limited inside the ring, but compared to the Ultimate Warrior, he's a mat technician. One of Warrior's bright spots inside the ring was a Gorilla Press Slam that he used to set up his Big Splash finisher. The move was nothing spectacular, but being associated with Warrior was enough to elevate it into pro wrestling lore.

3 Goldberg's Spear

The Spear went from being a signature move in pro wrestling's most lucrative era to becoming a finisher in the Ruthless Aggression Era and remaining one until this day. The move was made popular in the late 90s by former Atlanta Falcon turned professional wrestler, Bill Goldberg.

Goldberg isn't regarded as one of the best in-ring performers of his generation, but that didn't stop him from perfecting the Spear. Goldberg's Spear was originally used to set up his Jackhammer finisher, but as he's continued to wrestle sporadically into his 50s, he's leaned on the Spear more and more. Goldberg's signature move remains more devastating than many finishers.

2 The Rock's People's Elbow

The Rock was an extremely gifted performer inside and outside of the ring. With an in-ring style as braggadocious as his mic skills, The Rock always had the audience in the palm of his hands.

One of The Rock's moves that was a particular fan favorite was The People's Elbow. The move consisted of The Rock dramatically taking off his elbow pad, throwing it into the crowd, and running back and forth across the ropes before dropping an elbow on his opponent. It's alternated at various points of being his finisher and a signature move. Not the most intricate move in wrestling history, but boy could it electrify an audience.

1 Sting's Stinger Splash

In the late 80s and early 90s, Sting was everything Vince McMahon wished The Ultimate Warrior could be. Dubbed "WCW's Franchise" early in his career, The Stinger was a rare combination of physical talent and charisma. Sting's high-energy personality appealed to adults and "little stingers" alike.

Inside the ring, Sting was a legitimate heavyweight who could move like a middleweight. Sting's finisher was The Scorpion Death Lock which he set up using his extremely popular Stinger Splash. The move was a simple splash in the corner, but Sting's intensity combined with the height he would get on the delivery made the move special and elevated it to the top of many fans' lists.

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