On & Off: Top 5

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Top 5 - Tag Team Moves

One of the most spectacular, creative, and possibility-rich parts of the wrestling industry are: Tag Teams! Teamed up with a long-time partner or just a random colleague, you are forced to work together to get the victory. And in such teams, great moves or combinations of moves get created.
Here are my Top 5 picks of my personal favorite Tag Team Moves!

5. The Ascension (Konnor & Victor) - Fall of Man
Against a standing opponent, Konnor directs a Running Leg Drop against the legs while Victor falls the opponent with a Flapjack. Timing and strength combined in one move.

4. Rey Mysterio & Evan Bourne - "Bulldogsault"
After having their opponent down, Evan Bourne provides some extra momentum for Rey Mysterio by lifting him up Bulldog Style and letting him execute a Moonsault on the felled opponent. Simple, yet effective.

3. The Briscoe Brothers (Mark & Jay Briscoe) - Redneck Boogie
A move executed with the brutality and relentlessness the Briscoe Brothers are known for. While Mark lifts up the unlucky opponent to execute a Crucifix Powerbomb, Jay builds momentum, snatching the opponents neck from mid-air into a Neckbreaker.

2. Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero) - Hellicopter Crash
Perfect example of a singles move transformed into a tag team move. While Claudio Castagnoli swings his opponent in the middle of the ring with the Big Swing, Chris Hero prepares at the ropes and waits for the right moment to hit the swung opponent mid-air and mid-swing with a Dropkick.

1. Paul London & Brian Kendrick - Tower of London
A move executed from the ring corner. While Paul London pushes his opponent up for a Sitout Powerbomb, Brian Kendrick climbs the second or top rope, seizing the opponents neck, to pull him down on the floor with a Sliced Bread #2.

What are yours?

Top 5 - Women's & Divas' Entrance Themes

Long time no read! And thus, I brought some music for you. I already did a Top 5 dedicated to entrance themes, but this time, it's the women's edition!

5. Beth Phoenix

Beth Phoenix was one hell of a competitor, and her entrance song with the metal note to it definitely expresses that!

4. Emma

Emma found the perfect dance for her entrance song, and it's really hard to not dance along if you hear it.

3. Lita

Lita has always been one of my favorite divas since her in ring skills and her closing style are simply perfect. And so is her entrance song!

2. Summer Rae

Usually not my kind of music, Summer Rae's entrance song always puts me in a happy mood!

1. Micky James

Even after she left, Mickie James' old WWE entrance song will forever stay my number one Diva's song! Unless someone better comes around. ;)

Top 5 - Creepiest gimmicks

Today, my Top 5 will be a little Halloween themed. Hence I bring to you: the 5 creepiest characters/gimmicks.

5. Mankind

Mankind, one of the many personalities of Mick Foley, was his most crazy and mentally deranged one. He shrieked during his matches, seemed to enjoy pain a lot, hid behind a mask, and even hurt himself by pulling his hair. At one point, he made himself a little companion, a sock he wears over his right hand and which he even makes talk to others; Mr. Socko.

4. Papa Shango

Representing the Loa Baron Samedi, Papa Shango was WWF's very own voodoo priest. Like many of his creepy colleagues, he controlled the arena lights and turned up embraced by smoke. Later in his career, he could even cast spells that would make his opponents feel immense pain or throw up in the middle of the ring.

3. Boogeyman

The Boogeyman was coming to get you! With a creepy demeanor and appearance and rather striking dominance in the ring (at least at the beginning), the Boogeyman was known for one thing in particular: his worms. Mouth to mouth, he liked to feed them to his defeated opponents or anybody else who wasn't fast enough to escape.

2. Kane

The Big Red Monster, The Devil's Favorite Demon, brother of The Undertaker; especially in his masked times (and way before Team Hell No), and during his See no Evil times, Kane was a shocker and a real threat to any in ring competitor. Crazy? Maniac? A rising demon? Or just a confused soul?

1. The Undertaker

For generations of wrestling fans, The Undertaker is wrestling! His unique entrance, his creepy eye rolling, and his Tombstone finishing moves are what wrestling nightmares are made of. He buried his opponents in caskets, he lead an order, he tried to sacrifice Stephanie McMahon, and his Wrestlemania streak is, till today, not broken!

Top 5 - WWE Tag Teams

5. The Highlanders

Rory and Robbie McAllister - announced as cousins - had been one of the funniest tag teams I have ever seen. I don't think they were intentionally funny, but I just liked to see the two Scots perform.

Derek Graham-Couch and Russell Murray had been wrestling for the WWE from 2005 till 2008, making their debut on the grand stage in 2006. In 2013, the Highlanders parted ways because of Murray's retirement.

4. Dudley Boyz

Usually, when I hear tag team, I think of fast competitors with high flying action. Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley showed how two powerhouses could dominate the tag team scene as well. As a part of ECW, the "brothers" joined the WWE, being a part of the company from 199 till 2005, shaping the chant "We want tables" after being involved in several astonishing tables matches.
Both men were working for TNA, now named Bully Ray currently being a member of the Stable Aces & Eights, while Devon left the company after loosing a match against another member of said stable (A.J. Styles).

3. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

From 2002 til 2008, the team of the two highflyers Paul London and Brian Kendrick made the tag team scene more interesting. They were fast, they were cunning, and their moves (alone and in a team) were stunning.

After leaving the WWE, both men made appearances in the Independent circuit throughout the years, teaming up again ever so often.

2. The Hardy Boyz

The real life borthers Matt and Jeff Hardy faught side by side from 1998 on, splitting in 2001. From 2006 to 2008 they could be seen again as a team on and off. Even though I regard Matt being the more talented brother, Jeff added greatly to their tag team matches (especially when the Hardy's were involved in ladder matches against The Dudley Boys or Edge & Christian) with his breathtaking high flying actions.
Several drug-related incidents had been on and off the media over the past years, but Jeff still is a part of TNA where both brothers were welcomed after splitting with WWE. Matt lateron went to ROH where he is still signed as a talent.

1. Edge & Christian

Eccentric clothes and costumes, parodies, funny backstage and in ring segments, and wrestling action on a top level; Edge and Christian had it all! From 1998 till 2011 this tag team could be seen on and off, holding several titles; the World Tag Team Championship seven (!) times alone.
Christian is still part of the WWE, currently taking a break due to injury. Edge had been forced to leave the WWE in 2011 due to severe medical conditions and had been inducted in the Hall Of Fame in 2012. From time to time, he returns to the WWE, but will never be seen wrestling again.

Top 5 - Finishing Moves

5. Stone Cold Stunner - Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold has been and always will be one of my favourite wrestlers of all time. Admittedly, his Stunner is not very spectacular, but whenever he delivered it you knew that shit went down! For me, it was (and still is) more of a statement, a 'suck my d**' than a simple finishing maneuver.

4. Twist of Fate - Matt Hardy
When I started to watch wrestling, Matt Hardy immediately became the one I rooted for in every match. I always liked him more than his brother, and that's the reason why the Twist of Fate is in this list, and not Jeff's Swanton Bomb. That short moment when he had his arm hooked around his opponent's neck, the other risen into the air always gives me a slight feeling of anticipation.

3. Airbourne - Evan Bourne
This shouldn't be a secret: I love high flyers! And Evan Bourne, especially during his ECW years, has always been one of the most impressive ones for me.He might be small, but with his Airbourne, he could make even the bigger superstars lie down and take the cover. It's not a powerful move, but definitely a very beautiful one, one that I just love to see.

2. Neutralizer - Antonio Cesaro
Quite contrary to No. #03, Cesaro's Neutralizer is nothing but a display of strength. Lifting up not only Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley, and Zack Ryder, but also Brodus Clay and The Great Khali shows the power that hides behind the muscle mass of the Swiss man. Using the opponents weight as well, he slams them down on the mat, and up to now nobody kicked out of the cover following this finisher!

1. Corkscrew Schooting Star Press - Adrian Neville
But my number #01 clearly has to be a high flying move! And not just any Splash or Bomb or Dive, no, this is Adrian Neville's version of the Shooting Star Press, almost too fast for the cameras to properly catch both the move and the impact on the opponent. The Corkscrew Shooting Star Press is easily the most spectacular finishing move I have ever seen!