10 Wrestling Moments That Literally Made You Jump

3. Cody's Moonsault

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AEW/FITE TV

Cody loves to moonsault off a cage. It marries perfectly his drive and his ego and his refusal to accept his limitations - he has a fear of heights - and for a man who somehow isn't yet universally accepted as an elite global talent, that arc is majestic.

So you had an idea that he was going to do this.

He was in the main event.

In Atlanta.

He had to win, to earn the shot at MJF, but the match needed a grand finish to protect the debuting Wardlow.

But then, when the dry ice cleared after the theatrical cage-lowering presentation, the sheer size of the f*cker came into focus. It was very, very tall, built, seemingly, like the engineer hadn't noticed a decimal point.

After a structural masterclass of a match, in which Cody restored and modernised the only way a cage match should go when Bret Hart or Owen Hart isn't f*cking in it, he climbed the walls. As told by the story of the match, Wardlow was a bloodletting monster who couldn't be put away without a monumental risk. The height was insane, as was the idea that Cody would take such a risk so close to Revolution.

Accompanied by the euphoria of an all-timer of a story peaking in parallel with the promotion that booked it, this was pure, crackling wrestling electricity.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!