10 Greatest Diving Elbow Drops Of All Time

There are two types of wrestling fans in this world; those who have envisaged themselves climbing to the top rope to drop the flying elbow, and liars.

In all seriousness though, the flying elbow drop remains one of the most iconic moves in the industry’s history. Sure, it’s not quite as glamourous as a Shooting Star Press or a Swanton Bomb, but it really doesn’t need to be.

When performed properly, its graceful simplicity is truly a thing of beauty.

And perhaps that’s why so many people have adopted the move over the years. From cruiserweights to heavyweights, we’ve seen the flying elbow drop come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. The fact that it’s even been adopted by part-time stars is a testament to the manoeuvre’s versatility.

But of all these top rope elbow drop variations—diving, flying, falling, you name it—which has been the most impressive of all? This list attempted to answer that question, as we look back at some of the very best flying elbow droppers in WWE history, taking into account the move's aesthetics and the success that it yielded.

When you think of the most iconic flying elbow drops of all time, Curt Hawkins isn’t necessarily one of the first names that springs to mind. But as the above footage shows, few could compete with Hawkins’ Heat Seeking Elbow in terms of the move’s smoothness.

Standing over six feet tall, Hawkins was by no means a nimble high-flyer. But despite this, he was still able to get incredible distance on his flying elbow drop, all the while maintaining impeccable posture as he propelled himself through the air.

Unfortunately though, Hawkins was rarely given the chance to show this. Much of his time in the WWE was spent at the bottom of the card in luckless tag teams with the likes of Zack Ryder, Vance Archer and Tyler Reks. As a result, he left the company with a measly haul of one tag team title win over an eight year stretch.

He may have displayed near-perfect technique, but a distinct lack of resultant success makes it hard to rank Hawkins much higher than this.