Award Description:

To be given to the move that is just the damn best thing you've seen this
past year. This should probably be a "finishing" move or something really
spectacular.

Previous Winners:

  1990: Scott Steiner's Frankensteiner
  1991: Scott Steiner's Frankensteiner
  1992: Jushin Liger's moonsault off the second ropes to floor
  1993: Big Van Vader's moonsault
  1994: Vader's moonsault
  1995: Hakushi's Space Flying Tiger Drop
  1996: Wildman Marc Mero's Wild Thing shooting star press
  1997: Bret Hart's figure four leglock around the ringpost
  1998: Rock's People's Elbow elbowdrop
  1999: Jeff Hardy's senton bomb
  2000: Jeff Hardy's swantonbomb senton

**2001**: Rob van Dam's Five Star frog splash

295 first place votes
289 second place votes
284 third place votes

 21 25 21  222   Rob van Dam's Five Star frog splash
 33 11 11  220   Shane Helms' Vertebreaker
 18 19 19  185   Chris Benoit's multiple German suplexes
 22 11 14  171   Steve Austin's Stone Cold Stunner
 15 14 21  159   Tajiri's Tarantula
 15 13 11  136   Chris Benoit's Crippler crossface
 12 14 10  122   Triple H's Pedigree
 13  8 11  111   Kurt Angle's moonsault
  7 11 14   96   Rhyno's Gore spear
 11  6  8   89   Tajiri's kick
  7  9  4   70   Dudley Boyz' Dudley Death Drop flapjack/neckbreaker combo
  9  4  4   65   Christian's Unprettier
  7  6  1   55   Jeff Hardy's Swantonbomb senton
  4  7  7   55   Kurt Angle's anklelock
  4  7  6   53   Christian's One-Man Conchairto
  7  3  1   46   Dragon Kid's Dragonrana 450 into rana
  5  3  6   46   Rob van Dam's van Daminator kick
  6  2  3   42   Shane McMahon's van Terminator dropkick
  3  3  8   40   Billy Kidman's shooting star press
  2  7  3   37   Chris Benoit's diving headbutt
  4  2  4   34   Spanish Announce Team's Spanish Fly
  3  5  2   34   Keiji Muto's Shining Wizard
  5  0  4   33   Super Dragon's Psycho Driver
  4  3  1   31   Low Ki's Ki Krusher
  4  1  1   25   Billy Kidman's inverted sitout crucifix bomb from ropes
  1  4  4   25   Rock's Rock Bottom uranage
  1  4  4   25   Perry Saturn's Moss-Covered Three-Handled Family Gredunza 
                 swinging fishermanbuster
  1  2  7   25   Undertaker's Last Ride powerbomb
  2  2  4   24   Test's big boot kick
  1  5  2   24   Kurt Angle's Angle Slam
  3  2  1   23   Shane McMahon's Leap of Faith elbowdrop
  2  3  1   21   Tajiri's handspring elbow
  2  2  1   18   Essa Rios' over the turnbuckle somersault plancha
  2  0  4   18   Mighty Molly's Molly-Go-Round
  1  4  0   17   Jun Akiyama's Exploder
  1  2  3   17   Lita's huracanrana
  0  4  2   16   Red's Red Star Press
  0  2  5   16   Rob van Dam's Rolling Thunder senton
  2  1  1   15   Black Warrior's tope
  1  2  2   15   Shane McMahon's shooting star press
  1  3  0   14   Edge's Edgecution DDT
  2  1  0   13   Chris Jericho's Lionsault quebrada
  0  3  2   13   Yuji Nagata's Nagata Lock II
  1  1  2   12   Bradshaw's Clothesline from Hell
  1  1  2   12   Albert's Baldobomb powerbomb
  0  2  3   12   Jeff Hardy's Whisper in the Wind corkscrew splash
  1  2  0   11   Mitsuharu Misawa's Tiger Driver
  2  0  0   10   Hayabusa's Phoenix splash
  2  0  0   10   American Dragon's bridged chickenwing submission
  1  1  1   10   CIMA's Iconoclasm crossed arm reverse crucifix powerbomb
  1  1  1   10   Big Show & Spike Dudley's Rocket Launcher out of the ring
  1  1  0    8   Big Show's chokeslam
  1  0  1    7   Sting's Stinger splash
  1  0  1    7   Essa Rios' moonsault
  0  1  2    7   Undertaker's Tombstone piledriver
  0  1  2    7   Akira Hokuto's Northern Lights Bomb
  0  2  0    6   Steve Austin's Million Dollar Dream cobra clutch
  0  2  0    6   Red's Asai Skytwister Press
  0  2  0    6   Kaoru Ito's toprope double footstomp
  0  0  3    6   Rock's People's Elbow elbowdrop
  0  0  3    6   Chris Jericho's Walls of Jericho
  1  0  0    5   Toshiaki Kawada's Enzuigiri
  1  0  0    5   Scott Steiner's Northern Lights Suplex
  1  0  0    5   Scott Hall's Outsider Edge crucifix bomb
  1  0  0    5   Scoot Andrews' Forces of Nature
  1  0  0    5   Sachie Abe's dive off the top of a 20 foot cage
  1  0  0    5   Rob van Dam's van Terminator dropkick
  1  0  0    5   Ric Flair's knife-edge chop
  1  0  0    5   Momoe Nakanishi's Moonsault Dragon Suplex
  1  0  0    5   Momoe Nakanishi's Momolatch
  1  0  0    5   Mitsuya Nagai's Hyper Knee
  1  0  0    5   Low Ki's Dragon Clutch
  1  0  0    5   Kurt Angle's overhead suplex
  1  0  0    5   Faarooq's Dominator
  1  0  0    5   Curry Man's Spicy Drop
  1  0  0    5   Chris Jericho's Breakdown forward Russian leg sweep
  1  0  0    5   Beckie the Farmer's Daughter's Barnburner 450 splash
  1  0  0    5   Akira Taue's Ruby Frosion
  0  1  1    5   Tajiri's Octopus abdominal stretch
  0  1  1    5   Riot's Twister top rope corkscrew elbowdrop
  0  1  1    5   Jeff Hardy's super ladder bodyslam
  0  1  1    5   Hurricane's Eye of the Hurricane
  0  1  1    5   Goldberg's jackhammer
  0  0  2    4   Rob van Dam's flying heel kick to the outside
  0  0  2    4   Keiji Muto's moonsault
  0  1  0    3   William Regal's Union Jack neckbreaker
  0  1  0    3   Twist of Fate
  0  1  0    3   Tomoko Watanabe's Hell Smasher
  0  1  0    3   The Bloody's top rope dragon suplex
  0  1  0    3   Takeshi Morishima's inverted Nodowa Otoshi
  0  1  0    3   Stacy Keibler's standing foot choke
  0  1  0    3   Scott Steiner's suplex
  0  1  0    3   Ruckus' space flying tiger drop
  0  1  0    3   Riot's powerbomb
  0  1  0    3   Reno's Roll of the Dice
  0  1  0    3   Mr. Gannosuke's Gannosuke Clutch
  0  1  0    3   Molly Holly's Molly-Go-Round
  0  1  0    3   Kurt Angle's multiple German suplexes
  0  1  0    3   Kanyon's Kanyon Cutter
  0  1  0    3   Farah The Persian Princess' Persian Carpet STF
  0  1  0    3   Faarooq's spinebuster
  0  1  0    3   Chris Jericho's double powerbomb
  0  1  0    3   Brock Lesnar's shooting star press
  0  1  0    3   Booker T's Harlem sidekick
  0  1  0    3   Black Warrior's nudo
  0  1  0    3   Al Snow's Snowplow
  0  1  0    3   Air Raid's Air Raid Crush
  0  0  1    2   Ultimo Guerrero's reverse superplex
  0  0  1    2   Steve Austin's gut first suplex on announcer's table
  0  0  1    2   Rock's Sharpshooter
  0  0  1    2   Rob van Dam's step-over headkick
  0  0  1    2   Mr. Gannosuke's Fire Thunder
  0  0  1    2   Mitsuharu Misawa's Emerold Flowsion
  0  0  1    2   Mima Shimoda's Death Lake Driver top rope tiger suplex
  0  0  1    2   Manami Toyota's Ocean Cyclone Suplex
  0  0  1    2   Justin Powers' rolling Northern Lights suplexes
  0  0  1    2   Jason Jett's Crash Landing
  0  0  1    2   Jacqueline's Clothesline from Hell
  0  0  1    2   Haku's Tongan Death Grip
  0  0  1    2   Great Sasuke's corkscrew moonsault onto the apron
  0  0  1    2   Edge & Christian's Conchairto
  0  0  1    2   Dick Togo's sentonbomb
  0  0  1    2   Billy Gunn's One and Only cobra clutch slam

REJECTED

  1  3  0        shooting star press (no performer named)
  1  0  0        "anything by..." votes
  0  1  0        Booker T's Spinarooni (not a "move")
  0  1  0        "Tie" votes

EDDIE BURKETT: Every time I saw Helms do the Vertebraker, I expected him
to kill someone with it, and I'm both glad and saddened by the fact that
he can't do it anymore.  Christian's one man conchairto was both vicious
in execution, and in the subtle point it makes that he doesn't need Edge
for anything.  Tajiri's tarantula was amazing the first few times I saw it
years ago in ECW.  When I did see it, I thought, well now, this guy will
never be in the WWF because they would never let him do that move.  The
fact that he still does it in WWF rings this year is why it gets my vote.

VIKRAM BIRRING: Tajiri's kicks rule the earth. The Tarantula is great, and
the handspring elbow is nice as well. They compliment each other because
they have not been seen in this country at all, or since the Great Muta in
the late 1980's.

DEAN RASMUSSEN: Super Dragon's Psycho Driver is the frickin' craziest move
I've ever seen. And I've seen every Kobashi Burning Hammer, every Otsuka
Released Dragon, and every Dangerous Backdrop. This one wins in the "It's
All Fun Till Someone Can't Feel Their Legs" category. Spanish Announce
Team's Spanish Fly is a great Preposterously Elaborate finisher.

CHIP BOOTS: Kurt's moonsault would be even more impressive if he hit with
it once in a while.

SCOTT WORDEN: The best Wrestling move is a Tajiri kick.. Love it every
time I see it and can not get enough of it..

CHRIS BIRD: VERT-UH-BRAY-KUH! Just because we haven't seen it since March
doesn't make it any less awesome. The Gore and the Big Boot were also both
good, but they're no VERT-UH-BRAY-KUH. After all, neither the Gore nor the
Big Boot have their own theme song and dancing girls.

SEAN FLYNN: Nothing makes me pop like the Crossface does.  I find myself
yelling at the tv, demanding the recipient tap out and become Benoit's
bitch.  The RVD Frog Splash just looks so gorgeous with the amount of
height he gets on it. And damn it, I miss the Tongan Death Grip, and the
funny dance that preceded it, so this shall be my protest at its absence.

MARK POLISHUK: The Five-Star was the best move of the year, but it wasn't
until the nomination process was over did I realize that another
superlative maneuver (Stacy Keibler's Nash-esque leg choke in the corner
turnbuckle) was not even nominated.  Even though he invented it, Kevin
Nash's version is far inferior to Stacy's...for obvious reasons.

NATRBOY72: Benoit's Crippler Crossface is the best finisher. I detest RVD,
but the 5* frog splash is outstanding, Van Dam also selling it adds to the
move, so it gets second. Austin's gut first table suplexes on Benoit
(probably his idea) and Angle give the match a very old school "these guys
hate each others guts" feel, and gets third.

CANZ: Black Warrior's topes(especially the best ones) are the most equally
brutal and graceful thing in wrestling today.

MIKE JOHNSON: 1. How Sugar Shane executed that move w/o paralyzing someone
is amazing.  Kudos to both Helms and the wrestlers who took that move.  
It was the most awesome looking move I've seen in awhile, so of course he
never does it in the WWF.  2.  My jaw dropped the first time I saw the
Molly-Go-Round.  Very impressive.  3.  Nightmare on Helms Street/Eye of
the Hurricane is another new and crisp looking move from
Shane/Gregory/Hollywood/Hurricane Helms.  Helms will be a star in two
years if handled right.  Keep up the good work Shane.

KEVIN WONG: Year of the powerbomb variations!!  Helm's Vertebreaker was
probably one of the cooler moves that I got to see on a regular basis.  
Riot's powerbomb was the best of the "standard" powerbomb variations I've
seen, sinply because she actually WENT DOWN with the move instead of doing
it Poochiebomb style.  And I guess I'd rate Kidman's reverse powerbomb
thingie higher, but he only did it once...

DONNY L: The lionsault everyone hates it I think it looks great, 5 star
splash second and Angle's moonsault connecting with mat is third.

ESTRAGAND: The Ric Flair "whooo" chop HAS to be the best move. Appreciated
so much, that it's used in EVERY match by every wrestler.

PAUL PROSE: I've always thought the DDT to be a great finishing move, it's
good to see Edge using it as a finisher.

MICHAEL STAKELY: Tajiri's kicks have the trademarks of a great move. Basic
but looks like it hurts like hell.

JOHN C.: The Stunner is still the best finishing move in wrestling even
after all these years. I mark out for Christian's One Man Conchairto
because I remember how great it was when he did it to Edge on Labor Day to
begin his run as a solo heel. Benoit's crossface is the best submission
finisher because of the facial expressions you see on the opponent's face.
It's a great visual especially when Benoit starts to pull back on it.

SCOTT CHRIST: BRADSHAWWWWWW.

JOE GENTILE: The REAL shame of Angle's moonsault is that it actually looks
BETTER when he misses than when it hits!  The Tarantula just looks
painful, and I gave the Molly-Go-ROund third because I marked out the
first time I saw it.

PIEMAN: No matter how many times I see it, I am always impressed with
Kidman's Shooting Star Press.

BLAZEJ SZPAKOWICZ: I've voted for the Swanton Bomb each of the last two
years, so who am I to break up a good streak for no good reason? It's
still an awesome move, even if the Twist of Fate is far more believable,
and is also probably my favourite Ace Crusher variation (it's in my top
five for favourite moves too). Christian's Unprettier, incredibly stupid
name aside, has been one of my favourite moves ever since I first saw him
do it in a house show several years ago, before it had a (WWF) name.
Tajiri's Tarantula rounds out the threesome, beating out the Octopus by a
nose. They're both great moves, but the Tarantula's just that li'l bit
better.

YNAE316:  Shane Helms' Vertebreaker:  Simply AMAZING and devastating to
see.  Hope it comes back...  Rob van Dam's Rolling Thunder senton:  
COOLEST looking move Albert's Baldobomb powerbomb:  Looks like it hurts...

SHANE SPEAR: The five-star frog splash is unique because it's the only
finisher I can think of that actually hurts the offense as much as the
defense.  The way that RVD sells his own move makes it very unique, and in
my opinion the best of this year.  Test's big boot would put anybody out
in real life, I believe.  The force on the move is awesome, and to my
memory it's the only move outside of the Stunner to put down both the
Undertaker and Kane.  The stunner dropped a spot or two after the way
Angle and Rock easily kicked out of the move this year in matches.  Plus,
many wrestlers have figured out how to use the stunner against Austin.

WILL SCHLICKENMAIER: Million Dollar Dream... purely for historical markout
purposes, as a symbol of Austin's return to greatness.

THE CUBS FAN: Black Warrior's bullet Tope not only kills his opponent, but
any fan who didn't move out of their seat fast enough. So you gotta like
that.