A great finishing move isn't the easiest thing to come up with in professional wrestling considering how many have already been done, and the fact that they need to be performed on people of varying sizes. However, when someone lands on a great move, audiences enjoy being able to witness it, and often want to see more of it.

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This typically happens as wrestlers often keep great finishing moves for long periods. However, there are certain times when great moves get hit and then end up being taken away, which can happen for a variety of reasons but often leave fans wishing they'd been able to see more.

AJ Styles' Spiral Tap

Reason: Styles Feels He's Too Old To Hit It

• Styles used the finishing move in TNA
• He feels he'd hurt himself if he performed it today

AJ Styles has always been inventive with his moves inside the ring, and earlier in his career he would heavily lean on having aerial moves to wow audiences. His Spiral Tap was one of the most popular, with this being a corkscrew senton bomb that always looked impressive.

However, people who have only watched his WWE career won't have seen this one as he's never brought it out. The reason for that is he feels he is too old to hit the move properly nowadays, meaning it's unlikely this will be seen again.

Kevin Owens' Steenalizer

Reason: KO Retired The Move

• He used this move in ROH/independent scene
• The move was featured in WWE 2K15

Throughout his career, Kevin Owens has had a variety of finishing moves, with the WWE Superstar currently using a Stunner to wrap up his matches. During his independent career, he would often use the Steenalizer, which would see him lift his opponent, tuck their heads in, and then throw them backward face-first into the second turnbuckle.

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It was a move that looked nasty, and that's why fans loved it so much as it was believable as a finisher. However, Owens admitted he retired it after a few close calls of injuring someone, deciding that it was best to stop hitting it.

Nikki Bella's Rack Attack

Reason: It Was Causing Her Neck Issues

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• Doctors claimed the move caused bulging discs in her neck
• Bella would create a revised version known as Rack Attack 2.0

Nikki Bella made huge progress with her in-ring ability throughout her career, and the evolution of her finishing move was an example of that. She eventually landed on the Rack Attack, which would see her lift up her opponent onto her back and then drop down to her knees, jarring her opponent on her neck.

It looked visually impressive, showcased her power, and always got a reaction from the fans. However, it sadly caused legitimate health problems for Bella, and that meant she had to retire it toward the end of her career.

Brock Lesnar's Shooting Star Press

Reason: The WrestleMania 19 Botch

• Lesnar almost broke his neck attempting the move at WrestleMania 19
• He had previously used the move in OVW

Brock Lesnar is an imposing figure inside the ring with his powerhouse style alone, but when fans see how fast he can move and how athletic he is it takes him to another level. Seeing someone of his size scale up to the top turnbuckle is an impressive sight, as is him flying through the sky hitting a Shooting Star Press.

However, while the move looks good (and he could perform it safely), the fact it went so badly wrong at WrestleMania 19 in the main event guaranteed that he wouldn't be busting this one out ever again.

Kenta Kobashi's Burning Hammer

Reason: To Protect The Move

• Nobody ever kicked out of this finisher
• He debuted the move in 1998 and used it last in 2006

Lots of wrestlers might have attempted to use the Burning Hammer over the years, but none have done it as well as the originator, Kenta Kobashi. The reason for that is how seriously he took the move, which is essentially an inverted Death Valley driver, as he only hit it seven times in his career.

Kobashi opted to keep this move restricted, only bringing it out when he deemed it necessary to truly put his opponent down. It was a last-ditch effort sort of move, and that helped to make it very special.

Booker T's Harlem Hangover

Reason: Booker T Retired The Move

• He felt the move looked best five minutes into a match as he was fresh
• Booker changed his form on the move later in his career due to a right knee issue

Booker T brought a variety of great moves to the ring which helped him get over. One finisher that audiences rarely saw was the Harlem Hangover, which the two-time WWE Hall Of Famer believes he only hit around 20 times in his entire career. The move would see him flip from the top turnbuckle, landing a leg drop onto his opponent.

The reason he didn't use it as much is because he couldn't be as precise as he wanted to later in matches, which led to him hitting several wrestlers in a manner that he didn't want, therefore this brilliant finisher wasn't used to its fullest.

Mustafa Ali's 054

Reason: He Retired The Move To Preserve His Body

• Ali moved on to use a Koji Clutch submission as his finisher
• The 054 was used throughout his time on 205 Live

Mustafa Ali has always been capable of pulling off amazing feats when it comes to his aerial ability, hitting some fantastic moves from the top rope. His 054 was an example of that, with this being an inverted 450 Splash that looked different from what everyone else was doing.

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However, even though it was impressive the move was causing him pain, and brought obvious risk factors. That is why Ali has opted to do away with the move, having claimed on social media it was so he could play with his grandchildren one day, which is a decision he cannot be blamed for.

Randy Orton's Punt Kick

Reason: WWE Higher-Ups Banned The Move

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• The idea for the move was Arn Anderson's
• Orton gave Vince McMahon a concussion with the move

When fans think about Randy Orton's finishing move they instantly go to the RKO, which is one of the greatest in history. However, for a period he also used the Punt Kick, which was equally as impressive to see as he would run and boot his opponents in the head, creating a lethal-looking move.

WWE pushed it so far that it wouldn't be used just to win matches, but it would write his opponents off television completely. However, it ended up stopping because WWE higher-ups banned it due to concerns it could give someone a concussion. While it briefly got brought back during the pandemic, it is something that is rarely seen.