Wrestling’s 20 Greatest Finishers of All Time
18. Pedigree
Triple H’s Pedigree is one of the most well-known finisher in history. He’s been using the move since 1995, and more often than not, the Pedigree was all he needed to win. Although not as popular, dangerous or technically complicated as other finishers, the Pedigree gets a special spot on this list due to how it, as a finisher, has been booked.
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If there’s one move that has been protected considerably in WWE, it’s the Pedigree. Very, VERY few people have ever kicked out of the finisher, and rarely has Triple H needed to execute it more than once in a match.
In fact, there was one prominent example of this move’s protection going overboard. At WrestleMania XIX, Triple H hit the Pedigree on Booker T but didn’t pin him right away. There was a delay where HHH crawled slowly towards Booker to pin him. Now, normally this delay spot sets up a 2 ¾ pin and a sudden kick-out. But this time, HHH pinned Booker T after over 15 seconds of Booker being out from the Pedigree.
Since then, more and more people have been kicking out of it in true WWE fashion. Seth Rollins, in particular, has dealt with more people kicking out of his version of the finisher, leading many to wonder if he should really bother using the move going forward.