CM Punk, Evan Bourne and the 20 Best All-Time Kickers in Wrestling

The crack of a boot against a jaw from a perfectly timed kick is one of the most sensational moves in wrestling. 

We are lucky to be living in the Golden Age of kicking.  Japanese and American wrestlers are continuously raising the bar. 

As the kicks get louder and more creative, we the fans are the beneficiaries. 

The 20 best kickers in wrestling are judged here on the believability of their strikes, athleticism, speed and the versatility of their kicks.  Many who found a way on this list are in the prime of their careers, so hopefully we’ll be seeing them do what they do best for a long time to come.

Honorable mentions are awarded to Justin Gabriel, Amazing Red and Toshiaki Kawada.

20. Keiji Mutoh

Whether wrestling as the Great Muta or by his real name, Mutoh has thrilled fans all around the world for years.

His low-angle dropkicks are excellent and show off his quickness.  Mutoh, though, belongs here on the strength of the move he innovated, the Shining Wizard. 

Flying towards his opponent with his feet in the air, Mutoh drives the side of his leg against their head.  Where his leg strikes can vary, so at times it borders on being more of a knee strike.

Mutoh has also been a very respected and influential wrestler to many young stars.

19. Tyson Kidd

The underutilized Tyson Kidd is one of the quicker wrestlers working.  That speed is evident in his kicks.

He has a snap to his dropkick that elevates a pretty standard maneuver. 

Perhaps now that he's shaved off that goofy duck-like tuft of hair, WWE may take him a little more seriously and let him do his roundhouses and back kicks a little more consistently.

18. Ayako Hamada

Hamada is a beast.  While not as lightning-quick as some of the other wrestlers on this list, she delivers some intensely violent blows with her feet.

Her arsenal includes a tooth-loosening missile dropkick and a spinning heel kick.

One of the best female wrestlers in Japan or stateside, Hamada never got a chance to shine during her short stint with TNA.  Here's hoping Ring of Honor or WWE sign her so that American audiences can see her put boots to lips. 

17. AJ Styles

The TNA stalwart executes one of the crispest dropkicks in wrestling.  It is, like Styles, a blend of athleticism and power.

In addition to a better-than-average enzuigiri, Styles regularly uses a Pelé Kick.  He effortlessly rolls into a backflip, popping his boots on his opponent’s head.  This well-executed kick is a great addition to his matches.

I'd love to see this acrobatic star use his feet more often, but I am often amazed when he does.

16. Shawn Michaels

The Heartbreak Kid earns his spot here on the basis of one kick, one superkick to be exact.

It's not as if Shawn Michaels wasn't capable of some of the athletic kicks the kids are doing these days, but besides a dropkick, Sweet Chin Music was the main weapon in his kicking toolbox.

But this one swift and perfect kick often struck out of nowhere like a cobra.  Michaels not only popularized the move, he did it better than anyone in the business.

15. Chris Sabin

TNA superstar Chris Sabin is currently recovering from both a torn ACL and MCL.  Hopefully when he returns he has not lost any of the athleticism and speed that make him so exciting to watch.

While his tag partner, Alex Shelley throws a mean one himself, Sabin might just perform the best version of the jumping enzuigiri right now. 

His hesitation dropkick is just plain awesome as well.  He hangs in the air for an unbelievable amount of time. 

14. Booker T

Booker T uses a good number of kicks and delivers all of them with a unique smoothness.

His long legs and frame increase the degree of difficulty for him, but he still rocks a spinning heel kick, an innovative arm twist and kick combo and one of the better superkicks in the business.

The Ghetto Blaster, while nearly always performed well, suffers from the believability in that the opponent has to stand bent over for so long for the move to work.

13. CM Punk

Punk's Muay Thai-inspired striking style has given fans some of the most powerful kicks thrown in a wrestling ring. 

His roundhouse kick is a bit methodical in comparison to other guys here, but almost always delivers a tasty thud. 

In his indy days, Punk used a superkick, but I don't think I've seen him bring that to WWE.  He also executes an excellent step-up enzuigiri.

Had this been a King of Knees ranking, Punk would have been much much higher.

12. Yoshi Tatsu

Tatsu uses a litany of flesh-stinging kicks. 

To me, the most impressive is his front kick.  I don't know if anyone gets their foot higher from a standing position. 

During his fast-paced matches he also uses a diving spinning heel kick and a "roll out of the corner and kick to the chest" combo.

While some of his kicks have less impact than those of other folks on this list, his incredible quickness, energy and body control secure him a spot here.   

11. Katsuhiko Nakajima

Blending powerful strikes with his high-flying ability, Nakajima is a young stud.

He gets some serious air when delivering his axe kick.  His finisher, the Death Roll, is a jumping spinning calf kick executed superbly.

Hopefully we'll witness him blossom, adding to his repertoire, refining his craft and cracking heels on heads to elated fans for a long to come.

10. Evan Bourne

I don't think there is a kick that Evan Bourne hasn’t done and hasn’t done beautifully.

He is no doubt extremely athletic and impressively fast.  His speed and high-flying ability allow him to string together some fine-looking rapid-fire combos.

He gets plenty of points for his versatility and for his hops, but sometimes his kicks have more of an indirect impact.  This lack of power drags him down in the rankings a bit.

9. Kofi Kingston

The highest jumper on the list, Kingston sometimes looks as if he is going to leap out of the building.  He would earn a spot on the list just on his soaring dropkicks alone.

He also uses a pendulum kick which is fun to watch, but his Trouble in Paradise is a booming masterpiece. 

Springy legs and swiftness to spare, Kofi Kingston's kicks are absolutely a blast to watch. 

8. Chris Jericho

Whether delivering a standard, springboard or missile dropkick, Jericho is magnificent.  His dropkicks are among the stiffest.

Having wrestled in both Mexico and Japan, Jericho fused those international styles into an exciting mix of quickness, aerial moves and technical wrestling.  Had he decided to incorporate more kicks into his move set, he could certainly climb up on this list.

As it stands, his employs the aforementioned dropkicks, a solid step-up enzuigiri, a spinning heel kick and unfortunately for fans a much-too-underused superkick.

7. John Morrison

An amazing athlete and perhaps the Picasso of kicks, Morrison’s ring work is pure artistry.

Certainly a stiff kicker, John Morrison ranks this high thanks in large part to his kicking ingenuity.  His palette includes the Pelé Kick, a fluid enzuigiri, a capoeira and the always entertaining, Chuck Kick. 

Thankfully his ring tights have been far less feminine and distracting, recently allowing fans to focus on his talented footwork.

6. Tajiri

Emulating his idol, the Great Muta, Tajiri springs around the ring, his legs flying about like swords.

One of the quickest men on this list, he earns his ranking primarily because of his scintillating buzzsaw kick.  But everything he does with his feet is phenomenal, from low dropkicks to superkicks.

5. Naomichi Marufuji

A phenomenal leaper and freak of an athlete, Naomichi Marufuji is one of the brightest stars in Japan today.

He flies across and out of the ring.  In an astounding version of the corner-to-corner dropkick reminiscent of RVD, Marufuji is a marvel to watch. 

Toss in a slobberknocker of a superkick, and Marufuji easily finds a place among the great kickers.

4. Low Ki

While Low Ki's kicks aren’t as loud and powerful as some of the others on this list, he is definitely one of the most athletic. 

His move set is amazingly varied.  He incorporates a feint Shining Wizard, a cartwheel jumping high kick and a rolling wheel kick.

It is certainly WWE's loss that Low Ki is now kicking chins and taking names elsewhere.

Whether wrestling as Low Ki, Kaval or Senshi, he is an absolute joy to watch work with his dangerous feet. 

3. Rob Van Dam

RVD may be the most creative kicker in all of wrestling. 

His martial arts training and experience in Japan are cleverly integrated into his move set.  Agility and quickness are on display in every one of his matches.  But it is Van Dam's creations, the Van Daminator and the Van Terminator, that cement his place in history. 

Along with his other high-flying kicks and moonsaults, these two moves have made fans giddy for years. 

Rob Van Dam's willingness to put his body on the line and his innovation truly make him one of a kind.

2. Daniel Bryan

In terms of his kicks, Daniel Bryan possesses a near-perfect combination of power and athleticism.  It's clear that he's wrestled in Japan and has thankfully taken home many facets of the Japanese style. 

Whether performing a roundhouse kick and having a smacking sound echo through the arena or taking flight with a missile dropkick, Bryan’s strikes unfailingly coax oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Though not quite as creative as other folks on this list, his flawless execution garners him one of the top spots. 

1. KENTA

KENTA’s rapid-fire kick-heavy style is heavily influenced by his kickboxing background.  While wrestling in Japan or with Ring of Honor, he consistently wows audiences with his unworldly athleticism.

Not only does he get incredibly high for many of his kicks, he lands them with such a thunderous impact one has to wonder how many opponents he’s concussed. 

His version of the punt blows Randy Orton's out of the water.

Luckily for us fans, KENTA is only 30.  He will surely be smacking people in the mouth for years to come.