100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
72. AJ Styles | Springboard Moonsault DDT
There was a time when watching AJ Styles was like watching a modest time traveller that had returned from 20 years in the future and brought with him every new athletic feat previously unexplored.
If you could think of something, ‘The Phenomenal One’ could do it. And better still, before you’d thought of a wrestler doing something else, he’d do that too. This was the case with his Springboard Moonsault DDT.
Starting with a springboard off the ropes, Styles instantly got fans and his opponents guessing. Transitioning that to a moonsault, it was at least ostensibly clear what to expect after that - until Styles once again flipped the script. Catching his opponent mid-air, he’d seamlessly transition into the reverse DDT, driving the back of their head into the mat with force.
This sudden shift from elegance to brutality was ultimately what made the move so devastating. The trajectory adds extra velocity to the impact, meanwhile visually, it’s flawless. Styles’ timing and the opponent’s cooperation always ensured the landing looked devastating without compromising safety too.