100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
97. Bryan Danielson | Busaiku Knee
As with many modern moves, the flying ‘Busaiku’ knee was pioneered by the most inventive (and plagiarised) wrestler of the 21st century: KENTA.
Bryan Danielson’s execution was equally gruesome, and cruelly, the move is more synonymous with him as a result of his worldwide fame and ultra critical darling status.
Danielson knew precisely when to borrow the flying, jaw-dropping (and jaw-breaking) knee strike, too: at SummerSlam 2013, he debuted it as the move that finally beat John Cena clean in the middle of the ring. Instantly, his Busaiku was established (although Michael Cole whining “the knee!” for a few weeks removed the shine somewhat).
Borrowing inspiration from another wrestler, the man who half-trained him - Shawn Michaels - Danielson was savvy enough to add a layer of sports entertainment to it. The Dragon preceded the strike, à la Sweet Chin Music, with a rousing Yes! chant.
The Busaiku allowed Bryan to showcase his range, to illustrate that he was the very best at the form, whether it was professional wrestling or a parody of it - and those are Bryan’s words. That’s how he approached performing in WWE.