Original subtitles

You know that feeling we all get when WWE is totally awesome?

Ooh, yeah!

That feeling of fun, nostalgia, the memories that made you a lifelong fan.

Like the most awesome high flyers in WWE history.

From the phenomenal... There comes that phenomenal forearm and he nailed it!

To the future of flight.

Jay, check this out.

The Rift Takers. Oh, my God.

And the Crowd Shakers.

These are the jaw -dropping aerial artists.

The Moonsaults. That bring us to our feet to chant in unison, this

is awesome.

Welcome to This is Awesome, the only show that celebrates the most awesome

everything. Then, now, forever, and together.

I'm your host, Greg Miller, at GameOverGreggy on Instagram and thread.

today, we celebrate the most awesome high flyers in WWE history.

WWE's high flyers are some of the most exciting and athletically gifted

superstars in all of sports entertainment.

They are aerial virtuosos who soar through the sky and execute unbelievable

maneuvers that appear to defy the laws of physics.

Maybe it's our fascination with light, but when these superstars go airborne,

it's one of the most exhilarating things to witness in all of WWE.

How would I describe a high flyer?

What a question.

They do the most spectacular things.

Unbelievable.

Backflips, frontflips. Top rope. Oh, my God.

Bringing off of the ropes.

They put their bodies on the line to give the fans something to remember.

Get your heart rate up when a good high flyer is out there.

Oh, my God.

It's high risk, high reward.

is he doing? Oh, my God!

There's that element of danger in everything they do, and then when it

and they hit some incredible move, you can feel the energy in the arena

completely change.

Oh, man.

Goosebumps.

Kliaka from the top rope!

There's something so special about watching high flyers.

You're Evan Bourne, Koki Keaton.

Those are always my favorite guys.

If there's a place for her feet, she's going to moonsault off of it.

One that I don't think gets talked about enough is Akira Tozawa. There's a

backwards cannonball.

Montez Ward, the way he's able to control his body.

Let's also give love to the people that don't get categorized as high flyers,

but do high flying maneuvers.

Tsunami! Kurt Angle had, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful moonsaults

you'll ever see.

The Vader Salt.

John Cena top rope leg drop.

Bam Bam Bigelow, he was what, 300 plus pounds?

The Undertaker would jump over the top rope every once in a while.

Yokozuna, every time his feet left the mat, fans were gasping.

Every high flyer adds just this extra pizzazz to each and every contest that

happens in the WWE ring.

Wow! Corkscrew Moonsault on the top rope!

A lot of high flyers have this superhero -esque power to go from ground level to

heights that don't even make sense to me as a normal person.

You gotta be kidding me!

They almost defy gravity.

Oh no!

There's no one in the world who can't see someone flying through the air and

be impressed.

My chair's gonna fly!

They're all so cool looking. Just take pictures and pictures and pictures.

When you get a high flyer in the ring, anything's possible.

The Selena just stole from the top of the ladder. What?

High flyers, what can't they do?

It truly is amazing to watch. High flyers are some of WWE's biggest risk

willing to put it all on the line. And perhaps no superstar was more willing to

tempt fate than the charismatic enigma Jeff Hardy. A daredevil with a penchant

for jumping off 30 -foot ladders, Hardy threw caution into the wind, performing

some of the most extreme and insane aerials the WWE universe has ever seen.

Wrestling to me is an art form, and it forever will be.

I've become known for jumping off of high places.

It'll always be an artistic expression for me.

The adrenaline starts flowing. I tend to forget that I am limited.

That's what's so cool about wrestling is so much is possible, and the only thing

that limits you is your imagination.

Jeff Hardy, the thrill seeker.

Oh, I've been excited to talk about Jeff Hardy.

Jeff Hardy, let me tell you.

He's got the stockings with the holes all in them. He's got the multicolored

hair.

Like, he got spit out of a hot topic. And something about the way Jeff Hardy

no regard for his well -being makes you lose your mind.

And he's been like this for his entire career.

Jumping off of a ladder, off of a cage, onto a ladder, onto the floor.

In the ring.

Oh, my God! Out the ring, off the top rope.

He had no fear of anything. He would jump off of any height, no matter what,

the bottom.

Oh, my God!

That alone makes him one of the most dangerous high flyers of all time.

Oh, for God's sakes, don't do it, Jeff!

I mean, this is Jeff Hardy. This guy's a maniac.

Smart time!

Good night!

When Jeff Hardy came out of the curtain, you just knew he was going to do

something that you're going to remember.

Now what has Jeff got in mind?

The Swanton Bomb was one of the most graceful but violent moves in WWE

history.

Swanton Bomb! He would tuck his head in and just flip over.

It looked like time stood still.

Something I remember pretty distinctly is when he Swanton Bomb.

Off his huge scaffold.

My God, what is he doing? Come on, Jeff!

It was one of the truck.

Jeff Hardy's on top of the 18 -wheeler! No!

What is he going to do next?

WrestleMania 23 in the Money in the Bank ladder match, where he jumped off of a

huge ladder onto another ladder that Edge was lying on.

You've got to be kidding me!

One of those moves he did, man.

will never be redone because they were just so insane.

God almighty!

I can tell you this with confidence.

When I was a little kid, my favorite wrestler was Jeff Hardy.

All of us, as kids, jumped off our trampoline, jumped into a pool, doing

swanton bomb.

Jeff Hardy was the poster boy for Do Not Try This at Home.

There was just something so captivating about him.

Who made you want to be like him in any way you could?

There truly is no one like Jeff Hardy.

To this day, I still think that he is one of the craziest high flyers of all

time.

A human highlight reel for sure.

Hardy's fearlessness captured the imagination of fans worldwide and

some of the most spectacular moments we've ever had the privilege of

Another charismatic and much -loved high flyer was none other than Latino Heat,

the late, great Eddie Guerrero. Possessing a fire like no other

before or since, Eddie's passion and flair for flight always left the WWE

Universe feeling froggy.

Eddie Guerrero, oh my gosh. You believed every time, everything that he was

doing.

He really put a spotlight on lucha libre, on high flyers, on having

Talk about a guy who's basically great at everything.

Tremendously strong, gifted athlete, as well as an amazing high flyer. He

would do things in the air. It just looks so smooth and so easy for him,

effortless.

Cross body, springboards, drop kicks.

He just had that plan to him.

Everything about him with Top Knot is almost unfair, if I'm being honest.

And here goes Eddie, gonna climb high to the top rope!

But the frog splash, it started with Eddie Guerrero's tag team partner in the

Greenwood Locals, Art Barr.

And once he passed away, Eddie started using the frog splash in his memory.

Eddie's feeling froggy! No! Flash connects!

No way, no way. Oh, my God.

Eddie wasn't just like a high flyer, but he also had such a cool swag about him,

you know.

Latino heat.

When he's on the screen, you can't help but watch him. When he shakes his little

shoulders.

I'm really froggy, baby.

The Eddie shimmy at the top right before he gets that frog slash.

This place is going crazy for Eddie Guerrero. The excitement is off the

So here we go. In this building, the historic Cow Palace, Eddie Guerrero

Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.

There it comes, Cole.

Come on, counter.

The atmosphere was electric. And even just watching it on the screen, you

feel it. Come on, Eddie. Come on, Eddie.

Eddie to the top rope.

Two. Yes.

Eddie Guerrero is champion.

People that I knew who had been there at that show always say it was the

greatest moment that they have ever been a part of.

Eddie Guerrero did the unthinkable!

Wow!

He was able to connect with people all over the world, to show someone who has

no interest in what we do, somebody that makes them fall in love with this. That

was Eddie Guerrero.

He opened doors for the Latinos, for the Hispanics.

I represent America, home!

Head scissors!

Angle goes flying!

There isn't a better athlete than Eddie Guerrero. He was one of the greatest

wrestlers I ever wrestled.

Eddie Guerrero!

Oh my God, what a frog splash!

Now that Eddie is no longer with us, we have so many talents that use frog

splash. Seth Rollins, Montez Ford.

I think it's special when I use it. It has meaning.

Frog Splash! But when you hear Frog Splash, you think of one name. That's

Guerrero.

One of the all

-time great finishing moves, and we love seeing current superstars pay homage to

WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero by keeping the Frog Splash alive.

And in fact, Our next high flyer is another WWE Hall of Famer, RVD, Rob

Van Dam.

Oh, he was good. Who stamped a star rating on the Frog Splash. Yes, Mr.

Monday Night had a whole arsenal of stunning maneuvers, many influenced by

kickboxing background, where his elevation was shocking and his mid -air

precision was devastating.

Nobody, but nobody gets as high as R .B .B.

From Battle Creek, Michigan.

Rob Van Dam.

Rob Van Dam was an innovator of the hotline style.

A five -star Bronx blast.

Van Daminator finds the mark.

Comes at you from a million different ways.

Flip, leg, and move.

You never know what to expect from Rob Van Dam.

You talk about a fearless son of a gun.

Growing up watching Rob, he was probably the most captivating superstar I've

watched.

Alfonso distracting Thorpe.

Good night.

There can only be one crew, Mr. Monday Night, and that's me, Rob

Van Dam.

Making his ECW debut, here comes Rob Van Dam.

First kick right to the chin.

Van Dam was so different than anybody else in pro wrestling at the time. We

knew debut him at the top because that's where he's going to be anyway.

I remember watching him as a kid in New York when he was in the CW and just

being mesmerized with the stuff he can do. He was definitely one of my faves.

Oh, what is the Van Curbinator?

RVD's extreme style would catapult him to superstar status in WWE, where he

would become a Triple Crown Champion, capturing the Intercontinental, tag

and WWE championship.

Rob Van Dam finally called off the big one.

I'm Rob Van Dam.

The whole show.

From the rolling thunder to his frog plan, he's one of a kind.

Everything he did was not only dangerous, not only high -flying, but it

unique to Rob Van Dam.

That audience just loved him so much, and all he had to do was put his thumbs

up, and the whole crowd was about to say his name.

Rob Van Dam!

That is what makes me one of a kind.

Not going to argue with that. A true original in every sense of the word, and

man. who took it to the extreme every time he stepped inside the ring.

Now, let's talk about a woman who took it to the extreme every time she

competed. Debuting during the height of the Attitude Era, Lita exploded in

popularity as part of Team Xtreme and soon made a name for herself with a

daredevil attitude and a stunning skyward offense against both the male

female superstars of WWE.

Lita was absolutely fantastic.

I'll rephrase. Lita is absolutely fantastic.

I mean, she really did open the eyes of lots of little girls everywhere.

She came out and she had the tattoos and she had, like, the low -rise pants.

They were baggy.

Like the epitome of the alternative grungy female at that point in time.

A complete badass, but also a high flyer. Oh, God!

What is Lita going to do? Oh, God!

She was fearless.

Off the top rope, Hurricane Rana! You never knew what she was going to do.

She has attitude.

She is edgy. Like, where did she come from?

I specifically remember Nita coming in with, like, SA Rios at the time. She

in with him, and they was doing just cool stuff together.

I gravitated towards the Lucha Libre style of wrestling, and that's what...

initially grabbed me and made me want to to get in the ring it's

just impressive because you hadn't seen it from a woman to that level first of

all at the time it was rare that women got in to to like fight to then have a

woman come in and she's doing these high -flying superhero moves it was just a

cool thing to see at the time and then you know she started evolving going in

with the hardy boys

I would absolutely put Lita up there as one of the great high flyers. She took a

risk. She still does.

Lita opened doors for all of us little girls that wanted to be wrestlers when

grew up to realize that we can leave the ground, we can fly through the air, and

now you have so many more women that can fly.

Someone like Lita coming in and making the Lucha Libre style stand out in the

women's division and kind of just make it into her own. It was so cool to see.

It wasn't just a wrestling move. It was an entire aura that she brought to WWE

that was inspirational for men and women alike.

Lita gave me faith in the fact that I could be in the WWE.

It was unapologetically her.

She was an inspiration for me to have that.

ballsy, devil -may -care attitude.

Rita showed, like, yeah, you could have sex appeal and all that, but you could

still be athletic and be a badass and take charge inside of a squared circle.

Take charge, she did. A

powerful force of the Attitude Era who paved the way for generations of female

superstars to fly high.

Now, One of the definitive high flyers of the pre -attitude era was none other

than Ricky the Dragon Steamboat.

In the 1980s, Steamboat captivated crowds with his lightning speed and

power. A true magician in the air, Steamboat could execute almost any move

fluidity. And when it came to entertaining his fans, he rose to the

every single time.

37 pounds, Ricky Steamboat.

The eye of the dragon, so to speak.

One word I would use to describe Ricky, it's smooth.

He is so quick in his execution.

Flew in the air, he came back down, he was everywhere, he was fiery.

We had something about him.

How high do you think he got in the air?

Oh, he had to be 14, 15 feet up there. What's the hang time on this?

About four and a half seconds.

He runs around looking like a lizard every week.

The entrance hooks you instantly.

A spectacular entrance from Ricky Steamboat the Dragon.

As soon as he comes out, the people know that they're going to get something fun

to watch.

Ricky Steamboat with a dropkick.

There he comes.

Wow. Ricky was so good technically that when he did other things to add to it,

coming off the top rope, his arm dragged.

all of that took a different element to his matches that most of his opponents

couldn't match up with at all.

Truly a great athlete, and I'll tell you what, it's not drink, it's nothing but

great action.

Ricky was somebody who could do awesome, spectacular things, but it wasn't until

his match with the Macho Man that I think people really realized, man, this

belongs on a different level here.

This WrestleMania III, going over 90 ,000, Deeds, you have a great

opportunity to steal the show.

This is beyond wrestling ability. This is guts personified right now.

Every single movement he made, it captivated you.

Hogan and Andre were maybe the guys that brought the crowd in, but I think it's

safe to say that everybody left that venue thinking about Steamboat and

But the champion's still in control. No, a small package by the dragon.

They've got him.

I can't believe it.

When I saw that match at WrestleMania 3, it opened my eyes to a completely new

style of wrestling that I had never even thought of before.

All these years later,

everywhere I go, people still yell out, WrestleMania 3, you and Savage.

WrestleMania 3, you and Savage.

Out of the 6 ,000 that I had,

that

matched.

How many people did what Ricky the Dragon Steamboat did, and that was

captivating and innovative before his time?

Ricky the Dragon Steamboat was undoubtedly one of the original high

torch bearers. And today, the aptly nicknamed future of flight is certainly

carrying that torch. That's right, the one and only Ricochet. Like Ricky

Steamboat, Ricochet is meticulous about his craft.

He's a master of mind -blowing aerials, performing tricks that defy human

limitations, and somehow making it all look smooth and simply awesome.

Ricochet, the man that can do anything.

It is time for the highlight of the night.

Ricochet is a human arcade game. It is absolutely crazy the things that he can

do.

I look at it and I go, no human being can do that. And then Ricochet goes out

and does it.

Ricochet is wild. When we talk about... I think about Ricochet.

Like a heat -seeking missile through the sky.

How is this even humanly possible?

He can do, like, a 451 ,000 splash.

The way this man moves.

He has to have, like, springs in his feet.

Oh, man!

No signs of flowing.

Doesn't get much higher than this.

A high flyer is fearless.

Losing himself off that top rope, are you kidding me?

An adrenaline junkie.

Oh my goodness!

A daredevil. This man loves to fly.

Take it off, dammit!

Someone who just loves to take a risk.

I am Ricochet, and I am special every time I get into this ring, every damn

week.

It wasn't really a decisive choice that I made to be this high flyer.

I was 14 when I started wrestling and training.

I can't really fight these guys. I got to dive, duck, dip, dive, and dodge

because they were all bigger than me.

To be a high flyer, it just takes heart. It takes guts.

It's not easy.

The fans really started to get behind me and I started to really build this

reputation as this high flyer.

Here comes Ricochet.

It's just the style that I really enjoy the best.

Everything he does is beautiful. It's

graceful. It's amazing.

He's taken what we've seen before. Plus one, plus two, plus three.

That's Ricochet.

Some people are just born with it, and I think for somebody like Ricochet, he

just took all of it and ran with it and made it to his own.

There are no words.

The man is not just naturally gifted, but also tremendously and enormously

hardworking to perfect his craft.

He's very impressed with the things that he can do while looking good doing it.

This dude is a spark plug.

And Ricochet now on.

He's just so amazing in the ring. So it makes you want to be like, all right, I

can do that.

I know I can do that.

Him and Logan Paul having that epic moment where they clash, jumping from

top rope.

Oh, what a collision!

Of course it's Ricochet.

Who else would it be?

One and only. The theme song goes, one and only.

And it's fact.

He is the one and only. There's no one that can do what he does.

And so now to be here. He's the man.

No, no.

That's awesome.

That's so cool.

Ricochet. It literally means a projectile that rebounds off a surface.

It sounds about right to me.

Now. Like Ricochet, another fearless gladiator responsible for multiple This

Awesome chants is the prodigal son, Shane McMahon.

While some superstars rely on their in -ring skills, Shane O'Mac took to the

skies to show off his.

Undaunted by seemingly deadly heights and without regard for life or limb,

Shane's aerial antics were an astonishing sight to behold.

God, where is Shane going?

Oh, my God, don't do it, Shane!

Don't do it!

When I think of Shane McMahon, the first thing I think is bat -crazy.

Don't do it!

Oh, my God!

Shane McMahon just put his body and soul on the line!

Man, that guy.

Watch out!

Shane was more known for the element of danger that he put into every move that

he did.

Shane isn't afraid of anything. He's been to the top of the hell in itself,

he's come down the hard way.

No! Oh my God!

No! For the love of mankind, Shane just exploded through our table!

I don't think anyone can get crazier than jumping off the top of the helmet.

that's something you do in like WWE 2K, you do it in the video game. To actually

do that in real life is ridiculous.

He's just got this craziness to him. He's more of like a daredevil.

I consider him more of like a Buzz Lightyear. You know, we're not

high -flying, but we're falling with style.

Shane McMahon brought this on himself. Oh my!

Oh my God!

Shane McMahon!

Must have fell 50 feet! Good God! One of Shane McMahon's best moves has to be

the coast -to -coast. What is Shane doing?

Shane climbs on the one corner, jumps all the way to the other corner. He has

jump all that way, clear what, 18, 20 feet.

Oh, my God!

This guy flying from one side of the ring to another.

Coast -to -coast!

It's not just that he's a daredevil.

Oh, my God!

It's that he's also incredibly athletic as well.

Shane will do anything to win a match. There is no fear in Shane McMahon.

You talk about a guy who didn't have to do any of the stuff he did. This guy is

the boss's son. He wanted to prove, not just to the superstars in the locker

room, but to the fans, that he deserved to be competing in that ring.

I love the fact that rather than rest on his laurels, he just decided, nah, I'm

going to be that dude.

There's not one person here who's not going to respect me.

And he's proven that over and over and over again.

I've always been an outside -the -box thinker, and I was like, how can I be

different than everybody else?

A red light hits, and all of a sudden you can't help it.

I get red light fever, and so does everybody else.

I bet it's like slow motion where he's looking around and everybody's looking

right at him with a smile on their face, on their feet, and then he jumps.

And it's like a relief.

Shane, I think, felt all of the pain you possibly could, but if he had to do it

again, I think he'd do all of it.

To contribute back to the business I love, you can't get any better than

Shane McMahon's willingness to push the boundaries beyond what seemed possible

earned him major cred with the WWE Universe.

Extraordinary. Just like our next superstar, Finn Balor.

Finn's signature coup de grace translates to the final blow. Quite

when the demon unleashes this high -flying move, it's usually wiped out.

Finn Balor. My man, Finn made the lift?

Let's go.

If you watch Finn Balor, he's so smooth.

No wasted movement.

He moves with this kind of like gracefulness, but it's still scary and

at the same time.

It's very tough to prepare for a guy like Finn.

He's always just kind of flying at you from somewhere. If you can catch him.

Uh, you know, cool, you stand a chance, but good luck catching him.

That coup de grace that he does, the way he floats up, puts his knees to his

chest, I mean, it's picture perfect every time in the air. Nobody really

their whole body into it like Finn Balor. Landing on you with a double

but off the top rope, nobody comes close to doing something like that. And I can

tell you firsthand that it sucks.

Here comes Finn Balor with the coup de grace!

He was willing to put his body on the line to win big matches.

just so people in America would know his name, and we all know now what an

incredible performer he is.

I don't think you look at Finn Balor based on his size and go, well, this is

style he does. He's always been intense.

He has always been mean in there when he needs to be. He will always bring it.

Finn could always wrestle in a way that made him seem like he was 250 pounds,

and believe me, his opponents felt that in every single match they were in.

He can adapt his style to literally any other.

superstar on the roster, then that's what Finn Balor does best.

I think he should be number one, you know, other than Eddie Guerrero, of

but he should be at the top of that list, man.

Okay, we hear you, Dom Dom.

Having a generational talent like Finn Balor on your side is not something that

you want to take for granted.

Now, while Finn and the Demon bring the fire from the sky, they don't quite

match the madness of our next legendary superstar.

Yes, the incomparable WWE Hall of Famer Macho Man Randy Savage.

The widely lauded for his skills on the mat, Savage could also ascend high above

the ring, and with all the pageantry and showmanship he was known for, delivered

the fiercest elbow drop in all of sports entertainment.

Macho Man Randy Savage.

Coming off the top route with the elbow drop. Make sure you're in the landing

zone or else you're going to be down for the one, two, three. I am the true

meaning of macho and that cannot be denied.

No better word fits any top superstar in history of this business than unique

when it comes to Macho Man Randy Savage.

Too hot to handle and too cold to hold.

The personality, the colors, the wardrobe.

And more seductive than sex.

You can't say that. I can say that.

He is tough. He can wrestle.

He can be extremely vicious. He does moves in there like no one's ever done

before. I think people don't think high flyer and macho man.

But macho man was probably one of the first high flyers to get that style

in WWE.

I would never thoroughly say macho was a high flyer. He just went to the top

rope a lot. Is that right?

Macho man up to the top.

Look at him fly.

His signature move.

A lot of them were from the top rope.

Doing the double act handles to the outside.

From the top rope.

Yes.

Double sledge right to the back of the dome, back of the net. That's the

system. Now you're down.

Quick as a cat and twice as dangerous.

He was going to the outside. He was going inside.

Doing it all. Get it together here, man. I'm sorry.

This finishing move, the elbow drop from the top rope.

Savage with the leap.

Yeah. When that elbow hit an opponent, you knew that opponent was done.

Oh, what an elbow.

It's all over. It is all over.

Wow. Boom.

Savage has won so many matches with this move right here.

The Macho Man Randy Savage.

won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania IV with that high flying move, the

elbow drop.

The flying elbow!

Punch the leg!

It's over!

We have a new champion!

That was the cream of the crop.

The cream of the crop!

Nobody does it better! Okay,

serious props to Xavier for that

spot on impression.

Macho Man was undoubtedly mesmerizing, but when it comes to finesse, grace, and

precision, one current superstar is truly phenomenal. That's right, AJ

With an endless repertoire of aerial offense at his disposal, AJ routinely

the superhuman and insane look breathtakingly effortless.

AJ is the phenomenal one, and there is definitely a reason why. Like, look at

him. He is an athletic god.

He is gifted in the ring.

Night after night, AJ Styles continues to be maybe the best in -ring performer

of our generation.

AJ, in my opinion, is no typical high flyer. I mean, you've seen this guy pick

up guys that are twice his size. Most high flyers are usually relying solely

The ability to be a high flyer, whereas you see a multitude of different aspects

of AJ Styles' game that allows him to compete with any and every superstar on

any and every level.

Here comes Styles!

Oh!

Human discus from Omos!

AJ Styles can hit you from anywhere at any time.

Oh my goodness!

You got a guy that's springboarding with dangerous accuracy.

And then the way he cocks his body back and then follows through while sitting

through, just to maximize the amount of impact as it hits you, he is, in fact,

phenomenal.

Speaking of guys that can look cool in a pose in the air, AJ Styles literally

had a t -shirt made out of it. He puts it all on the line every single time

in the ring, and you never really know what AJ's going to do.

I've seen him do that springboard before, but then when you see it in

it's right in front of you, and seeing the height that he gets and the bounce

that he gets, it's wild.

I tell you what, even when you're receiving it and getting your face

it feels quite the fight. That's probably why he hits it so well, because

just mesmerized in the moment, and then you get caught.

Oh, my God!

I told the world that I am the workhorse.

Off WWE.

AJ Styles' connection with the fans is very genuine and very organic.

Man, you love everything about him. You love his high -flying moves.

You love how he leads other people around him, whether it's the OC.

Now throw it up, you mother -lover.

You know I will. Or anyone else. You love how he engages with the fans.

The more excited they are, the WWE Universe, the more energy that you have.

That's how it works.

As performers, we're able to go even harder in the ring when the fans are

more excited.

450! Having incredible matches, beating off the crowd, that's what it's all

about.

Indeed, the WWE Universe does love their high flyers.

And if there was ever one to overcome all the odds, it's the ultimate

Rey Mysterio. A small man in a world of giants, Rey took his luchador style of

wrestling and never -before -seen innovative height, performing some of

astonishing aerials in WWE history. Not only does Rey Mysterio look like a

mythical superhero, he sure as hell flies like one, too.

I would say the person that drew me into high flying would have to be Rey

Mysterio.

One of those once -in -a -lifetime talent, once -in -a

-lifetime people.

Who's that jumping out guy?

Rey Mysterio is the definition of a high flyer. And the first thing he does when

you see him...

is fly high.

Look at Mysterio! Oh my God, a crossbody from the top of the cage!

Show up that night, he's flying off of a cage.

The tone was set.

The biggest little man in the history of WWE.

Rey's only weakness was that he wasn't as big as everyone else, but he turned

that into a strength.

Rey's gonna fly!

The rifts he took, the moves he did, the high flying that he did was next level.

He really made Lucha Libre a thing in the United States. He put it on the map

make it mainstream.

Wow, I've never seen anything like that. Talk about whiplash.

Here's from the middle, turn back off!

The great thing about Rey Mysterio is that he is essentially a superhero.

When it comes to Mysterio, you gotta believe.

This is someone that everyone rooted for for years, but always, always such an

underdog. He's going to go over two.

One,

two, three.

Phenomenal. Rey Mysterio is like Muhammad Ali.

That's such a power to have that type of influence.

West Coast Pop.

The 619, it was revolutionary.

It's time to dial 619.

He'll always stand out for the way he looks and the way he moves.

Rey Mysterio is going to WrestleMania.

Being able to go from cruiserweight division to wrestling all of these

heavyweights and being a believable heavyweight champion as a guy of his

stature, a guy of his size, that inspired me.

Can you believe the action in this matchup for the World Heavyweight

Championship? Holy cow!

619 coming!

Connecting!

Springboard!

I think for me personally, it was kind of one of those moments where it was

like, okay, this is possible.

They said it couldn't be done, but at 165 pounds, Ray Mysterio has won the

championship.

Ray's part of that group who paid their dues and did it the hard way. The truth

is, guys my size weren't part of the business.

I broke that so -called blueprint of what a superstar.

Should look like. What is there to say about Rey? Because he is absolutely an

amazing human being. There is nothing about him that doesn't scream super

There's only one Rey Mysterio.

The connection he had with the crowd. He would come out and look at fans right

in their eyeballs. Look at them. Let them know that he sees them.

I love you. I love you. To me, Rey Mysterio is way more than a high flyer.

somebody who literally inspired an entire generation of people to not stop

because they weren't giants.

So, Ray Mysterio, thank you.

And I offer my thanks as well.

What an icon.

We hope you've enjoyed this look back at the most awesome high flyers in WWE

history. All this incredible action has me woozy. I'm going to go get some air

myself. I'm your host, Greg Miller, and it's been my pleasure to serve you.

On the next This is Awesome, the most awesome women's matches in WWE history.

Look at this move right here. Whoa! From show -stealing performances.

That flip escape!

And history -making headliners to the most iconic rivalries. Princess got the

shirt, she's the champion!

Female superstars who put everything on the line and leave nothing on the table.

Only on the next This is Awesome.