10 High Flying Wrestling Moves That Were Ahead Of Their Time

In today's wrestling landscape, high-flying moves have become sort of the norm. As a matter of fact, the bar seems to be constantly getting higher and higher when it comes to jaw-dropping aerial maneuvers. In pro wrestling's infancy, competitors rarely ever left their feet, let alone climb to the top turnbuckle and jump.

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Starting in pro wrestling's Golden Era, more and more high-flying moves were used with regularity. As Lucha Libre's influence on American wrestling grew in the 90s, that number climbed even higher. In hindsight, it's clear to see that many of the top high-flying moves of the 80s and 90s were ahead of their time.

10 Swanton Bomb

Today, Jeff Hardy is viewed as one of the most daring and innovative performers of his time. However, when Jeff and his brother Matt debuted in WWE in the late 90s, the future "Charismatic Enigma" had a lot to prove. The chip on Jeff's shoulder was most likely the catalyst to some of his daredevil stunts.

During his over 20 year career, Hardy has jumped off just about every tall structure imaginable. Still, perhaps his greatest legacy comes as the modern-day innovator of the Swanton Bomb. A variation of the move was used by Japanese wrestling legend, The Great Sasuke, but Hardy's is a bit unique. His version is essentially a delayed senton. Hardy waits till the last possible second to complete the flip, keeping him vertical longer than necessary and adding an extra element of danger to the move.

9 Topé Suicida

The Topé Suicida, or "Suicide Dive," as it's known to American wrestling fans, has become one of the most commonly used moves in pro wrestling today. The move is relatively simple to execute. It's a simple dive from the inside of the ring to the outside of the ring, with the performer executing it going through the ropes rather than over them. Going through the ropes makes the move look more dangerous.

The Topé Suicida existed in Mexico for years before Bret "The Hitman" Hart helped popularize it in America by incorporating it into his arsenal in the 90s. The exposure Hart gave the move inspired a new generation of performers to use it a lot more often. The high frequency at which the move is performed nowadays has certainly robbed it of some of its effectiveness though.

8 Van Terminator

For years, Rob Van Dam was pro wrestling's best-kept secret. Only hardcore fans were familiar with his jaw-dropping ability Van Dam possessed during his days in ECW. Aside from having one of the greatest Frog Splashes of all time, Van Dam also innovated a devastating hardcore finisher he dubbed the "Van Terminator."

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The move is performed by sitting an opponent up on the bottom turnbuckle, climbing to the top turnbuckle on the opposite corner, lunging across the ring, and kicking a chair into the opponent's face. Shane McMahon adopted the move in the early 2000s and although his version is top-notch, nobody can top Van Dam's.

7 Shooting Star Press

The Shooting Star Press was invented by legendary Japanese performer, Jushin "Thunder" Liger. The move is performed when a wrestler jumps off the top rope, brings his knees towards his chest, and executes a backflip, landing flat on the opponent. Liger might've been the inventor of the move, but it was popularized in the United States by WCW performer Billy Kidman.

In WWE, the move was used by the likes of Marc Mero, Evan Bourne, and occasionally other performers, including Shane McMahon. Perhaps the most famous or infamous Shooting Star Press was attempted by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX. Unfortunately, Lesnar didn't connect cleanly with the move, almost injuring himself in the process. The move has become very prevalent in wrestling since its inception.

6 Phoenix Splash

The Phoenix Splash is a prime example of the bar constantly being raised when it comes to high-flying moves. The move is essentially a corkscrew Shooting Star Press. Aside from the corkscrew element, the main difference between the two moves is that the Phoenix Splash starts off standing backward on the top turnbuckle, like a moonsault.

The move was made famous in the 90s by Japanese wrestler, Hayabusa. In more recent years, the move has become a staple of high-flying performers like Rich Swan, Seth Rollins, and most notably, PAC. Today, the Phoenix Splash is still impressive to see but in the 90s it was truly a sight to behold.

5 Frankensteiner

The Hurricanrana was invented in Mexico by the legendary luchador, Huracan Ramirez. However, the move was revolutionized in the 90s by one of the best in-ring talents of the day, Scott Steiner. Steiner took the average Hurricanrana, which is essentially just a head scissors takedown with a pinning combination at the end, and turned it into a devastating finisher.

Steiner's version was a lot more impactful. Instead of an opponent landing on their back, Steiner's version would drop them on their head. Steiner would also regularly execute the move off the top turnbuckle for added impact. A variation of the Hurricanrana or Frankensteiner remains a staple of many high-flying performers today.

4 Superfly Splash

"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka was arguably the premier high-flyer of his day. During pro wrestling's territory days, Snuka performed in perhaps the most important one, New York. As a part of Vince McMahon's WWE, Snuka became a bonafide star. The Fijian sensation captivated crowds with an aerial game that was well ahead of its time.

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Snuka's weapon of choice was a big splash off the top rope that he called the "Superfly Splash." The move is completely modest by today's standards but in the early 80s, a man Snuka's size flying off the top rope and coming down so impactful was incredible. In October of 1983, Snuka immortalized himself and the Superfly Splash when he leaped off the top of a Steel Cage onto Don Muraco.

3 Asai Moonsault

Lucha Libre has been very influential in American pro wrestling since the 90s. One Lucha Libre legend that had an especially big influence was Ultimo Dragon. Dragon is credited with inventing many moves that are heavily featured in pro wrestling today. One move in move in particular that would become popular with some of wrestling's biggest stars was the Asai Moonsault. Appropriately named after its inventor, the move is a springboard Moonsault off the second rope, typically to the outside of the ring.

In the 90s, the move left quite the impression on any audience. Shawn Michaels would feature the move throughout his career with great success. Many of today's top stars, including Kenny Omega, still have the move as part of their offensive arsenal, further solidifying its impact.

2 450 Splash

In the 90s, a new generation of performers stepped up their aerial game and introduced some astonishing maneuvers. High on that list of moves was the 450 Splash. The move is pretty self-explanatory. A competitor jumps off the top rope and rotates 450 degrees before splashing onto their opponent.

The move rose to prominence in WCW thanks to 2 Cold Scorpio, who would also go on to use the move in ECW and WWE. The 450 Splash was also used by popular WCW Cruiserweight, Juventud Guerrera. Today, WWE stars like Ricochet and Mustafa Ali use the move as a finisher. Ali even uses an inverted version of the move on occasion.

1 Flying Elbow Drop

In the 80s, WWE became the undisputed top wrestling promotion. As a result, most of the country was exposed to WWE as their primary source of pro wrestling. As one of WWE's biggest and brightest stars, "Macho Man" Randy Savage became a household name. Fans would grow familiar with Savage's revolutionary in-ring repertoire which included his famous Flying Elbow Drop finisher.

The move was simple but extremely effective. Savage would come down off the top rope elbow first onto his opponent with incredible force.  The move went on to have a huge impact on future stars such as Shawn Michaels and CM Punk who used the Elbow Drop as a signature move during their careers.

NEXT: Best High Flying Finishers In WWE Today 

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