WWE Hall of Famer Booker T agreed with co-host Brad Gilmore that the modern trend of “finisher spam,” where wrestlers hit their finishing move multiple times in a match, is a real problem, with the two pointing to Brock Lesnar’s win over Oba Femi at Clash in Italy as an example.
On the Hall of Fame podcast, Gilmore said he counted the issue twice on the Clash in Italy card, including Lesnar landing what ended up being seven F5s on Oba Femi. “I don’t like that, because it’s called a finisher,” Gilmore said. He argued the device only works when it serves a story, citing the Shawn Michaels and Undertaker match at WrestleMania 25. “There was a story that it was built into. It wasn’t just hitting a big move to get a big reaction and a kickout.”
Booker agreed the overuse undercuts the impact. “No, you’re not old school in your way of thinking. I think that’s a huge problem.”
The criticism came as part of a wider discussion about the differing styles between promotions, with Gilmore contrasting WWE’s approach to AEW’s. Booker used the moment to argue that competition ultimately raises the level of in-ring work, drawing on his own experience during the Monday Night Wars. He said the rival WWF locker room of that era, featuring stars like The Undertaker, Steve Austin and The Rock, raised their game to combat WCW. “Those guys went out there on Monday night in the middle of that square circle, and they brought it.”
Booker, who was in WCW at the time, admitted he often wished he was on the other side. “A lot of those nights I was wishing I was over there getting a chance to be a part of that.” He said he believes the current competitive landscape is as real as ever, and that it will be settled in the ring. “You run faster when somebody’s chasing you.”
Source: The Hall of Fame podcast with Booker T and Brad Gilmore. h/t WrestlingNews.co.
