"It makes no sense" – Former WWE star questions logic behind risky move

Several WWE wrestlers have used the Spanish Fly as part of their move set in recent years. Stevie Richards, a WWE star between 1999 and 2008, is unsure whether the risk of performing the move is worth the reward.

To execute a Spanish Fly, a wrestler must plant their opponent back-first onto the ring canvas while performing a moonsault at the same time. The move can be carried out from a standing position or the top rope.

On The Stevie Richards Show, Richards explained how the Spanish Fly can easily go wrong if a wrestler miscalculates the timing:

"It makes no sense. When I see that, I'm like, 'Dude's knee's gonna go right between the other dude's legs,' every single time, or he's gonna be squashed or do whatever. There's so much that can go wrong with that move because when you come off the top rope, even a Frankensteiner or something, the person sitting on the turnbuckle has a base for you to do it. The Spanish Fly, you're both up on the ropes and you're not quite sure." [0:42 – 1:11]

Charlotte Flair has used the Spanish Fly occasionally over the years, most notably in 2019 when she won the SmackDown Women's Championship from Asuka. AEW's Ricochet also caused debate after performing the move on Sheamus when he wrestled for WWE in 2022.

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Stevie Richards' Spanish Fly advice for WWE and other promotions

Although the Spanish Fly has become a popular move in the wrestling business of late, Stevie Richards thinks the high-flying offense is overused.

The former Right to Censor leader believes companies should make the Spanish Fly appear special by limiting how often the move is seen on television:

"Especially WWE, which is real ropes," Richards added, referencing the high-risk nature of the move. "AEW has the cables. At least you have a little base or platform to spring you off. It can go wrong in WWE. And that's one where if you didn't do that move for months and Ricochet, say, pulls it out as a finish, now you have a finish. That's the other thing you've gotta do with these finishes that are no longer finishes. You need to pretty much eliminate them from the entire show." [1:11 – 1:38]

On January 12, 2024, Austin Theory and Carmelo Hayes' heads collided as they landed on the mat following a modified Spanish Fly. Theory later told The West Sport he could have been paralyzed and vowed never to perform the move again.

What are your thoughts on the Spanish Fly? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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Please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.