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Ah, the humble clothesline. It's a move that nearly every wrestler performs, and is a staple of pro wrestling. However, simply performing a clothesline and mastering the move are two separate entities.
The clothesline is performed with one or both of the wrestlers running towards each other. The attacker sticks his arm out at the last moment and drives his opponent to the mat with a stiff strike/body tackle that creates a solid impact and plays great to live wrestling audiences.
And for you pro wrestling nerds out there; For the purposes of this list, we are counting lariats and clotheslines as the same maneuver because for all intents and purposes they are the same; a Wrestler attacks another wrestler with their outthrust arm.
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But I digress. The clothesline, be it ever so humble, has been a part of pro wrestling for a very long time.
In fact, it's such a staple move that no one can exactly say who invented it. What is known is that the clothesline was developed after the period in which wrestling became a scripted performance, and it became popular because of the reaction a live crowd has to it.
Without further ado, here are ten of the best clotheslines in wrestling, in no particular order.
#1 Stan "The Lariat" Hansen (Western Lariat)
The world of professional wrestling is filled with tough guys. In fact, the average pro wrestler is probably about as dangerous as an MMA fighter because of their athletic ability, strength, and resistance to pain.
This is why most pro wrestlers who make the move to MMA do so well (CM Punk notwithstanding, of course.)
But when it comes to tough men, I mean really, really TOUGH men, you need to look no further than Stan Hansen.
The powerful Texas native is perhaps better known in Japan than he is in his home country. He is one of the few men to bodyslam Andre the Giant, and his version of the clothesline, the Western Lariat, is out of this world.
What makes the Western Lariat so special? Hansen would often come up from a crouch or be running full tilt before delivering the move, and unlike a standard clothesline, he waits until the last moment to strike with his forearm.
Here's a compilation of some of Hansen's best lariats:
#2 Rick and Scott Steiner (Steinerline)
A long time before he dyed his hair and became a big walking lump of muscle, Scott Steiner was one of the quickest big men in pro wrestling.
Much like his older brother Rick, Scott was possessed of strength, explosive speed, and uncanny agility.
The amateur wrestling standouts also became pro wrestling standouts, and then some. The Steiner Brothers are one of the most decorated tag teams in history and are one of the few teams to hold the tag team titles in the NWA, WCW, and WWE.
What made their clotheslines so special? A combination of their power, speed, and sheer brutality. In fact, announcer Jim Ross declared that the Steiners didn't use clotheslines at all, but in fact used Steinerlines due to their brutality.
Here are Ric and Scott destroying two preliminary wrestling talents.
#3 Cactus Jack Manson/Mick Foley (The Cactus Clothesline)
Mick Foley is one of the most beloved figures in all of pro wrestling. His combination of wrestling legend status and 'common man' origins make him very approachable and yet possessed of a certain mystique. After all, this is the man who survived to go through the Hell in a Cell roof--twice.
One thing that most people don't give Mick Foley much credit for is technical wrestling--for good reason. Foley is a brawler, first and foremost, but he does have a few nifty moves up his plaid sleeves.
One of those moves is the Cactus Clothesline. What makes it so special? Well, for one thing, Mick hits his opponent with it so hard they both end up falling out of the ring!
Foley is more known for taking damage than dishing it out, so it's good that he has a move like the Cactus Clothesline in his repertoire. Here's Cactus Jack clotheslining Ron Simmons (Farooq) right over the top rope.
#4 Ivan and Nikita Koloff (The Russian Sickle)
When it comes to brutal looking clotheslines, you need to look no further than the Russian Sickle performed by Ivan Koloff and his 'nephew' Nikita Koloff.
Yes, during the 1980s Russian supermen made the ultimate wrestling villains. How times, and global political dynamics, have changed!
The two faux Russians--neither man is actually from Western Asia--definitely added to their foreign heel mystique with this simple yet devastating maneuver.
Ivan is credited with inventing it, though to be fair it's really just a minor variation on a clothesline.
What makes the sickle so special? For one thing, instead of hitting their foe in the chest, the practitioner of a Russian Sickle strikes their throat.
Attacking a more vulnerable area is bad enough, but both men would throw their full body weight into the move, resulting in a tremendous impact.
#5 Adam Page (Shotgun Clothesline)
Adam Page has a rare combination of modern day technical wrestling, old school grit, and tremendous strength for a man of his size.
He combines all of these elements into one brutal package when he delivers his finisher, the Shotgun Clothesline.
Much like the Steiners mentioned earlier on this list, Page makes his finisher look extra brutal by virtue of the fact that he is powerful, explosive, and a fleet of foot.
But what really makes the Shotgun Clothesline special is the setup. Adam Page exits the ring and stands on the apron, usually with a dazed opponent in the ring.
When they stumble into the right position, he leaps over the ropes, performs a forward somersault, and lands on his feet while simultaneously delivering a brutal clothesline. You can watch it in the vid below.
#6 The Miz (Swinging Corner Clothesline)
When Mike Mizanin first announced his intention to become a WWE superstar, he was far, far away from a wrestling ring.
He was a part of one of MTV's myriad reality television competitions, and one thing stood out about him most of all: He was really, really annoying!
But stranger things have happened, and The Miz, as he came to call himself, did, in fact, become a WWE superstar.
In fact, he became a triple crown champion, and one of the few men to hold clean wins over John Cena.
The Miz has always updated his repertoire to stay fresh and current, but one of his old standbys is this corner clothesline variation, which has been dubbed the Swinging corner clothesline.
What makes the move special is the fact that the Miz throws his entire body into the attack, and ends up in a showstopping pose at the end of it.
#7 Road Warrior Animal
Way back in the day, in the late 1970s/early 1980s, a certain pair of bodybuilders/bouncers became involved in the pro wrestling industry. They dubbed themselves the Road Warriors and dressed like an outlaw biker gang.
Then, the Mel Gibson blockbuster The Road Warrior debuted in theaters, and completely changed the look of the tag team. Now they emulated the post-apocalyptic characters in the film, with wild hairstyles and face paint.
Road Warrior Animal was known as the 'power' wrestler of the tandem, though to be honest Hawk was probably just as strong.
When Road Warrior Animal made forays into singles wrestling, he relied on two finishers. One was a power slam, and the other was a devastating clothesline.
What made Animal's clothesline so special is his pure size and power. A three hundred pound weight lifting machine can deliver a great deal more impact than your average wrestler.
In fact, his clotheslines were so brutal that some enhancement talent left the arena rather than face him!
#8 Kane (Top Rope diving clothesline)
One thing you can't always appreciate when watching wrestling on television is how BIG men like Kane are in person.
The massive seven foot, three hundred pound Big Red Machine is one of the most consistent and enduring performers on the WWE roster.
A man Kane's size doesn't have to use fancy moves or go to the top rope at all. Simply by being the towering mass of muscle that he is, Kane generates heat.
However, he has never been content for performing 'good enough.' No, Kane will fly through the air, though you would not call these the friendly skies!
What makes Kane's diving clothesline so special is the fact that a seven foot, three hundred pound juggernaut is the one performing it. Many wrestlers half Kane's size never ascend the top rope, but he does willingly and often.
#9 JBL (The Clothesline From Hell)
John "Bradshaw" Layfield has always been one of wrestling's bigger men. At six and a half feet tall, and pushing three hundred pounds, the affable but arrogant Texan has made a career out of utilizing his size and strength to his advantage.
Long before he was known for announcing or making money on the stock market, JBL was knocking the slobber out of his opponent's mouths with his variation of the Clothesline, which he lovingly refers to as the Clothesline from Hell.
What makes his variation so special is the fact that JBL bounces off the ropes near the corner, where the tension is highest.
This gives him a tremendous boost of speed and impetus that he transfers into a devastating blow with his clubbing forearm. You can check out JBL's greatest 'hits' below.
#10 Kazuchiko Okada (The Rainmaker)
While everyone and their brother likes to go on and on about the 'best bout machine' Kenny Omega, one needs to remember that wrestling takes at least two participants.
Kenny is only as good as his competition, and in the case of his best-reviewed matches, that competition is Kazuchiko Okada, the Rainmaker.
Possessed of strength, speed, and tremendous technical wrestling prowess, Okada could have chosen a variety of different moves as his finisher.
However, he chose to use a short arm clothesline partially because he was a big fan of Jake the Snake Roberts, and because he knew he could perform the move reliably and well even after a sixty-minute match with a top tier opponent.
What makes the Rainmaker special isn't the wind-up or the tremendous impact Okada puts into the move. Rather, it's the Rainmaker's sense of drama, the build-up as he calls for the move, puts his opponent in position, and finally delivers the crushing blow.
There you have it; Ten of the best clotheslines in wrestling history. Did your favorite make the list? Please comment and let us know, and as always thanks for reading!
