... Three!

You've got the finality of the knockout and the sleeper. The domination and humiliation of the submission. And the dramatic spectacle of a face's best buddies charging in and clearing the ring of the bad guys. I can savor all these forms of closure, all the more when they're performed with noisy flourish and athletic grace. But the finish that gets me every time is the pin--sudden, furious, clean, and decisive. Body on body. A victor laying claim to the vanquished with a triumphant "He's mine!"

Here we see ECCW heavyweight champ Artemis Spencer suplex Alex Plexis, of tag team champions Riot, and pin him with a cradle--one of my favorite pinning combinations: the winner's torso bears down on the loser's chest and face, while he hikes one or both of the bottom guy's legs to display his ass to the fans (yeah, I know it's supposed to be for "leverage," but still). I'm also fond of the classic schoolboy pin, for sentimental reasons perhaps. Straddling in general works for me. Any finisher that creates the impression that a man's crotch is pressing his opponent to the mat gets my stamp of approval. (Photos by Mary Diaz, I think)