The Powerbomb - Who Did It Best?

5. Toshiaki Kawada

Kawada's Powerbomb was just as feared as his kick, the latter of which can be seen here

Toshiaki Kawada, one of AJPW’s famed Four Pillars of Heaven, used a Folding Powerbomb as his primary finisher. Kawada would hit the Powerbomb, and then he’d cover his opponent. But he wouldn’t do a simple jackknife cover; instead, Kawada would hold his opponent's shoulders with his hands and then put all of his weight on top of them.

As he was pinning them, it looked like he was lying directly on top of his opponent. This was an example of smart wrestling, as his opponent had to do double the work to kick out. They had to lift their own shoulder up from the mat while also trying to push off a 231-pound man pushing down on them with all their might.

A handful of wrestlers have used this move since then, most notably Samoa Joe, who’d hit the move just like Kawada only without lying on top of his opponent.