5 WWE finishers that were actually stolen from other wrestlers

A WWE Superstar's finisher is a sacred thing.

Not only is it the most powerful weapon in a wrestler's arsenal, but it is something that they can be identified with by fans - both new and old.

Finishers can vary in style and effectiveness, but every wrestler has one, and every fan has probably imitated their favorite Superstar's move at some point or another.

You only have to look at Twitter's reaction to Kevin Owens using the Stunner to see just how protective people are over finishers.

And yet, sometimes a finisher will make a career, but also be stolen by a lesser Superstar.

Here are five WWE finishing moves that were actually stolen from other Superstars, and their origin stories.

5# The Go To Sleep

Itami used the move first, though Punk made the GTS famous in WWE.

CM Punk had an incredible career in the WWE.

Not only considered by many the 'Best in the World', Punk held the WWE, World Heavyweight, ECW, Intercontinental and Tag Team titles, and is also a two-time Money in the Bank winner.

Many of these huge title wins came thanks to the Go to Sleep, his finishing move that would see Punk drops his opponents onto his knee from his shoulders.

As some may already know, Punk did not invent the move, which was first used by Hideo Itami.

Going under the name KENTA, the former NXT Superstar made the move a hit in Japan, and was shocked when he saw Punk use it.

Itami even said Punk was "on a list" for stealing the move, though to the majority of WWE fans, the Second City Savior is seen as the originator, whilst Itami's was sloppy seconds.

4# The Pedigree

The Game is a 14-time World Champion thanks to the Pedigree.

When the young Hunter Hearst Helmsley arrived in the WWF in 1995, he needed something special as his finisher.

Planting his opponents face into the mat, the Pedigree (playing on the Connecticut blue-blood's snobbish behavior) helped launch Helmsley into super-stardom and has become one of the company's longest-tenured stars, Triple H.

But the Pedigree was not actually the Game's own design, and instead came from Ron Bass.

Years before the King of Kings would enter the company, Bass used the Pedigree, though unlike Triple H's version, did not hook the arms, and instead just used his leg strength to plant his opponent onto the mat.

The funny thing about this is that in his debut WWF match, the Game used the 'Pedigree Pandemonium', a cutter, but was politely asked by DDP to not use a variation of his finisher.

3# The Tombstone Piledriver

The Phenom has laid plenty of Superstars out with the Tombstone Piledriver.

There is no move more closely connected to the legendary Undertaker than the Tombstone Piledriver.

Though the Deadman has flirted with other moves such as the Hells Gate and the Last Ride, the piledriver will always be his number one finisher.

But at his 1990 Survivor Series debut, Gorilla Monsoon referred to the move as the Tombstone, before it had even been given a name on-screen.

This is because the move had already been used by the recently-passed Dynamite Kid Tom Billington bringing the move to North America in Stampede Wrestling.

Billington reportedly learned the move from Black Mask in Japan, though it was actually Takao Omori who invented it.

Regardless of how it originated, the move is now synonymous with the Deadman as well as his younger brother Kane, who also terrorized opponents with the Tombstone.

2# The Frog Splash

Guerrero used the move as a tribute to his friend Art Barr.

Before his untimely passing in November 2005, Eddie Guerrero amazed fans with both his character work and athletic skill.

And though there was no shortage of moves that Latino Heat could pull off to perfection, it was his patented Frog Splash that helped Eddie capture the WWE Championship in February 2004.

Wrestling scholars and Superstars alike have attributed the move to Art Barr, Eddie's former partner in Mexico.

A highly successful team, the pair often needed police escorts to and from the arena due to their ability to wind up the crowds.

Known as the Frog for his outstretched limbs and puffing out his cheeks when he hit the move, Barr sadly passed in 1994 and Guerrero adopted the move in tribute.

Though others have taken the move since, no-one did it quite like Latino Heat.

1# The RKO

Orton levels the Bulgarian Brute with an RKO on SmackDown Live.

Thanks to a meme that circulated the internet not too long ago, even non-wrestling fans know of the RKO.

The devastating move made famous by Randy Orton, the RKO is a swift face plant into the mat and as the meme said, can come from 'outta nowhere'.

With it, Orton has had an epic career, including two WrestleMania main events, multiple World Championships, a WWE Grand Slam accolade - Orton's accomplishments make him a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.

And yet, the RKO isn't actually his move, as in WCW, Diamond Dallas Page used the same move, nicknamed the Diamond Cutter.

But though the now-Yoga instructor used the move long before Orton even laced up a pair of boots, his version was stolen.

The alleged originator of the move is Big Johnny himself, John Laurinaitis, who had his version of the RKO called the Ace Crusher.