The Innovation of High Flying

By Dynamic Dave

One of the most important aspects of professional wrestling internationally is the high flying aerial acrobatics. It is probably the most amazing athletic part of a repertoire of a worker. What has been known as highspots in the business are some most brilliantly executed maneuvers ever seen.

In the early 1980s, The Dynamite Kid and the original Tiger Mask innovated some of the early high flying maneuvers that have metamorphosed into the wild daredevil acts of this era. Around the same time, Jimmy Snuka executed some of his high flying splashes off the top rope and even some famous ones off the top of a steel cage in Madison Square Garden against Bob Backlund and Don Muraco. One of the main differences with the highspots then and now, most of the performers would do just one or two aerial spots and be considered a high flyer. However, nowadays a true high flyers does numerous and more extreme highspots.

Some of the earlier highspots athletes of the 1980s include Ricky Steamboat with his patented bodypress, Randy Savage with his flying elbow, and Bobby Eaton with his flying knee drop. In the late 1980s, the late Owen Hart and The Great Muta brought in the legendary moonsault (a backflip off the top rope). Both Hart and Muta also had a variety of high flying maneuvers that out did most similar performers of the past. Along with those two legendary artists, the late Brian Pillman and legendary junior heavyweight champion, Jushin 'Thunder' Liger also innovated maneuvers that led to so many of the moves of today.

Pillman was the first American wrestler and possibly worldwide to do springboards (highspots off the middle rope), while Liger was the first to do the shooting star press (triple summersault splash). Along with the two of them, Too Cold Scorpio debuted the legendary 450 splash. In later years, this move was innovated into many different maneuvers by the legendary Hayabusa.

Another popular move the frogsplash can be seen today a lot from Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam. The frogsplash is a splash off the top rope where you make a frog like leap in mid-air making the impact on your opponent look greater than a normal flying splash. The centon, a flip in the air where you hit with your backside onto your opponent was made most famous by Jeff Hardy; especially with his crazy leaps off ladders. This move also often executed by the 275 pound Sean O'Haire has been referred to as the swanton bomb.

The infamous flying powerbomb is a technique that has been best perfected by the large high flyer Mike Awesome. In addition to Awesome who is around the 300 pound mark, superheavyweights such as Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow have been infamous for highspots such as moonsaults.

Muta and Liger's highspots have also inspired greats who have innovated their maneuvers such as The Great Sasuke, Ultimo Dragon, (who invented a variation of the moonsault), and the wild Sabu, (who innovated the triple jump moonsault along with an arsenal of highspots). Pillman's springboard style inspired such greats as the high flying machine Rey Mysterio and the springboard specialist Ohtani.

While it has often been said that Snuka's leap off the cage was impressive, nothing can top Chris Benoit's flying headbutt leap off the top of the cage, which he had done on many occasions prior to his neck surgery. Benoit was always inspired by the flying headbutt; a move innovated by the Dynamite Kid.

Mick Foley or Dick Foley as he has become in his bitter retirement is often mistaken as a highspot artist. However, he is nothing more than an overweight unathletic glorified borderline retarded stuntman; not to mention one of the worst workers of all time. There is a hell of a lot of difference between executing an amazing acrobatic highspot and falling off a cage like a retard. It is a pure insult to put him in the category of these athletic icons.

The same needs to be said for Torrie Wilson's bitch, Billy Kidman, who is one of the most overrated workers of all time. He executes one of the worst shooting-star presses ever. On more than one occasion, this irritating human ant eater has whined about that being his premier move. Kidwoman had the nerve on an addition of WWE Byte This to cry about Brock Lesner stealing 'his move'. 1) Jushin Liger invented the move; 2) On more than one occasion Kidman has executed the move and injured himself; 3) Lesner is 10 times the worker that Kidman will ever be and he wasn't even in wrestling very long. The synopsis is that Billy Kidman flat out sucks. It is also an insult to rank this loser in the category of an amazing athletic acrobatic high flyer.

In addition, Shawn Michaels is not an innovator, having invented no moves and executes some of the most generic boring highspots in the entire business. He is the most overrated worker in the history of the business. If not for his best friend being the boss's son in law, he would be on Sunday Night Heat where he belongs. Some of the worst, poorest, crappiest workers including one Ahmed Johnson, execute these so-called amazing highspots that this talentless asshole refers to as 'innovative maneuvers'. This piece of crap is another insult to the highspot hall of fame.

It is hard to mention all of the athletes who bust their ass day in day out putting on amazing athletic acrobatic feats, but they are sensational athletics and a true honor to watch. Unfortunately most these days are in Japan, this is why I recommend the junior heavyweight tournaments, because this is where you will see the true best talents.

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