10 Absolute Best Moves In Wrestling Right Now

8. Wardlow's Powerbomb

Konosuke Takeshita
AEW

Again: every pro wrestling fan has a different interpretation of what is a subjective art form.

This is so true, and so obvious, that it formed AEW's core pitch of its wrestling "buffet". On as close to an objective level as you'll find, it is effectively impossible to dislike the promotion on a blanket basis. AEW has presented every last wrestling style, with the possible exception of pure British chain wrestling, and even then, Colt Cabana employed that in an underrated bid to take down Lance Archer in April 2020.

AEW even does sports entertainment, despite also openly mocking it as part of the Jericho Appreciation Society, and Wardlow is the WWE guy of the promotion, at least in terms of physique and minimalist work. He's no meathead - that's just the badass veneer - and knows how to measure his athletic gifts so that they mean something. His cartwheel escape from Orange Cassidy's hurricanrana, for example, was exquisite.

Ultimately, the best moves are the most over moves, and Wardlow's powerbomb is so over that he has evolved from strange, unfashionable experiment in 2019 to one of the most awesome and over "homegrown" talents in the company. The sequence is aptly named; like a symphony, the crowd heat rises to a crescendo as he repeatedly smashes his opponents against the mat.

His form is great - the move looks killer but he always delivers it so that the recipient's heads don't bounce - and the final grab of the torso is an awesome "Get over here!" moment.

In this post: 
Will Ospreay
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!