100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
51. AJ Styles | Pele Kick
There are countless kick variations in pro wrestling. Big boots, spinning heels, superkicks (lots of them!), axe kicks, stomps, straight thumps to the gut and more. One of the best has to be the Pele Kick one AJ Styles has used to great effect over the years. It's so good, in fact, that many workers across different promotions have copied his homework.
AJ's kick sees him start a backflip before stopping short of a full rotation and sending his foot/shin into the face of unsuspecting victims. Cleverly, most on the receiving end lean into the strike so it looks like Styles knocked their block off. Without that early lean, there's a chance AJ would miss his target and the spot would look flaky as a result. Someone as celebrated and skilled as Styles couldn't have that - he has a reputation to maintain, after all.
The Pele Kick normally occurs deep into a match when the 'Phenomenal One' needs a quick comeback or at least something to halt his foe's momentum. The Pele is either followed by a smart double down in the match, or it leads to a quickfire assault from AJ that swings that momentum in his favour. It's a really, really useful tool for him as a worker.
Styles was one of the more inventive names during TNA's early days. His X Division choice cuts vs. everyone from Amazing Red and Jerry Lynn had everyone talking for the right reasons, and he's never looked back.