Welcome to another episode of #FinisherFriday! This is Wreddit_Regal giving you a short review of probably the worst thing that graced the squared circle since the invention of the diving double foot stomp.
The independent wrestling scene is a beast of unparalleled levels, because this is the place where wrestlers fight for fame, attention, and possibly a chance to land them a slot in the big leagues. As such, you can see a plethora of moves, matches and spots that seek to push the boundaries of the human anatomy's resilience—something that the WWE and other famous companies do not dare to cross on a frequent basis.
There are usually three main things that an aspiring independent wrestler needs to polish in order to get noticed by the scouts from above. These are:
A gimmick that is "over"
Be insanely athletic, to being a borderline spot monkey
Have good in-ring psychology
A fourth requirement sometimes is necessary, and that is to have a brutal moveset:
In his time, Super Dragon was considered to have the most destructive arsenal of all independent wrestlers. Famous for having four versions of his infamous Psycho Driver as well as other nerve-wracking moves, probably his most gut-wrenching finisher is his diving double foot stomp...
...to the opponent's head.
Wait, what?
I don't know what you consider to be a destructive move, but as far as I'm concerned, any finisher that involves stomping an opponent's head is automatically a potential killer move.
Wrestlers could actively avoid dealing debilitating damage to their opponents while doing a double foot stomp (read about it here), but having the head as a target is another story. Jason Thalken—a Seattle-based martial artist, a physicist who holds a PhD in condensed matter physics from the University of Southern California, and the author of Fight Like a Physicist: The Incredible Science Behind Martial Arts has stated the following about the physics of stomping the head:
"Head stomping is interesting because the head is actually supported by the canvas, which means you aren't going to be transferring momentum to the head and getting the head to rotate. It's less likely to result in a knockout from that same motion, but it does start putting things in new precarious situations because there's nowhere for the head to go after impact: you end up putting the head at higher risk for structural damage—broken bones, broken skin, bruises, swelling. I imagine it'd be possible to get a skull fracture. You've shifted the types of injuries you're likely to get from a knockout and a brain injury to localized structural damage. If we're talking about just brain injury, it's like, "Oh you're lucky you've got the canvas there to support your head." But I wouldn't exactly call that lucky."(You can read more about his statements on head stomps, soccer kicks and elbows here.)
Damage-wise, I would put this above Seth Rollins' Curb Stomp for obvious reasons (fun fact: Super Dragon also has his own version of the Curb Stomp, and it's just as destructive):
And that's it chaps, my short review of Super Dragon's head stomp! Are you excited to have Super Dragon perform again in the ring? Let us know in the comment section below!
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: What's Worse Than A Coup de Grace?){kind=link}