The moonsault is one of the greatest moves in wrestling and something that looks incredibly impressive whenever it is used. The athleticism and aerial ability that comes with the move just makes it a ton of fun to watch, and throughout wrestling history, countless people have used it to great success.
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Like many moves, this is one that is now being used far more frequently than ever before, and because of that, the success rate for it has certainly dropped, making it feel a little less special. However, there's no denying that this move always gets a reaction, simply because it looks great, but which wrestlers have used it successfully and which haven't throughout history?
10 Successfully: Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair uses the moonsault frequently throughout her matches, and she often doesn't get enough credit for how great it is. Considering her height, the fact that she's able to get the move to look as good as she does is a real credit to her ability.
Flair might not use this as a finisher, but she does use it to great success. Often hitting the move from the top turnbuckle to the outside, or off the barricade, Flair always connects and causes serious problems with the move.
9 Failed: Chris Jericho
For years Chris Jericho used the springboard moonsault as one of his signature moves, and for years he didn't pick up victories or make much impact with it. His moonsault looked good every time he hit it, but it's the fact that other moves have overshadowed it which hasn't helped make this one look as good.
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Plus, it's difficult to remember him scoring any kind of major victory with the move. That's a weak point of his career, which is why it's a true failure of a move for him.
8 Successfully: Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes is someone who has used the moonsault several times throughout his career, and he has smartly saved it for big moments and matches. Because of that, Cody has often had great success with the move, ensuring that people remember it well.
While it's not something that he uses all of the time, it does make things feel more special when he does. Cody has happily used the move from the top of a steel cage as well at times, both on the indies and for AEW, which has always looked incredible.
7 Failed: Aleister Black
Aleister Black hits a springboard moonsault on a very regular basis, but it's a move that has never resulted in him winning the match. It also isn't something that is a particularly big moment in his matches either because he hits the move so frequently.
The problem with hitting the move so much without any success is that it leads to it becoming a failure of a move as it's not something that fans ever expect will lead to a match-ending, which is a shame because it's brilliant from an athletic standpoint.
6 Successfully: Kurt Angle
When it comes to aesthetically pleasing moonsaults, they don't come much better than Kurt Angle's. He always made this move look fantastic and he also used it to tremendous success throughout his career as well.
For someone who was so technical in the ring, hitting big high-flying moves was something that fans never expected to see. However, he would always make this move look excellent and he didn't go overboard with it either, which made it even more successful.
5 Failed: Apollo Crews
The former United States Champion is one of several wrestlers who decides to bust out the moonsault on a very regular occurrence. He often hits his move from a standing point, which is certainly impressive athletically.
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However, because Crews does it so often, normally resulting in a near fall, fans have stopped viewing this one as something overly special. It doesn't result in victories for him, and while it looks great, it is slightly overused in his matches.
4 Successfully: Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels always brought out the moonsault for big occasions, and it always looked brilliant. Michaels didn't use this as a finisher, but he certainly ensured it was a successful move with the impact it would have on a match.
This was the case when he would launch himself from the top turnbuckle into an opponent laying on the announce table. He would crash through them with huge impact and it would always be a great move.
3 Failed: Sin Cara
When looking back at how often Sin Cara used this move to how few times he actually won a match, it was certainly a failure for him. Sin Cara hit the move, along with a lot of high-flying offense, but it very rarely created victories for him.
The masked wrestler often missed this move or had it reversed, as was the nature of his talent, and how he was booked, which is why it was often a failure when he ended up hitting it.
2 Successfully: Io Shirai
When it comes to moonsaults, Io Shirai really is the undisputed Queen. The NXT Superstar has the best looking moonsault in wrestling history, hitting it with amazing precision and height to make the move look as good as possible.
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The fact that she also uses the move as a finisher really puts it over as well. She treats the move with the respect that it deserves and whenever it is hit, fans know that things are finished, which is what any good moonsault should result in.
1 Failed: CM Punk
There's a reason that you didn't see CM Punk hit many moonsaults throughout his WWE career, as this isn't a specialty of his. Punk hit the move famously during his Night Of Champions clash with John Cena and missed by a real stretch.
However, he had used the move at points in Ring Of Honor as well and never quite had much success with it. While Punk was an amazing wrestler, this move just wasn't for him. He even once quipped that the CM in his name stood for "Crooked Moonsault."
