20 Greatest Kickouts In Wrestling History

17. AJ Styles – SummerSlam 2016

Sometimes a great kick-out reaction happens because WWE convinces us that they’re going to do a terrible thing, but then surprise us by doing a lovely thing.

Case in point, at SummerSlam 2016 AJ Styles really needed to beat John Cena, but Cena going over was the most plausible thing in the world, an Avalanche AA seemed to be the herald of doom, when AJ picks his shoulder up at the last second.

An incredible moment made very very silly by John Cena who spends the next 20 minutes doing some I can’t believe this acting. Look at that face. Stop it.

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16. CM Punk – Money In The Bank 2011

And hey speaking of narrowly avoided plausible disaster, Punk vs. Cena at Money In the Bank is one of the great crowd matches of all time, an entire building aching for a Punk win, with the horrible kernel of doubt in their stomachs that WWE would never crown him.

The first time punk kicks out of the AA, it’s expected, everyone kicks out of the first on pay-per-view, but the second, when Cena plants him one more time after walking around with him on his shoulders, that was the one the crowd believed could truly horribly be the end, and the explosion of joy is SO much louder.

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15. Tyler Bate – NXT Takeover Cardiff

A good kick-out at one is, and should be, a rare commodity in wrestling main events. But when done right, it’s the most shocking thing in the world.

At TakeOver Cardiff, during Walter vs. Tyler Bate, one of my favorite matches ever, WALTER plants Bate with the same powerbomb that he used to finish so many matches, plants all his weight on Tyler, who kicks out at one.

The moment’s so shocking that fans don’t immediately react, but Bate and WALTER hold their poses of grit and shock and slowly the reaction builds to thunderousness. Big strong boy.

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14. Daniel Bryan – Elimination Chamber 2012

At difficult as it is to type, but prior to this match, the Cobra was a protected finishing move. God help us all.

Seriously, if the sock went on and you got struck, you were done for, and this protection pays off gangbusters in this unlikely World Championship moment in 2012.

Going into the chamber match for D-Bry’s title, Santino Marella had a parody Rocky Balboa-style underdogs journey, somehow made it to the final two and good god almighty actually hit the Cobra on Bryan.

It did not make sense, it would never ever happen, but just for that moment, people believed, leading to a hell of a kick-out.

Seven years later, at Elimination Chamber 2019, underdog Kofi Kingston would kick out of Daniel Bryan’s running knee to a huge pop, bringing it all full circle.

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