https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKy_ZsekcyM Also known as a Shiranui Kai, for this move its user climbs to the top turnbuckle alongside their opponent, and perform a diving Moonsault side slam. Weve seen this move a few times in WWE, done a few times by Sin Cara. While its impressive to see, it doesnt make much practical sense. Like other diving moves, there is a significant risk for the user, but there more risk in pulling this move off as well. As Sin Cara demonstrated in his first WWE match, the recipient of the move is supposed to stand on the top turnbuckle while the user stands on the rope next to them and they both go off at the same time. However, the risk of either man falling off of the top rope is ever-present, which begs the question, why bother? Why not simply throw your opponent off of the top turnbuckle? While it makes sense to use the move due to its obvious appearance, as well as its appeal to fans of the high-flying lucha libre style, it is nevertheless very impractical. There is also the added concern for the user to injure their knees (as there is with most aerial moves anyway), which further makes this move more impractical. A similar move to the Spanish Fly would be the Cyclorama, a move used by Matt Sydal, a.k.a. Evan Bourne. This move is basically a diving flipping Belly-to-Belly Suplex, with Matt flipping along with his opponent in mid-air. While at least Sydal lands on top of his opponent, that move must still be extremely painful for his knees.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.