The original Highlander movie more or less codified the Crowning Moment of Awesome with the Quickening (No, not the awful movie). What could we do to make a swordfight more awesome? Oh, how about when one of the guys takes the other guy's head, EVERYTHING EXPLODES!
The church scene in the original film. Never before has two men sitting down and talking been more badass.
The Kurgan gets a Dying Moment of Awesome. After his fatal wound and before his head topples from his body, he smiles at Connor and raises his sword in a salute.
The duel between Ramirez and the Kurgan. When Sean Connery is demolishing brick walls due to the impact of his sword, you know that Awesome is occuring.
The gun nut who stumbles upon the end of a duel and opens fire on the Kurgan. No, it didn't work, but he still did better than just about anyone else who went up against the Kurgan.
