Since starting up in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has distinguished itself from the other major North American wrestling promotions by emphasizing strong, competitive matches on a weekly basis, which has tremendous appeal to die-hard fans who appreciate the in-ring portion of wrestling shows. As such, AEW has had more than its fair share of high-flyers delivering fast-paced matches with loads of aerial maneuvers.
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There are a number of high-flyers AEW can depend on to impress fans, so let’s take a look at 10 of the best ones, ranking them all from great to really great — because there’s not a bad one in the bunch.
10 PAC
Even before his time in WWE as Adrian Neville, PAC was considered one of wrestling’s most impressive high-flyers, with not only incredible aerial maneuvers, but also a shocking amount of speed on his side. Since turning heel and changing his attitude, “The Bastard” PAC has utilized more of a ground game, often putting away opponents with his signature Brutalizer submission. However, he’s not totally adverse to pulling out the odd aerial maneuver including the Black Arrow, his corkscrew variation on the Shooting Star Press.
9 Dante Martin
One half of the tag team Top Flight, Dante Martin was able to get quite the spotlight since arriving in AEW, albeit due to some unfortunate injuries to his brother/tag team partner, Darius Martin. As such, Dante’s been able to shine in matches with opponents like Rey Fenix and Matt Sydal on multiple occasions. He’s still relatively young and an injury took him out in 2023, but soon enough Martin should recover and continue to live up to the name of his tag team.
8 Swerve Strickland
While his WWE career ended with a whimper thanks to an abrupt release, Swerve Strickland found new life in AEW. After first winning the World Tag Team Championship with Keith Lee, Swerve ended up betraying his partner, becoming an indelible heel and a top star in the making.
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A Lucha Underground alum, Strickland’s got some great aerial maneuvers, including his Swerve Stomp finisher. There are a few notable double stomp maneuvers in wrestling including Finn Balor’s but Swerve puts a whole new spin on it by virtue of getting so much air off the top rope.
7 The Young Bucks
With a tag team like The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson are so inextricably linked that it’s tough to not consider them a single unit. Together, the Jackson brothers made fast-paced, high-flying “spot matches” a crucial part of their brand, which has proven to be divisive among fans but also very popular with wrestling writer Dave Meltzer. In the hands (and feet) of The Bucks, the excessive aerial maneuvers are intentionally obnoxious but no less impressive, especially when they go up against other high-flyers.
6 Orange Cassidy
Because his gimmick involves being one of the laziest pro wrestlers of all time (in kayfabe), it’s easy for some to discount Orange Cassidy as a high-flyer. But flying moves like topes and the like are a regular part of his moveset, often (impressively) executed with his hands tucked into his pockets. This style has long been part of Cassidy’s repertoire going back to his days in now-defunct indie CHIKARA, where OC donned a mask as tag team specialist Fire Ant of The Colony.
5 Darby Allin
In drawing comparisons to other wrestlers, it’s easy to liken Darby Allin to face-painted legends like Jeff Hardy and his on-screen mentor Sting. But die-hard WCW fans might be tempted to also compare him to the similarly grungy flying cruiserweight Billy Kidman. However, Allin sets himself apart from Hardy and Kidman in his approach to flying maneuvers. While those two have a degree of grace and technique, the effect of Darby’s aerial offense is shockingly explosive to the point of self-destruction, perfectly suited to his whole vibe.
4 Sammy Guevara
More often than not, Sammy Guevara is a tremendously hated heel, the kind of bad guy that many would describe as having a punchable face — especially in tandem with his real-life wife, Tay Melo. Unfortunately, that can sometimes overshadow the fact that “The Spanish God” is also a great high-flyer. After all, many fans discovered him during his pre-AEW days wrestling for Mexico’s AAA.
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Dubbed one of the “Four Pillars” of AEW, Guevara tends to shine with other flyers like the above-mentioned Darby Allin, as the two on several occasions have clashed in matches full of memorable high-risk spots.
3 El Hijo Del Vikingo
Speaking of AAA, one of its top stars, El Hijo Del Vikingo, has been a regular on AEW since spring 2023, defending the AAA Mega Championship against the likes of Dralistico, Komander, and even Kenny Omega. While AAA has its own Cruiserweight Championship for lighter, more acrobatic performers, Vikingo is arguably one of the most acrobatic wrestlers in AAA, as AEW fans have quickly found out thanks to his regular use of an inverted 450 splash that never ceases to impress.
2 Komander
A recent signing to the promotion, Komander arrived in AEW with a reputation for stunning aerial maneuvers that many fans first saw circulating around Twitter in GIF form. The young up-and-comer has a number of aerial maneuvers in his arsenal, many of which involve him walking — or, more accurately, running — the ropes. In particular, one of his more mind-blowing maneuvers involves Komander running across the ropes and diving to the floor onto his opponent(s).
1 Rey Fenix
Rey Fenix is one of several Lucha Underground alumni to move on to AEW, but he might not only rank among the best high-flyers in the promotion, but also the world. One half of The Lucha Brothers with Penta El Zero Miedo, Fenix provides a great aerial counterpart to Penta’s more grounded offense. On top of having a Superkick that dares to put The Young Bucks’ version to shame, Fenix boasts one of the most powerful dives in AEW, oftentimes seeming like he’s going to overshoot and dart into the crowd, making for an exhilarating moment.
