The Burning Hammer - Who Did It Best?

#1 Kenta Kobashi

This man was once called 'the perfect wrestler' by Tokyo Sports, and many people agree to this day

Kobashi is the Burning Hammer’s most prolific user and the man behind its namesake. He was the one that took Inoue’s Victoria Driver and made it into something far more dangerous. He was the first wrestler to grab his opponent in a Torture Rack and then fall to his back while driving his opponent head-and-neck-first into the mat.

Kobashi used the move only seven times between its debut in 1998 and its final appearance in 2006. When it was first used (as seen in the video below), the commentator screamed loudly, shocked at what he saw. That is a logical reaction to have, as the Burning Hammer, if done incorrectly, can kill someone with ease.

Yet Kobashi’s Burning Hammer is still considered the most devastating version of the move. Each of its seven uses brought him victory, making it one of the few moves in wrestling with a 100% guarantee to end a match. That statistic alone makes Kobashi’s Burning Hammer the most successful wrestling finisher of all time.