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About This Quiz
'90s wrestling emerged from the decade many considered the dawn of great wrestlers. From Diamond Dallas Page to Hulk Hogan, you revealed in the pomp, lights and glory of '90s wrestling champs and those unknown heroes they pummelled between cage matches. Some wrestlers lived the life of their persona, while others emerged to show off talents that amazed the world - think "The Rock," ahem, Dwayne Johnson.ÂÂ
You know the wrestlers, you remember the matches, but how well do you remember each wrestler's signature move? Some of these moves are legendary, and many are unique. It's hard enough to remember the hundreds of moves, but who implemented them? That takes a pro who is used to a little rope play.ÂÂ
Do you remember these moves? The Cactus Elbow, Sweet Chin Music, Mandible Claw or the Widow's Peak? Or, could you figure out which high-flying stunt Macho Man Randy Savage displayed? It was an art form.ÂÂ
You may have tried these moves at home with your little siblings, or you may have launched yourself from a tree to land a flying elbow drop on a buddy. So, get ready to climb the ropes and let this quiz know who's boss! Then finish it off with a figure-four leg-lock.ÂÂ
The Stunner:
Buff Bagwell
Shawn Michaels
the Rock
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Texas-born Austin was the personification of the WWF's late-'90s "Attitude Era," a time of anti-authoritarian, rule-breaking wrestlers. Austin retired from wrestling in 2003.
The Diamond Cutter:
Chyna
Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page debuted in 1989 and wrestled into the 2000s. In retirement, he's been fond of lawsuits, suing both Jay-Z and 3OH!3 for using his trademarked "Diamond Cutter" hand gesture.
Triple H
Trish Stratus
The Worm:
Billy Kidman
Buff Bagwell
Scotty 2 Hotty
At just 5 feet, 8 inches tall, Scott Garland needed showy moves that didn't require brute force. One of these was "the Worm," in which he performed the breakdancing move to ambulate over to his opponent before pinning him.
the Undertaker
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The Cactus Elbow:
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Mick Foley
Foley did this move as "Cactus Jack," one of three personas he used simultaneously in the 1990s. It's very common for wrestlers to move through multiple personas, but Foley worked all three at the same time.
Chris Jericho
Trish Stratus
Sweet Chin Music!
Bret Hart
Roddy Piper
Triple H
Shawn Michaels
OK, so we didn't have to end this one with an exclamation point. We just fondly remember the gleeful way The King or JR would chortle "Sweet Chin Music!" when they saw this move coming.
The Leg Drop (most famously, obvs):
Randy Savage
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan might be synonymous with the '80s wrestling boom, but he was going strong into the 1990s. A leg drop was his classic move, though many wrestlers did variations of it.
Owen Hart
Torrie WIlson
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The Spear + Jackhammer:
Ric Flair
Goldberg
Bill Goldberg laid out opponents with this combination of moves that Washington Redskins' defensive end (and pro wrestling fan) Adam Carriker chose as his top finishing move of all time. (Thanks to bleacherreport.com for that bit of trivia).
Mick Foley
Steve Austin
Almost anything involving a table:
the Brood
the Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz got their start in Extreme Championship Wrestling, so it was probably inevitable that they would finish matches with a potentially-painful prop. In their case, they were very fond of putting opponents through tables -- folding tables that would break from the impact of the falling victim.
Ric Flair
Roddy Piper
The Million Dollar Dream:
Ted DiBiase
OK, yes, sleeper holds are passe. But "the Million Dollar Man" diBiase made his mark with this one back in the 1990s.
Edge
Spike Dudley
Test
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The Figure-Four Leg Lock:
The Rock
Ric Flair
Beached-blonde Ric Flair is best known for this move. But WWF divas like to use it -- maybe because it shows off their legs.
Trish Stratus
Essa Rios
The Flying Elbow Drop:
Brock Lesnar
Kurt Angle
Randy Savage
Savage was an early practitioner of climbing the turnbuckle, which nearly everyone did by the Attitude Era. Savage used it to drop a brutal elbow on his unfortunate victims.
Stacy Keibler
Mandible Claw:
the Undertaker
the Dudley Boys
Mick Foley
Foley did this move as "Mankind," one of his three 1990s ring personas. It involved him shoving his hand into an opponent's mouth, usually aided by his sock puppet, "Mr. Socko," who was enormously popular with fans. (Maybe you had to be there).
Scotty 2 Hotty
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The Rock Bottom:
Ric Flair
Triple H
The Rock
This was one of two popular finishing moves used by Dwayne Johnson, then known as "The Rock." Of course, you'll see him nowadays in action movies and commercials with Apple's Siri.
X-Pac
The Texas Cloverleaf:
Dean Malenko
Malenko was wrestling in the WCW when he popularized this form of leg lock. According to the WWE's website, this move was first used by wrestler Dory Funk.
Chavo Guerrero
Kane
Ric Flair
The Walls of ______:
Chris Jericho
With the ring name "Jericho" (his real name is Chris Irvine), the "Walls of Jericho" move was probably inevitable. It was a version of a spinal hold more commonly known as a "Boston crab."
Scott Dudley
Kane
The Undertaker
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Fisherman's Suplex:
D'Lo Brown
Hulk Hogan
Mr. Perfect
Hennig was a second-generation wrestler who used the name "Mr. Perfect" in the 1990s. Away from the ring, things were less than perfect: his death was attributed to the use of cocaine, steroids and painkillers.
X-Pac
The Tombstone Piledriver:
the British Bulldog
the Dudley Boyz
Shawn Michaels
the Undertaker
Yes, wrestling is scripted; we all know that. But what goes unsaid is how much skill it takes to perform some of these moves convincingly, without inflicting damage. Case in point: the Undertaker's Tombstone Piledriver, would cause a severe neck injury if it didn't stop short of impact.
The Choke Slam:
X-Pac
Kane
the Undertaker
both #2 and #3
Kane was introduced as the Undertaker's younger brother in 1997. Initially, he imitated his "brother's" choke slam, before branching out into his own signature moves. Speaking of branching out, Glen "Kane" Jacobs has since opened an insurance agency and entered Republican politics.
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The Widow's Peak:
Eddie Guerrero
Trish Stratus
Chavo Guerrero
Victoria
Victoria was briefly allied with the Guerreros and developed her "WIdow's Peak" move from one done by clan patriarch Gory Guerrero. It involved holding her opponents back-to-back, lifting them, and slamming them to the mat. (Actually, this sounds like it might get some unpleasant kinks out of the back.)
The People's Elbow:
Kurt Angle
Maven
The Rock
In the 1990s, Dwayne Johnson was "The Rock," aka the People's Champion. As such, his elbow drop was dubbed "The People's Elbow."
Owen Hart
The Five Star Frog Splash:
Ric Flair
Roddy Piper
Scotty 2 Hotty
Rob Van Dam
A frog splash is a top-rope jump in which the wrestler pulls his limbs in, then outward, in a frog-like way. Rob Van Dam's was a flashy version where he turned mid-air to land successfully on his opponent.
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The ______ Bomb:
Big Van Vader
The Vader Bomb was essentially a splash, launched from the second turnbuckle. But Big Van Vader's size -- at times, he reportedly weighed as much as 450 pounds -- made it an endgame.
Jeff Hardy
Gangrel
Hulk Hogan
The Running Powerslam:
Bradshaw
the British Bulldog
This move, which looked like something you might see at the NFL's Combine, showed off the Bulldog's raw strength. He would run across the ring with his opponent over his shoulder, ending in a traditional body slam. A pin finished things off.
Chyna
Hulk Hogan
The ______sault:
Jeff Hardy
Lita
While a lot of WWE "divas" are essentially would-be models and actresses, Amy "Lita" Dumas paid her way to Mexico to study "lucha libre"-style wrestling. She debuted in the late 1990s.
Maven
Trish Stratus
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The Shooting Star Press:
Billy Kidman
This move was originated by a wrestler on the Japanese circuit, but Kidman brought it to north American wrestling when he was in WCW. The move was banned for a time because of its potential to cause injuries, but was revived in the 2000s by master practitioner Evan Bourne.
Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy
Lita
The Sharpshooter:
Bret Hart
Owen Hart
Tiger Ali SIngh
both #1 and #2
Owen Hart had a solid career in pro wrestling, but never had much of a finishing move of his very own. He used his older brother's classic "Sharpshooter," and also favored the piledriver.
The Downward Spiral:
Billy Kidman
Edge
Edge (real name Adam Copeland) was a member of "The Brood" in the late 1990s, along with Christian and Gangrel. Naming his signature move, "The Downward Spiral," went with that Goth image.
Mankind
X-Pac
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The Harlem Hangover:
Booker T
Booker T's choice of ring name might seem disrespectful at first, but his real name is Robert Booker Tio Huffman. The mid-air flip called the Harlem Hangover was one of his most crowd-pleasing moves.
The Godfather
Maven
Tazz
The Blockbuster:
Buff Bagwell
Bagwell's move resembles a "Diamond Cutter," but used the turnbuckle for extra force. Bagwell wrestled for WCW throughout the '90s, and was part of the New World Order for a time.
Goldust
Roddy Piper
D-Von Dudley
The Twist of Fate:
Mick Foley
Matt Hardy
This is a complicated move akin to Steve Austin's "Stunner." Matt's brother Jeff has used it as well.
Shawn Michaels
Triple H
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The Crippler Crossface:
Chris Benoit
Training in Stu Hart's "Dungeon" made Benoit a powerful technical wrestler, as this submission hold indicated. If he'd been born later, Benoit might have excelled in the UFC. Sadly, all that has been overshadowed by the circumstances surrounding his death. In 2007, Benoit killed his wife and son, before hanging himself two days later.
Bret Hart
Randy Savage
Goldberg
The Pumphandle Slam:
Goldust
Gangrel
Tazz
Test
Test was one of the Attitude Era's "flowing blonde locks" wrestlers, along with Chris Jericho, Christian, and Edge. He might be best known for a storyline in which he lost the love of Stephanie McMahon, the boss's daughter, to heel Triple H. (Fun fact: McMahon and Paul "Triple H" Levesque actually married in real life and are still together.)
The Swanton Bomb:
Spike Dudley
Jeff Hardy
Others have done the Swanton Bomb -- a fearless and elaborate turnbuckle dive -- but Hardy brought it to national TV when he and his brother joined the WWE. This midair flip had Hardy hitting his opponents with his back -- not usually a part of the body with which wrestlers strike.
Lita
Raven
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The Showstopper:
the Big Show
Paul "The Big Show" Wight is about 7 feet tall and weighs nearly 400 pounds, which meant in his prime he could do about anything he wanted with opponents. In the Showstopper, he'd lift opponents into the air by their necks, then slam them on their backs. Incredibly, Wight could do this with two wrestlers at one time.
Edge
Shane McMahon
Test
You Got:
/35
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