100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
80. Shawn Michaels | Flying Forearm
One of several moves Shawn Michaels re-inserted into his oeuvre when he turned babyface in 1995, the Flying Forearm was less about the impact of the move and more about what happened either side of it.
Michaels footwork and movement at the time was such that neither opponent nor fan saw the attack coming as he flew off the ropes. Though similar to any charging strike, ‘HBK’ was so springloaded from his heels that he’d do ten times more than his colleagues to sell the supposed bounce on the hard WWE ring ropes.
Upon nailing the forearm itself, Michaels added a kip-up that often came instantly after he’d landed squarely on his shoulders. A feat of remarkable athleticism and reserve, his ability to instantly propel himself so gracefully back to a vertical base was dragged out for drama in his latter years. The pops might have been louder, but the spot lost some of the peerless arrogance of the 90s vintage.