The powerbomb is one of the most common and popular finishers in pro wrestling. There’s something devastating in seeing a wrestler get lifted onto another’s shoulders and then slammed onto the canvas with incredible force.
As such, many wrestlers have used one variation of the powerbomb or another as finishers over the decades. Some of these include The Undertaker, Vader, Batista, Kota Ibushi, Kane, GUNTHER, Scott Hall, Wardlow, Batista, Kevin Owens, Jushin Liger, Claudio Castagnoli, Toshiaki Kawada, Sheamus, Ultimo Dragon, Mike Awesome, Sid Vicious, Keith Lee, and many more.
But there was one wrestler whose powerbomb is still considered one of the best of all time: Kevin Nash.
Many fans remember Nash’s Jackknife as one of the best powerbombs because it was done somewhat differently. Instead of lifting his opponents all the way up and then sitting down or otherwise controlling them on the way down, Nash would get them up to 90 degrees and then launch them down while he remained standing. As a result, Nash looked even more imposing as he stood tall while his opponents crumpled on the mat.
But this wasn’t always his go-to move. According to Kevin Nash himself, the powerbomb as a finisher was originally intended for someone else.
Kevin Nash describes how Vince McMahon made him change his finisher to the powerbomb
On an episode of his Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash explained that the powerbomb was originally intended for Adam Bomb and not him.
“I was given [the powerbomb]. At the time, that was Adam Bomb’s finish. I just had a f***in’ The Loaded Glove of Diesel was my finish. When they started to push me, Vince said, ‘Give him the Powerbomb.’”
According to Nash, Vince reasoned that as the company’s top champion and babyface shouldn’t cheat to win. As such, a more powerful and emphatic finisher was needed, hence the powerbomb.
h/t WrestlingInc for the transcription