10 Wrestling Moves More Dangerous Than You Realise
1. Moonsault
To reiterate, anytime a wrestler leaves their feet for an aerial attack, the room for error is largely wide.
You won't see many injuries stemming from a top-rope Splash, but another simple dive - the diving Legdrop - did cause pain. Matt Hardy famously explained how his Legdrop resulted in his pelvis and lower back fusing together.
The Moonsault, meanwhile, is the most dangerous high-flying attack on statistics alone. Statistically, it's caused more hurt than other moves on this list and, in some cases, ended careers. Hayabusa, the influential Ace of FMW, was forced into retirement after botching a springboard Moonsault, unable to rotate correctly, landing on his head, and spending the remainder of his life in a wheelchair. The same style of Moonsault almost saw Chris Jericho suffer a similar fate in WCW; wrestling Curt Hennig, 'The Ocho' was unable to backflip off the springboard. Thankfully, Hennig raised his knees, saving Jericho from complete paralysis.
Popularised throughout history by Lita, the Great Muta, and Lanny Poffo, and today by Charlotte Flair, Chad Gable, and Dante Martin, the Moonsault's jaw-dropping and death-defying nature is proof if proof were needed that such aerial assaults aren't always worth the risk.
Most of the time, anyway. When it goes well, it's mint. Really mint.