10 Most Ridiculous Top Rope Moves In Wrestling History
David Craig Professional wrestling has evolved and become a lot more than wrestling on a mat. Today, very few young wrestlers have a move set that doesn't include at least one front or backflip. Thanks to the impact of generations of Mexican and Japanese wrestlers, wrestling is now considered a high-flyer sport (just as much as it is a thing "big men" do).
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Randy Savage's Elbow Drop in WWE was, at one point, an insane top-rope move. To modern audiences, a 450 splash is a move that fans have seen a million times. The bar for doing something spectacular off the rope is as high as ever and this list will examine the 10 most ridiculous top ropes move in the history of wrestling.
10 630 Splash
At one point, the 450 Splash was the most amazing top rope move wrestling fans had ever seen. The thought of wrestlers being able to do more than one flip off the top rope was once a fantasy.
Many wrestlers have taken the 450 a large step forward and performed a 630 Splash. The move is 1 and 3/4 flips, which, borderline, defies physics as a move. Wrestling stars like Vikingo and Ricochet have used the move to win matches across the globe.
9 Corkscrew Shooting Star Press
A Shooting Star Press was a move that was always deemed dangerous for the performer. A front flip is one thing, but to jump front-facing and land on your stomach is another.
Wrestling stars like Pac have taken the Shooting Star Press to another level by adding a Corkscrew to the move. It's an insane move because it requires the wrestler to basically fly in the air. Athletes like Seth Rollins and Ricochet have also performed the move.
8 Double Rotation Moonsault
Although it's not a commonly performed move, the Double Rotation Moosault is an insane move for a wrestler to have in his arsenal. The move requires a wrestler to perform a Moonsault one and a half times in one jump.
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The height required to land this move is insane. It's essentially a 450 Splash that starts with the opponent facing away from the ring off the top rope. It's a jump fans will have to search on the internet since it's not a mainstream move.
7 Backflip Hurricanrana
A Hurricanrana is another move that was once an eye-popping move that has become commonplace in wrestling. One of the major innovations for the move has the addition of top rope jumps turning into Hurricanranas.
A few wrestlers have taken the top rope jump a step further by doing a backflip off the top rope and landing it into a Hurricanrana.
6 Moonsault Fall Away Slam
A suplex off-the-top rope is always an exciting move for fans. Even in the 80s, wrestlers were performing Suplexes off of a steel cage. One modern grapple that has become an insane top rope move is the Moonsault Fall Away Slam.
The move, often performed by Bandido, requires the wrestler to perform a backflip slam while holding their opponent in a horizontal position.
5 Spanish Fly
Although it's a fairly common move, the Spanish Fly is an insane wrestling maneuver. There is such little room for error performing a Spanish Fly that it's not a move that can be done by every wrestler.
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The move requires participation from both in-ring wrestlers. One performs a backflip, while the other does a front flip. It's one of the moves that will always look insane no matter who uses it or where they use it at.
4 Standing Frankensteiner
The Frankensteiner was once a move that made fans cheer. As Scott Steiner began to focus his attention away from the Frankensteiner, the move remained a staple. One of the most insane innovations to the Frankensteiner has been the way the move is performed on a standing wrestler.
In its original version, the move was performed on a wrestler sitting on the top rope. Many wrestlers grab a standing wrestler with their legs and flip them the same way Scott did in the early 90s.
3 Top Rope Canadian Destroyer
When Petey Williams started performing the Canadian Destroyer, not a single person ever imagined a wrestler would ever perform the move off the top rope.
As the move has become commonplace, especially with modern high flyers, it has begun being performed off the top rope. There are few moves as dangerous and as insane as this top rope move.
2 Split-Legged Moonsault
Rob Van Dam innovated wrestling in many ways. He was a flexible high flyer that always pushed the bounds of what the human body could do. His Five Star Frog Splash was an insane innovation on the Frog Splash since it required him to jump insanely high in the air.
Another move that Van Dam made famously was the Split-Legged Moonsault. The amount of athleticism and flexibility required to land this move is insane. Even some of the best wrestling athletes couldn't hop on the top ropes and pull the Split-Legged Moonsault off.
1 Meltzer Driver
The Young Bucks were often criticized for having a ton of flashy moves that were over the top for no reason. Their Meltzer Driver is the perfect answer to anyone who argues that they haven't innovated tag team moves.
Helping spike your opponent's head into the mat as your partner holds him up is nothing new in wrestling. The addition of a front flip to add momentum is where the Bucks add a new layer to the move. It's impossible to see this move and not be impressed.