In boxing, you would never see Mike Tyson or Tyson Fury square off against Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. In UFC, Connor McGregor would never step into an octagon against the likes of Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier. However, professional wrestling pits the likes of Ricochet against Brock Lesnar, Rey Mysterio against Big Show, and Tyler Bate against WALTER.
As a result, we get a great mixture of styles and skills. We also occasionally see heavyweights and super-heavyweights perform moves that are usually reserved for smaller wrestlers. Despite the sheer size of some of these powerhouse wrestlers, some of them can fly through the air like much smaller wrestlers.
10 Kane
Despite being a physical presence in the ring, in the middle of his career, the Big Red Machine became known for climbing the turnbuckle to hit his opponents with a move from the top rope.
In the mid-2000s, Kane would often hit his opponents with a clothesline from the top rope. While this isn't the most aerial move, most big men do not normally leave their feet. It's especially surprising considering the fact that Kane did this move pretty much till the end of his career.
9 Big Show
Before he was the Big Show in WWE, he was The Giant back in WCW where he was originally billed as the son of Andre The Giant. He wrestled in WCW for 4 years and won the WCW World Heavyweight Title 2-times and the WCW Tag Team belts 3-times.
While wrestling for WCW, a moonsault was a part of The Giant’s arsenal. When speaking to Chris Jericho on Jericho’s podcast, Show admitted that he was able to hit the Moonsault when he was younger but after hitting it at a WCW House Show, Hulk Hogan advised the super heavyweight to not use it, as it would make him overpowered. He still hit dropkicks, which is still impressive for a man of his size, but a moonsault would certainly be impressive.
8 Vader
Vader was the first Gaijin or foreign wrestler to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after it was held by Japanese legends Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami.
One thing that set Vader apart was his ability to use high-flying aerial maneuvers. Not only did Vader use a slingshot splash as a finisher, which was called the Vader Bomb, he was also known for his ability to hit picture-perfect moonsaults off the top turnbuckle. The giant would float gracefully through the air while performing a backflip and landing it perfectly every time.
7 Bam Bam Bigelow
Like Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow was an intimidating super heavyweight who won titles around the world. While Bigelow didn’t have the same level of success as Vader, he won the ECW World Title and the WCW Hardcore Title. Bigelow and Vader teamed up together in Japan to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles in 1992 before losing the titles to the Steiner Brothers later the same year. Many believe that Bigelow as one of the best wrestlers to never win the WWE Championship.
Much like Vader, Bigelow was known as being a larger wrestler with the ability to pull off moves that were usually associated with much smaller wrestlers. Outside of his regular power moves, Bigelow would hit a diving, twisting crossbody off the top turnbuckle to great effect. Also like Vader, Bigelow would also occasionally finish his opponents with his signature Bam Bam Moonsault.
6 The Undertaker
The Undertaker had a creepy mortician gimmick that developed powers during the decade and stood strong in the face of his opponent's offense. In the early 2000s, The Undertaker dropped the "Deadman" aspect of his gimmick and became the American Bad Ass.
Despite his obvious size and power, The Undertaker has been unafraid to hit his opponents from the air. His most notable aerial moves include Old School, which is where he climbs the turnbuckle and tightrope walks along the top rope. However, The Undertaker has also hit suicide dives over the top rope, including one at In Your House and against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV where Michaels grabbed a cameraman to break The Phenom's fall.
5 Apollo Crews
In 2021, Crew turned heel for the first time in WWE after assaulting Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E. Crews would adopt a gimmick of Nigerian royalty during his run with the Intercontinental Title and would often be accompanied to the ring by Commander Azeez.
A big reason why Crews was kept as a babyface in WWE for so long appears to be his incredible athleticism. Despite being the size of a heavyweight, Crews is able to not only land perfect standing moonsaults, but also off the apron, over the top rope, and off the top of the turnbuckle. Crews is also one of the few wrestlers of any size able to consistantly land a standing Shooting Star Press, a move which was reportedly banned in WWE.
4 Kevin Owens
Owens would make his WWE debut at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution before making a real impact later the same night by attacking Sami Zayn. Since 2014, Owens has been regularly featured on WWE programming, and only needs to win a tag team title to complete a Grand Slam in WWE.
Despite being best known as a brutal powerhouse, Owens has a few high flying moves in his arsenal. Owens has occaisionally hit his opponents with a frog splash, including against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 36. He also occasionally hits opponents with a senton from the top rope.
3 Bronson Reed
Bronson wrestled for WWE from 2019 until he was unexpectedly released from his contract in 2021, despite rumors that he was set to be called up to the main roster.
During his time on the roster, Reed would win the NXT North American Championship from Johnny Gargano, but would drop it a month later to Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott. Despite being over 300 lbs, Bronson will regularly perform suicide dives and top rope splashes that are usually more suited to smaller wrestlers.
2 Odyssey Jones
Odyssey Jones is the newest WWE signing on this list and the giant wrestler is currently a member of WWE's NXT program. Jones was signed to a developmental contract in 2019 after receiving a try-out the year before.
In 2021, Jones participated in the NXT Breakout tournament were he made it all the way into the finals. Despite making his in-ring debut in late 2019, Jones has already appeared in SmackDown dark matches against the likes of Robert Roode, Riddick Moss, and Austin Theory. Jones often finishes his opponents with a flying splash from the top rope onto prone opponents.
1 Brock Lesnar
Fans will remember Lesnar’s horrible botch against Kurt Angle during their match at WrestleMania XIX. Towards the end of the match, Lesnar misjudged the distance of the Shooting Star Press and crash-landed on his head and neck. The botch resulted in Lesnar suffering a bad concussion and he was lucky not to have suffered a broken neck or spine.
Despite it seeming like Lesnar was busting out the move for the first time, this wasn’t the case. Lesnar would use the move while he was wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and would land the move perfectly, rotating through the air in sheer defiance of his size, before his arrival on the WWE main roster.