Tatum Paxley’s rise to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship has put a brighter spotlight on every part of her presentation, including the move that has helped define her in-ring identity. Paxley has revealed that her Cemetery Drive finishing move was inspired by Suzu Suzuki, the current World of Stardom Champion.
Paxley and Alexa Bliss recently defeated Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid on SmackDown to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. It marked Paxley’s first championship victory since arriving on WWE’s main roster, a major moment for a performer whose unpredictable character work and distinctive offense have made her stand out across both NXT and WWE television.
Speaking during a media appearance after the title win, Paxley discussed the origins of Cemetery Drive and explained that Suzuki’s use of a similarly impactful move immediately caught her attention. Paxley did not describe the process as a simple matter of adopting a maneuver. Instead, she said she tried multiple versions before settling on the twist that gave Cemetery Drive its own identity.
“The finish, I had seen a wrestler — who goes by Suzu Suzuki — pull it out… When I had seen that move, I had not been so drawn to a move that heavy before. I had to take inspo from it, and I even tried different variations of my current finish. No matter what I do, I have to add this twist into it. It has to have this twist, and I just worked out on it for such a long time and then when I finally got to pull it out, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is perfect.’ It’s one of those things you look at and you’re like, huh!? That’s what I want people to think when they see me so my finish works really well with that.”
For more background on this topic, read Tatum Paxley Calls WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Win With Alexa Bliss ‘Unbelievable’.
A Finisher Built Around Impact and Surprise
The explanation fits what Cemetery Drive is designed to accomplish for Paxley. A finishing move does more than end a match; it is often the clearest physical expression of a wrestler’s character. In Paxley’s case, the move’s sudden, heavy visual is consistent with the unsettling and volatile edge she brings to the ring.
Paxley’s own description of the desired reaction is especially telling. She wanted viewers to look at the move and react with immediate disbelief. That “huh!?” response is an important part of professional wrestling offense. The most memorable finishing maneuvers tend to be easy for fans to recognize, forceful enough to feel decisive, and unusual enough that the audience can anticipate the end of a match the instant it is delivered.
Cemetery Drive has become that kind of calling card for Paxley. It provides a sharp contrast to the more conventional rhythm of many matches and gives her a finishing sequence that feels dangerous without losing its precision. Her comments also underline the amount of experimentation that can go into finding the right version of a move. Even when the initial inspiration is clear, a wrestler still has to make the execution fit their own body, timing, opponent positioning, and broader presentation.
Paxley said she tested different variations, but continually came back to the importance of the twist. That detail illustrates how a seemingly small adjustment can be essential in turning an idea into a performer’s signature. The final version did not merely need to look powerful. It had to feel like something specific to Tatum Paxley.
Suzu Suzuki’s Influence Reaches WWE Television
Suzu Suzuki’s role in the story is a notable example of how wrestling styles and ideas travel across promotions and continents. As the current World of Stardom Champion, Suzuki is one of the central figures in STARDOM, and Paxley’s comments offer direct recognition of the impression Suzuki’s offense made on her.
Professional wrestling has always developed through observation, adaptation, and evolution. Wrestlers watch their peers, see something that sparks an idea, and then work to reshape that influence around their own strengths. The result is not necessarily an attempt to recreate another wrestler’s act; the goal is to find an element that can be transformed into a natural part of a new performer’s repertoire.
That appears to be the path Paxley described. She was drawn to the weight and visual impact of what she saw Suzuki do, then spent considerable time working through versions of her own finish. Her emphasis on the move being “perfect” only after the process of refinement speaks to the deliberate approach behind the finished product.
For WWE viewers who may be encountering Suzuki’s name through Paxley’s comments, the acknowledgment also adds context to Cemetery Drive. The move is now associated with Paxley’s biggest WWE accomplishments, but its creative roots connect back to a wrestler who made a powerful enough impression to influence a champion on another major platform.
Cemetery Drive Has Already Delivered Major Wins
Paxley’s confidence in the move is supported by its record in significant matches. Cemetery Drive has helped her capture both the NXT Women’s North American Championship and the NXT Women’s Championship. Those victories established the maneuver as more than a visual flourish; it has repeatedly been tied to defining moments in Paxley’s career.
That history makes the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship reign even more meaningful. Paxley’s championship resume has expanded from individual success in NXT to a title win on SmackDown alongside Bliss. While tag team wrestling naturally changes the structure of a match and requires a different strategic approach, an established singles finisher remains a valuable weapon. It gives Paxley and Bliss an immediate route to victory whenever Paxley can create the opening.
The title win over Henley and Reid also places Paxley in a different position within WWE. She is no longer simply building momentum or working toward a breakthrough. She is a champion on the main roster, and every defense will bring more attention to the offense, character, and partnership that carried her to that point.
In that environment, Cemetery Drive can become an even larger part of Paxley’s identity. Fans often attach championship moments to a decisive image: the move that ended a match, the pinfall that followed, and the reaction that came after. Because Cemetery Drive already carries a strong visual signature, it is well positioned to remain central to Paxley’s presentation as her tag team run develops.
The Alexa Bliss Partnership Enters a New Chapter
Paxley’s first main-roster championship did not come in isolation. Her partnership with Alexa Bliss is now officially a championship pairing, and the win over Fatal Influence gives the duo a clear place in the WWE Women’s Tag Team division.
Bliss brings extensive championship experience to the team, while Paxley arrives at this stage of her career with a style and persona that gives the tandem a different dynamic. Their success against Henley and Reid demonstrated that the pairing can convert its contrasting qualities into results. As champions, they will have to maintain that chemistry against challengers who will be looking to test both their teamwork and their ability to withstand sustained pressure.
For Paxley individually, the championship is also a chance to show that the qualities that led to her NXT title wins can translate fully to WWE’s main roster. Cemetery Drive is one of the clearest examples of that continuity. It has been present for major victories before, and it now follows her into a new chapter alongside Bliss.
The move’s origin story adds another layer to that progression. What began with Paxley being struck by the force of a Suzu Suzuki maneuver became a lengthy search for the right adaptation. That work produced a finisher associated with championships in NXT and now with Paxley’s arrival as a main-roster titleholder.
Paxley Has Found the Reaction She Wanted
Paxley’s comments ultimately come back to the feeling she wants to create when the bell rings. She did not simply want a move that looked effective. She wanted a moment that could stop viewers in their tracks and make them question what they had just seen.
That is a fitting ambition for a wrestler like Paxley, whose appeal is rooted in unpredictability. Cemetery Drive gives that unpredictability a decisive punctuation point. Its impact, its visual twist, and its connection to important title victories have made it a key part of what separates her from the rest of the roster.
Now, as one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Paxley has more opportunities than ever to deliver that reaction. And whenever Cemetery Drive ends another match, fans will know that the path to the move began with Suzu Suzuki’s influence and Paxley’s determination to make the concept entirely her own.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.