For a very long time, the Styles Clash, a simple belly-to back mat slam, seemed like a weak finisher that was a lot less impressive than how wrestling commentators suggested. Even some of A.J. Styles preferred his aerial moves like the Spiral Tap were better than this move. Then, the injuries started happening. In a short period of time, as 3 of AJ Styles opponents suffered neck injuries, some of them serious, from not taking the move safely. Out of nowhere, there was a huge debate among wrestling observers and enthusiasts, some calling for the move to be banned, others blaming Styles opponents, and others blaming the recipients of the move. All of this led to a new narrative where the Styles Clash became a piece of storytelling in itself. At Wrestle Kingdom IX, Styles faced off against NJPW mainstay Tetsuya Naito, and a big part of the drama around the match was based on AJs move-set. When the Styles Clash was used, fans went crazy, as the move was now being presented as a career-ending move which, based off of recent history, became a very real possibility. This, of course, let to the match being that much more dramatic and exciting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr8R_Sy4bu4 So while its not the most complicated wrestling maneuver, its certainly one of the most exciting to watch, especially considering the recent controversy around it.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
