WWE 2k23 Best Finishers [Top 25]

While there are loads to talk about the game, we’ll shift our focus toward WWE 2k23 Best Finishers! Oh boy, give me a minute to appreciate the animation, fellas! Alright, yes, so you want the best finishers in the game? Don’t worry, you’ll find a high variety of them in this article.

John Cena, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and more with their jaw-dropping finishers will be listed here! Before starting, players need to know there are two distinct meters for Finishers.

There’s a Momentum meter for signature moves and the Finisher meter, which you already know is for! The ability to store 2,3 Finishers has been around since all the previous editions of WWE, and for 2k23, you can store 3 Finishers in a match!

Key Takeaways

• There are more than 200 playable characters in WWE 2k23.
• You’ll get to see two featured characters; Logan Paul (84 Rating) and Bad Bunny (84 Rating).
• There are two meters for Signature and Finisher moves.
• When your Momentum Bar is full, you can perform a Signature move specific to a character.
• Similarly, you can store up to three Finishers for a player, and you can perform it after the Finisher meter is full.
• Find out what type of Finisher you have before performing it.
• Open the menu tab and check your moves to find the Finisher your character has equipped.
• Knowing what Finisher you bring to the match helps easily perform them.
• To perform a Finisher on a PlayStation, press R2 + X on your controller.

WWE 2k23 Best Finishers

The bar at the bottom of the HUD displays three sections that are denoted for your Finisher. If all of them are full, that means you have successfully stored three Finishers for your characters.

Now we know the basics for Finishers, and how to perform them. Next, we’ll talk about when’s the best time to perform a Finisher move! When you’ve hit the max bar for your Signature Move, performing it will unlock your Finisher for you instantly!

Along with that, try taunting your opponents to help your Finisher meter fill up gradually. You can immediately press R2 and X because your opponent will still be recovering from the Signature move, allowing you to wreak havoc upon them with an ultimate Finisher!

Once that’s done, immediately go for the pin to increase your chances of winning the match! With all that said, let’s talk about the Best Finishers in WWE 2k23. We’ll also be taking the best animations side by side.

The Spear

One of the most renowned wrestlers in the WWE franchise is Roman Reigns and the very first Finisher we are going to talk about is the Spear which is owned by Roman Reigns. Those that watch wrestling know how brutal the Spear is and how it can be used as a counter to the majority of the moves performed by other wrestlers.

Although the Spear shown in WWE 2k23 is a bit sloppy in terms of the initial speed. However, the damage it inflicts on the opponent keeps them on the ground for several minutes. Roman Reigns charges his body toward the opponent and strikes their chest with his head and drops them dead on the ground.

In the recent launch of the game, we can also see the Spear leading to a three-pin knockout in certain circumstances. Anyone who wishes to play as Roman Reigns can rest assured that the moves in his arsenal are better and improved than before!

What strikes off more with this Finisher is that the animation works around very well. Considering the type of console you’re playing on, you’ll find it striking! 

Cross Rhodes

The Cross Rhodes is a killer Finisher by Cody Rhodes. He’s been in the wrestling franchise for more than five years and left when his contract was over. During his tenure, Rhodes performed his famous signature moves and Finishers and left the fans in amazement. Cross Rhodes used to be the finest move in wrestling back in the day and many fans have forgotten about it by now.

WWE 2k23 has surprised us again by adding this Finisher along with Cody Rhodes to the game after seven long years. His signature move is the Vertebreaker which you can follow up with Cross Rhodes. The animation starts with Rhodes getting behind and holding the opponent’s arm in a lock. He then quickly rotates and smashes the opponent on the ring causing a head injury.

Apart from that, this game features his deadly signature move known by the name of Cody Cutter. The animation is quite excellent and all three of these moves are only performed by Cody Rhodes. We’ve not seen many wrestlers try to copy this moveset and to our surprise, these moves were not seen before in any WWE game by far!

Claymore

The above Finisher is performed by Drew McIntyre in the WWE series. The franchise has listed this move in the latest game and a few fans are enjoying the moment. The Claymore can be hit in various methods some of which I’ll mention.

Drew runs toward his opponent and slams his foot on their face causing them to fall to the ground. The intensity at which he crashes his leg on their face causes enough force to immobilize them. The Finisher can be used when the opponent tries to attack you while airborne or when he’s getting up from the ground.

One of a few moments can be found when Drew is on the ground helpless, and then you can see a prompt on the screen that causes your character to build up rage. He’ll instantly get up from the ground and perform his Finisher.

Whether it’s a DDT or a Tornado Kick, Drew can counter them with his Claymore and deal devastating damage to the opponents. So if you’re playing as Drew McIntyre in WWE 2k23, be sure to use Claymore as his Finisher!

Attitude Adjustment

In the previous versions of WWE games, the Attitude of Adjustment followed a great animation that provided slow motion when Cena performed the Finisher. Now we are deprived of the cool animation we saw back in the day and we see John Cena quickly lift the opponent on his shoulders and slam them onto the ground. But, with Protoplex that we can see in the new game, Cena throws the opponent on the ground while slightly rotating them!

Apart from that, Cena used to perform Protoplex AKA Protobomb but then later on switched to an Attitude of Adjustment due to its demand from his fans. 

O-Zone

Many fans are unfamiliar with O-Zone, which is Randy Orton’s spectacular Finisher. It was followed up with an evolved form, the RKO! It is Randy’s oldest Finisher seen during his debut in WWE. And the 2023 game has spiced things up by creating a path down memory lane for its fanbase.

If you’re playing as Randy Orton, feel free to perform his oldest Finishers to bring pain upon your opponents! Randy wraps his leg around the opponent’s head while holding their arm. He then swings the opponent by using his leg to create a deadly force that causes the opponent to fall on their back.

You can proceed to pin them down to end things there and then. The move can be used in various situations in which its damage output can be amplified tenfold. O-Zone is listed in our WWE 2k23 Best Finishers due to its old link tethered to Randy Orton.

Rock Bottom

One of the most iconic moves of The Rock, Rock Bottom used to be his signature move. However, he switched it to a deadly Finisher to quickly pin the opponent after landing the move.

The move requires Dwayne, stage name, The Rock, to have the great upper body strength to lift the opponent onto his shoulders. In WWE 2k23, we can see Rock grabbing his opponent’s arms, spinning them around, and lifting the opponent onto his shoulders.

He then drops to his knees and delivers a striking blow to the opponent’s back and head. A key feature to note here is that many wrestlers have tried to imitate Rock Bottom in many of their matches.

It is because this finisher move was so impressive, that many wrestlers started imitating The Rock. So don’t be surprised when your character performs this move other than The Rock!

You can almost use Rock Bottom in any situation whether you want to end the match quickly or straight-up bully your opponents. We are happy to see the move featured in the WWE’s latest game! 

F5

One of the key features of F5 is that it is only performed by Brock Lesnar. F5 is a devastating Finisher Move that allows Lesnar to hit a decisive blow to his opponents. If you’re a die-hard wrestling fan, you may remember Lesnar using F5 in his match against the Rock, which allowed him to emerge victorious in the WWE Championship!

To perform the Finisher, you have to stay in front of the opponent and press R2 + X ( I mean it is the same for all the Finishers, I don’t know why I am repeating it again). However, in some cases, you’ll need to do something different to perform F5.

The F5 Finisher has become synonymous with Brock Lesnar and it is a maneuver that involves Lesnar lifting his opponent onto his shoulders and spinning them around before dropping them onto the ring.

Due to its versatility, and deadly animation, we can list it among the Best Finishers in WWE 2k23!

Curb Stomp

Previously known by the name of Blackout, Seth Rollins now calls this killer Finisher to Curb Stomp. If you plan on playing as Seth Rollins in WWE 2k23, you can use Curb Stomp as a devastating finishing maneuver to defeat your opponents.

I mentioned this Finisher in the list due to improvements in the animation that takes effect when performing Curb Stomp. Also, it became a fan-favorite move due to Rollins’ ability to flawlessly execute it with heavy impact.

To perform the Finisher in WWE 2k23, you can almost do anything. However, the most effective method would be to push your opponent toward the corner of the ring and then perform Curb Stomp.

Seth Rollins will climb the corner of the rope after throwing the opponent on the ground. He then jumps and stomps on his opponent’s head as they are bent over, driving their face to the ground.

Coast To Coast

Shane McMahon is the one who performs Coast To Coast as a brutal Finisher. The animation is quite smooth and transitions during impact. The Finisher is a crowd-pleaser and we are grateful that WWE enlisted it in one of its moveset for the new WWE 2k23.

During the animation, Shane jumps from one corner of the ring, (which I think is called a turnbuckle) to another while performing a dropkick on the opponent. To spice things up, you can lay the opponent on the corner of the ring and perform the Coast To Coast with a trash can to humiliate your opponent.

Military Press Powerslam

The Powerslam has gained an enormous amount of variations to its moveset causing it to become slightly less impressive. Back in the day, we were always shocked to see unique Finishers performed by their respective wrestlers.

Nowadays, it is less of an excitement to watch different wrestlers perform the Powerslam with one of their variations.

Goldberg has Military Press Powerslam enlisted as his Finisher move and we can see why because he’s a walking talking tank! The Finisher involves lifting the opponent into a military press position and then slamming them down onto the ring in a devastating power slam that immobilizes the enemy.

You can counter a few moves with this Finisher and succeed in pinning the opponent and winning the match. As I mentioned before, the Powerslam is not enlisted to a specific wrestler in WWE 2k23, you can use it with almost any character, such as Bron breakker.

Batista Bomb

Finally, the Batista Bomb is a favorite Finisher of the iconic wrestler Dave Batista! The Finisher is known for its highly impactful finishing maneuver that leads to pinfalls or submission victories. However, we can also see other wrestlers in WWE 2k23 performing the iconic Batista Bomb because it is a variation of Power Bomb and all a wrestler has to do is add his name before the “Bomb.” 

The Finisher starts with your character lifting the opponent onto his shoulders in a powerbomb position. And then slamming them down with intense force right onto the ground. Although the controllers of your console are on default vibration setting. If not, I highly suggest that you enable this setting!

Stunner

The Stunner is quite similar to the RKO however there is a huge difference between the two moves. Kevin Owens is mostly seen performing the Stunner, where he turns away from the opponent, uses his arm to grab the opponent’s head, and drops down on his hips.

The Finisher was popularized by Kevin Owens but is originally used by Stone Cold. However, similar to some of the Finishers mentioned in my WWE 2k23 Best Finishers guide, you’ll find various wrestlers using this move in the game!

The Finisher causes immense neck pain when the opponent to falls to the ground. The best way to perform Stunner is when the opponent is rushing toward you. You can immediately perform the Finisher and catch them off guard. It can also be used as a great follow-up attack that can lead to a pin out!

KOD

The Kiss of Death also known as KOD is a unique Finisher performed by Bianca Belair. throughout the wrestling career, you might have noticed that none of the professional wrestlers have imitated the move. It is also one of the reasons why Kiss of Death is a unique Finisher respective to Bianca Belair.

You might think it’s funny why any male wrestler would try to copy a female wrestler’s moveset. However, I’m only talking about the female wrestlers that have not been seen to imitate KOD.

Bianca lifts her opponent onto her shoulders in a fireman’s carry position and spins them around. After that, the animation leads to Bianca performing a facebuster by planting her opponent’s face onto the ring.

Why is it ranked as the Best Finisher in WWE 2k23? It’s because of the fluidity in the animation that portrays how well Bianca transitions from a fireman’s carry position to a devastating facebuster!

Samoan Spike

The Samoan Spike was not added in any of the previous versions of WWE and has only recently been added to 2k23. The animation starts with Solo Sikoa driving his thumb into the opponent’s throat with excruciating force.

Before the thumb strikes, the wrestler is seen to hold the opponent in a submission lock to hold them in place. Sikao uses the Samoan Spike as a tribute to Umaga, which is an excellent notion added by WWE in their latest game!

Manhandle Slam

It is a powerful maneuver used by Becky Lynch as her Finishing move. No wrestler is seen to use Manhandle Slam because this Finisher can be tweaked in many ways.

Also, the reason why it is mentioned here in my guide. Becky immobilizes her opponent by grabbing their arm and wrenching it behind their back. She then grabs them by the waist and lifts them to slam them on the ground with heavy force.

The mechanics and animations of the new game allow the Manhandle Slam to be a forceful Finisher that, upon sight, looks fascinating and brutal at the same time!

Gory Bomb

As a tribute to Eddie Guerrero who was a professional wrestler back in the day. The Gory Bomb was added in WWE 2k23. The Finisher was seen used by the late wrestler throughout his wrestling career. It involves the wrestler lifting his opponent onto his shoulders in a fireman’s carry position (A similar position seen in Bianca Belair’s Finisher, Kiss of Death).

Eddie then twists their body around to face his back and grabs their legs and forces them to collide with the ring causing immense damage. The Gory Bomb is known for its creativity throughout the wrestlers’ history. Another reason why I thought to add it to my guide!

Brogue Kick

The above Finisher is performed by Sheamus who is a famous wrestler in WWE. Brogue Kick is a recognizable and the most devastating move in WWE today. Although it used to be his Signature move he later transitioned it to a Finisher move due to its intense force and knockback effects.

During the animation, Sheamus delivers a swift, high-impact kick to his opponent’s head and causes them to fall to the ground. After the Finisher ends, you can perform a pin to knock them out of the ring and secure victory!

In various scenarios, one can use Brogue Kick to counter any moves thrown at them by the opponent. If you’re playing with one of your friends in a multiplayer match, you can always count on Sheamus to deliver his deadly Brogue Kick!

Rose Plant

Adding another professional female wrestler to our WWE 2k23 Finishers guide, Rose Plant is performed by Bayley as a deadly move. It is a highly effective and visually impressive move to not miss out!

To use the Finisher, you must first weaken the opponent with a few combinations of strikes. Once they are weakened and unable to perform counters or reversals, you can press the designated buttons on your console to perform Rose Plant.

Bayley will grab the opponent’s arm and pull it across her own body. She then proceeds to jump up and plant her opponent’s face into the ring using her momentum as a deadly force to the impact. 

Chingona Bomb

Raquel Rodriguez is a professional wrestler who later changed the name of her Finisher Chingona Bomb to the Tejana Bomb. It is a variation of the power slam limited to other male wrestlers. It involves Rodriguez lifting her opponent onto her shoulders and slamming them back-first onto the ground.

Bunny Destroyer

Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican Rapper who was a big fan of WWE and later joined the team back in 2021. Since then he has been performing shocking moves in the arena. His addition to the WWE 2k23’s roster is a big welcome to many fans that chant his name.

Although the Bunny Destroyer is a variation of the Canadian Destroyer owned by Petey Williams. However, you’ll only find Bad Bunny performing the Finisher which goes by the name of Bunny Destroyer indefinitely. The animation starts with Bunny waiting for his opponent to get back up from the ground.

He then delivers a powerful kick to their stomach and locks their head between his thighs. Bunny performs a front flip while locking their opponent’s head which also causes the opponent to be flipped along with him, causing their head to come in contact with the ring.

The deadly impact can be followed up immediately with a pin out to secure a victory! However, in most cases, you’ll need to perform his signature move, the Broken Arrow to confirm your victory.

ATL

The ATL is performed by Austin Theory and it is his favorite Finisher in WWE. Another great fact you’ll find out about ATL is that it’s only performed by Austin Theory, unlike other Finishers that have been tweaked and used by multiple wrestlers in the arena.

Austin Theory is the current rising star of WWE which is why he is enlisted in the roster of WWE 2k23. ATL stands for Austin Theory’s Launch and involves lifting an opponent onto his shoulders in a fireman’s carry position.

He then flips them forward and plants their face-first onto the ground. It is a highly impactful Finisher limited to only Austin Theory.

Big Ending

You will only find Big E to be performing the Big Ending Finisher, which is great info to receive nowadays! You can perform this move from the corner of the ring, the top of a ladder, or on a table.

The animation involves Big E lifting his opponent on one side of his shoulders in a fireman’s carry position. He then proceeds to smash them on the ground using their body weight against them. The Finisher has greatly evolved since WWE 2k14! 

Styles Clash

The Styles Clash is a Finisher performed only by AJ Styles and another female wrestler. However, the female wrestler retired long ago, so the Finisher is limited only to AJ Styles.

It is a devastating maneuver that has stuck around Styles throughout his wrestling career. After performing the Finisher, Styles will lift his opponent in a double under hook position, flip them over, and force their head and shoulders onto the ring with a powerbomb motion.

Styles Clash has turned out to be a risky move performed in the arena, but despite all that, it has been known to be one of the most visually impressive Finishers!

Bitter End

Butch is the stage name of Pete Dunne and he performs the Finisher known as Bitter End. In WWE 2k23, we can see drastic changes made to the majority of the wrestlers and their animations when performing a signature or finisher move.

I have not seen any of the wrestlers in WWE 2k23 use Bitter End as a variation of their own. Therefore, I can say that you can use the Finisher only when you have selected Butch as your playable character!

It is a truly impressive Finisher move that starts with Butch locking the arm of his opponent between their legs and lifting them onto his shoulders in a fireman’s carry position (and yes this position has been mentioned multiple times in my guide, so what?) Although I believe it is not because as soon as he lifts them, he instantly drops down.

Butch then proceeds to take a few steps forward to build up momentum and then drops down to his back, driving his opponent face-first into the ring before letting them go.

Split-Legged Leg Drop

The Finisher move is not quite exceptional as it brings a few risks to the table. However, it can be used as a fun element and show the opponents that you mean business when playing WWE 2k23. (It is used by a female wrestler, not to mention!)

The Split-Legged Leg Drop is performed by Nikkita Lyons. To use the Finisher, you’ll need to place your opponents on the ground and reach one of the nearest corners of the ring.

Nikkita will climb the corner and proceed to launch herself toward the knocked down, defenseless opponent. During the jump, she’ll spread her legs wide apart before landing on her opponent’s chest or throat with both legs in a split position!

I have concerns as to why I added the Split-Legged Leg Drop Finisher in my WWE 2k23 Finishers guide. Oh well, who cares?

Best Counters in Mid Air

The next heading we’ll be going through is “counters” that lead to Finishers which have the most perfect and smooth animation WWE 2k23 has to offer!

The kind of scenarios for counters is various in number. Let’s say, you have Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton in a match. Mysterio jumps from the corner of the ring while Orton stands at the center of the ring.

If the mechanics of the game allow my example to work, then we’d have something known as a Reversal that leads to a Finisher! Orton catches Mysterio and delivers an RKO. 

So, we’ll be going through some of the moves you can counter in the game with your Finishers to enjoy the smooth animations.

Attitude Adjustment

Playing as your famous wrestler; John Cena, you know how bad of a toll the Attitude of Adjustment leaves on the body of any opponent. Performing the move after a Signature Move is beyond something you can imagine. Why not take it up a notch?

By that, I mean performing the Finisher whilst an enemy is airborne, be it a ladder, table, or from the corner of the ring. John Cena can easily counter the moves and perform a jaw-dropping, bone-breaking Attitude Adjustment! It is not necessary but something cool to pull off, don’t you think?

After you’re done countering the opponent, you can easily pin them for a win! You should try various combinations including counters with special Finishers.

Sweet Chin Music

Brought to you by Shawn Michael, the Sweet Chin Music perfectly blends in with an incoming character flying at you from the top corner of the ring. Wait till the opponent launches himself toward you, then perform the reversal. P.S you’ll need to time the Finisher before pulling off a counter!

Watch how Shawn Michael thrusts his leg right on the perfectly smooth chin of the opponent. I can only imagine how that would feel!

Forearm Smash

If you’re playing as Karrion Kross, you can always keep his Forearm Smash in mind! That is one hell of a move, guys. So, how does one pull off a perfect counter with this Finisher?

Make sure you have your Finisher meter full, and whenever you’re in a situation where the enemy is going to hurl himself toward you from a ladder or the top of the ring, you can always counter them with the mighty Forearm Smash.

I believe other characters can perform the move and might not be only limited to Karrion Kross as WWE 2k23 Best Finishers. However, in light of recent events, we can at least try!

While your opponent is standing on the top corner of the ring, you’re on the ground restless. Don’t worry, you’ll always have time to counter. Wait till the perfect moment and counter the jump attack by delivering a deadly blow to the enemy’s back, front, or rear! A painful way to lose a match.

RKO

I made sure to add Randy Orton’s famous Finisher move RKO at the end of my guide because of how well it can be used to counter almost all of the moves in WWE. There are multiple cases where you can perform the RKO while having Orton as your character in WWE 2k23.

For instance, if you’re on top of a ladder with your opponent on the other side, you can perform the finisher and cause immense damage to the opponent! Whether you’re on top of the corner ring or laying down on the ring, you can immediately perform RKO as a reversal to the opponent’s moveset.

You can grab a table from anywhere in the arena and place it inside the ring. You can then pull your opponent to the side of the table and perform the Finisher and break the table as well as your opponent! Later, you can pin them down to secure a scrumptious victory!

Final Thoughts

WWE 2k23 brings some new features to the table including MyRise, Showcase Mode, GM Mode, and more! The GM Mode includes an addition of one or more managers in the game.

Another exciting feature you should definitely check out is the new WarGames. It includes double rings joined together inside a cage! You can play in a team of 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4, and there are always new stories added to every new game of WWE.

In addition to that, this year’s story involves John Cena’s career! It allows you to play through the entire career of a wrestler, which in this case, is John Cena. However, the game has changed its perspective which allows the players to play as the opponents of John Cena in his overall career.

With all said and done, I conclude my guide on WWE 2k23 Best Finishers guide. I also hope that you guys found my list to be of great help!