WWE Best of the Best, Part 6 of 7: The 10 Greatest High-Flyers
After five categories of wrestling styles already in the books*, it's now time to rank the greatest high-flyers in WWE history.
To be considered as great high-flyers, wrestlers must have three basic skills:
First, they must be experts to perform maneuvers from the top turnbuckle.
Secondly, their feet must be their prime weapon when they are not flying; the best high-flyers possess a huge variety of kicks in their arsenal.
Finally, they must have an outstanding quickness of execution in the ring.
As previously, to rank the wrestlers, I considered the impact on WWE, the in-ring abilities, the success and the "IT" factor (charisma, promo skills).
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* You can take a look at the five previous slideshows of the series here:
10. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
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If most of his achievements (over 20 titles and four 5-Star matches) were not in WWF, the Hall-of-Famer still had a huge impact on the company with his aerial style.
The biggest highlight of his runs with the WWF, was certainly his classic match against Randy Savage at Wrestlemania III; that match is considered by many as the best ever in WWF and even in pro-wrestling history.
Steamboat became famous with his signature moves such as his Diving Crossbody he used as finisher or his Diving Overhead Chops. He was also the master of the dropkick at a time the move was rarely used.
At Wrestlemania 23, at the age of 56, he showed he was still able to fly in a memorable encounter with Chris Jericho.
9. Owen Hart
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For some reason, Owen Hart is not usually seen as a great high-flyer, but make no mistake about it; he is one of the greatest masters of the top rope in WWE history.
Two years in a row, in 1987 and 1988, he received the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for the Best Flying Wrestler. In addition, from 1992 to 1998, Pro Wrestling Illustrated had him on their Top 50 Best Wrestlers.
In reference to his outstanding aerial skills, one of his nicknames was "The Rocket" and he also portrayed "The Blue Blazer" for few years.
In his arsenal, he had a huge variety of high kicks and he performed countless maneuvers from the top turnbuckle, from the moonsault to the missile dropkick. He could also be a great technician wrestler and a good tag-team partner.
He was the champion of the 1994 King of the Ring tournament and he won seven secondary championships. He won the Intercontinental Championship twice, the European title once and he is a four-time Tag Team Champion.
Despite his amazing in-ring abilities and his great work with the crowds as one of the greatest heel ever, he never achieved the WWF Championship before his tragic death in 1999.
Many consider he was world championship material and only Vince McMahon knows if he was to become a future WWF Champion.
8. X-Pac / 1-2-3 Kid
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He was the prototype of the WWF cruiserweight and flying wrestler in the '90s before the arrival of the new wave that didn't last long after him (such as Taka Michinoku and other cruiserweight wrestlers in the 2000s).
He started his first run with WWE in 1993 as the 1-2-3 Kid and he received a decent push in the mid-card that really started when he defeated Razor Ramon on the May 17 episode of Raw. He then defeated Ted DiBiase and his career was launched.
With his small size, he played the face underdog perfectly. The fans really liked the breath of fresh air he brought in WWF with his quickness, his high kicks and his aerial maneuvers.
In the next two years, a lot of things happened to him; he gave a hard time to Bret Hart in an intense WWF Championship match and he eventually became a quiet member of The Kliq. He also won the Tag Team Championship twice, once with Marty Jannetty and once with Bob Holly.
With his rising popularity, the fans were shocked when he suddenly turned heel and joined the Million Dollar Corporation in October 1995. However, his heel character didn't work very well, and he was not used a lot until he left for WCW in 1996.
In 1998, he came back with the WWF in what was considered the Comeback of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. X-Pac was born and he joined the DX Army along with Triple H, Chyna, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.
The next year, after being fired from DX, he formed a solid face duo with Kane and they won the Tag Team Titles twice. In 2000, he betrayed Kane to join back DX but, since then, he received almost no push and he was put in secondary story lines.
He never reached the main event status and he eventually left in 2002. His only achievements in singles competition were to win the European Championship twice and the Cruiserweight/Light Heavyweight Title three times.
However, despite his limited success, he had a solid and permanent impact on WWE and he connected very well with the fans. He was spectacular in the ring with his high risk maneuvers and he popularized the Bronco Buster. He can even be considered as a "feet wrestling" pioneer.
7. Evan Bourne
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Also known as "Air Bourne." he is the present and the future of the high-flying style in WWE.
He hasn't won any championships yet in WWE, but he has the potential to become a top draw if he can learn how to connect with the fans or if he gets a manager to talk the talk. He is the proof a wrestler needs more than amazing in-ring abilities to have success.
There is no doubt about his wrestling talent. It might mean nothing to some, but the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave him two awards in 2008: one for the Best Flying Wrestler and one for the Best Wrestling Maneuver (his Shooting Star Press).
Anyone who saw his Shooting Star Press will agree he is one of the best flying wrestlers ever. He established a new standard of perfection for that astonishing finishing maneuver, and all his other signature moves are impressive.
6. Kofi Kingston
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Kofi Kingston represents the next generation when we talk about high fliers. He has springs instead of legs and his elevation is superhuman.
He is quick and his high kicks are a beauty to watch. His finishing move, a 540 kick named "Trouble In Paradise," is one of the most spectacular move in pro-wrestling.
Kingston can also hold his own in mat wrestling; his signature move set includes the Russian Legsweep and the "SOS." But he will be most remembered as a flying wrestler with moves such as the "Boom Drop" and his various maneuvers over the top rope.
Surprisingly, he only started to train as a wrestler at the age of 24, in 2005. He was trained by the WWE developmental territories and by the legendary Killer Kowalski.
He officially debuted in December 2007 and he is a two-time Intercontinental Champion. He also held the US Title and Tag Team Championship once each.
In 2009, he worked for few weeks on the top of the card against Randy Orton, but for unknown reasons, his push never continued. However, it should surprise no one if he moves back to the top and even win some world titles in the process.
The fans really like him, and his in-ring skills are undeniable. If he can improve his mic skills or if he gets a manager, only the sky will be the limit for him.
5. Rob Van Dam
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The extreme high flier was the second Mr. Money In The Bank and he is the seventh Grand Slam Champion. He won about all Titles available during his run with WWE: he is a former Hardcore, European, Intercontinental, Tag Team, ECW and WWE Champion.
When he joined WWE in 2002, he was already a hardcore icon because of his run in the "original" ECW and when it was actually extreme. In 2006, he contributed to revive ECW into a new WWE Brand when he became the first and only wrestler to have ever held both WWE and ECW titles at the same time.
The revival of the "new" ECW started at the legendary One Night Stand pay-per-view, when he cashed his Money In The Bank contract and won the WWE Championship against John Cena.
RVD had an impressive aerial move-set and, with his kickboxing background, his feet were lethal weapons.
His trademark Five-Star Frog Splash was one of the most spectacular finishing move in pro-wrestling history, due to the amazing elevation and distance he could reach.
In addition to his regular finisher, he had many other spectacular signature maneuvers, such as his unique Rolling Thunder and his Van Terminator, a corner-to-corner missile dropkick.
4. Jeff Hardy
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Jeff Hardy has legions of fans and haters, even now with TNA. Whether you like him or not, you can't deny he was one of the greatest stuntmen in WWE history.
He was the ultimate risk-taker and he created some of the most stunning moments ever. Many fans admire him for his high impact moves but many others will say he "can't wrestle."
If he is not a great mat wrestler, he flies like few others and his suicidal dives made him famous. His arsenal is mostly composed of aerial maneuvers, such as his trademark Whisper in the Wind and Swanton Bomb.
Even his other "ground" moves are meant to be spectacular; we can think about his signature baseball slide or his "Twist of Fate" (now called the Twist of Hate since he is a heel in TNA - ED.).
The Charismatic Enigma won 19 WWE Championships, including three World Titles. He also became the ninth Grand Slam Champion in 2008.
On top of all that, he is also a ladder match expert. He participated in a total of 18 various ladder matches, a WWE (and probably pro-wrestling) record.
3. Jimmy Snuka
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Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was the WWF high flying pioneer. In the 1980s, he inspired the following generations of high fliers in North America with his innovative aerial maneuvers.
In 1982, he started as a heel in WWF, but his spectacular wrestling style made the fans cheer for him so he quickly became a babyface.
He never won a championship with the company, but at some point of his career, he was a top face and he was as popular as Hulk Hogan.
For his important contributions, he was inducted to the WWF Hall of Fame in 1996.
One of his most memorable moments was his famous "Superfly Splash" from a 15-feet high steel cage on Don Muraco; that moment was what pushed Mick Foley, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Bubba Rey Dudley into the pro-wrestling business.
2. Rey Mysterio
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Liked by many fans, he won't impress the "purist" crowds with his small size or with his mat wrestling skills. Many don't like him because he is a kids' favorite, but the haters should look beyond that.
Rey Mysterio didn't enter the pro-wrestling business yesterday. He made his mark in WCW before joining WWE in 2002. Along with some legendary high fliers such as Psycosis and Ultimo Dragon, he established the standards of the cruiserweight division that showcased a new generation of high flying wrestlers.
On six occasions, he won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for the Best Flying Wrestler. It was in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003 and 2004 so the kids are not the only fans to admire him. And there's no need to be a fan to at least respect the wrestler he is.
With more than 40 signature moves, even the "purist" fans can't say he can't wrestle. He is spectacular in the ring and he always delivers. He is intense and he has his unique kind of charisma despite his limited mic skills.
Add to all that his accomplishments in WWE and you have one of the biggest draws in WWE history, a future Hall-of-Famer. He is the 2006 Royal Rumble winner and he won a total of 11 Titles, including the World Heavyweight Championship twice.
1. Eddie Guerrero
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The late Eddie Guerrero was certainly the greatest high-flying heel wrestler in WWE if not in pro-wrestling.
In addition to be a gifted high-flyer, he was a good ring technician and a genuine villain tactics artist. He never disappointed his fans who always expected from him to act according to his "I Lie! I Steal! I Cheat!" catch phrase.
His Latino Heat gimmick suited him perfectly; he was an outstanding showman with his cars and his mean attitude.
As a tribute to his late friend Art Barr, Eddie adopted from him the Frog Splash and used it as his finishing maneuver. His arsenal included a variety of maneuvers from the top rope as well as some submission moves such as the Gory Special adopted from his father.
In 2004, he became the sixth Grand Slam Champion and, two years later, he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Despite the fact that he portrayed a heel character for most of his career, he had a huge fan base. His talent and his personality were praised on many occasions by various pro-wrestling publications. Among others, he received the award for the Most Charismatic Wrestler twice by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Conclusion
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I know I have left out many great high-flyers, but I could not put everyone I wanted. I had hard choices to make to keep it at 10 so your comments are more than welcome.
Please let me know who should make the list and who you feel didn't deserve to make the cut.
I hope you enjoyed the read and, agree or disagree, the comment section is wide open.
Finally, if not done yet, take a look at the previous parts of the current series of slideshow:
* You can take a look at them right here:
