10 Wrestling Moves That BLEW YOUR MIND The First Time You Saw Them

2. Manami Toyota's Japenese Ocean Cyclone Suplex

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Frightening, majestic, and surely physically impossible, the move also bears the greatest name ever. Swapping word play for something that conveys the sheer, dizzying impact, Manami Toyota's Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex was breathtaking.

An electric chair German suplex combination, the descent was slow, long and anxious. It required an incredible amount of control on Toyota's part and trust on the part of her opponent. The plunge landed her opponents right on the neck, and if you empathise with them it becomes all the more heart-stopping. It's such an unnatural way to fall, with such dread-inducing delay. They aren't being spiked so much as released. There's a lot of time to think about it, which is far worse than none.

This was a distinctly Japanese wrestling move elevated by Toyota's extraordinary flexibility; the bridge looked gorgeous, shifting all of her body weight onto her opponent to create the illusion that it could not be escaped, even if the opponent were able to fight through the head trauma.

A no-look head-drop delivered from the scariest and highest of angles, the level of skill required to execute it safely and beautifully was unreal. Toyota was one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, and the Japanese Ocean Cyclone was her masterpiece.

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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!