In the world of professional wrestling, most moves that people find themselves watching in awe are performed from the top rope. They are the moves that get the most attention, but what about the second rope? Not many people talk about some of the entertaining moves that have been pulled off from using the second rope instead of the top rope.
Here we look at 5 famous moves pulled off using the second rope.
Honorable Mention: Springboard Corkscrew Uppercut
This is a move that has been made famous by Cesaro recently. The move essentially involves a wrestler springboarding off the middle rope and perform a corkscrew midair and deliver the European Uppercut to the other wrestler. If executed perfectly like Cesaro does, the move is a thing of beauty to watch. It looks devastating enough too.
Due to the complexity involved with the execution of the move, it is hard for a wrestler to pull off the move without botching it. He needs to be flexible and mobile enough to perform a corkscrew midair and at the same time navigate the distance between him and his opponent.
Kalisto has an alternated version of the move. Kalisto performs a bodyslam instead of the uppercut.
#5 Banzai Drop
What has to be one the most terrifying moves a wrestler must endure without a doubt would be the Banzai Drop from Yokozuna.
Some wrestlers including Bret Hart have gone on record stating that they were terrified before Yokozuna would drop down on top of them from the second rope.
The move involves a wrestler climbing to the second rope in the corner, bouncing and dropping down on their opponent. A version of this move was used by Vader, which was made more terrifying when Vader would go to the top rope rather than the second.
Just imagine if either of these two big men would execute the move wrong and flatten you. That’s a scary thought.
#4 Springboard Stunner
This is a famous wrestling move that can be seen performed by numerous cruiserweights on the independent circuit. But as on world television, there is only one man performing it and it is John Cena.
John Cena’s version of a springboard stunner has been receiving a lot of criticism for its flawed execution. Steve Austin has also berated John Cena for using a finisher as a mid-match manoeuvre.
Recently, Will Ospreay has joined the club with his spot-on execution of the manoeuvre. Comparatively, John Cena's version of the move looks a little crude.
#3 Rope Hung DDT
A move made famous by the Viper Randy Orton, The rope hung DDT is one of the most lethal move made by the legend killer to date.
The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent in a front face lock and falling backwards so that the opponent is forced to dive forward onto his or her head. But Orton does this with first kicking the opponent in his belly and then hanging him on the second rope of the ring and dropping him with his face first inside the ring.
He often does this move as double DDT holding two wrestlers in both hands.
When this move is executed it looks as doe Randy has really done some serious damage to his opponent.
#2 Lionsault
The Lionsault is a move in which a wrestler springboards (bounces off the ropes), then executes a backflip and lands on an opponent.
The move was popularized by Chris Jericho, executing it in many of his matches throughout his time as a wrestler and is always an entertaining move to see pulled off.
When a version of this Lionsault is performed onto an opponent on the floor outside the ring, rather than one in the ring, it is called an Asai Moonsault. This move is named after its creator Yoshihiro Asai, better known by his gimmick name Último Dragón.
#1 619
Named after the local area code in Mysterio's hometown in California, the 619 was created when Mysterio came to WWE to go with his Hurricanrana.
The key to the maneuver is to have Mysterio's opponent near the ropes. Once Mysterio has managed to trip up his opponent, stringing them on one of the ropes, he runs to the other side of the ring, picking up momentum. When he comes back, Mysterio uses the ropes, swinging through them and kicking his opponent square in the face. With the opponent thus stunned, Mysterio has the option of Dropping the Dime or landing the West Coast Pop.
It is a much loved finishing manoeuvre by wrestling fans from around the world and is one of the most entertaining second rope moves to be performed in the wrestling business to date.
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