Superkick
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A superkick is the name used when referring to a high side thrust kick attack in professional wrestling, which sees the wrestler use the sole of the foot to strike an opponent's head or chin, usually preceded by a sidestep, often referred to as a crescent kick, or just a side kick.
History
The thrust kick, which was used as a attack move in pro wrestling (mostly in Japan and the Orient) became popularized in the early 1980s by the late English wrestler and Judoka Chris Adams. As his popularity grew, Adams, who originally nicknamed his kick the Judo Kick, evidently changed it to a Superkick in 1983. From that point, other wrestlers began using the superkick, including Paul Diamond, Wendell Cooley, Savannah Jack, Chris Champion, Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels, Tom Zenk and John Tatum.
Today, Shawn Michaels is the most notable performer of the superkick, referring to it as the Sweet Chin Music. Michaels often precedes the move with a flying forearm (followed by a kip-up), an inverted atomic drop, followed by a scoop slam and then a diving elbow from the top turnbuckle. While the opponent gathers himself and stands back up, Michaels usually stands in front of a turnbuckle and taps his feet while the crowd counts each time he taps it, called by announcers as "tuning up the band", before landing the superkick. Michaels kicks the opponent in the chin, thus the move being called Sweet Chin Music. Michaels in an interview said that he learned the superkick from Chris Adams himself while he was being trained by Adams during his time in Gary Hart's Texas All-Star Wrestling, prior to debuting in the AWA.
Moves similar to the superkick
- Double superkick - two person tandem superkick
- Flying thrust kick - diving superkick
- Savate kick - a superkick without the sidestep
- Shuffle left kick - After dodging an attack and going behind an opponent the wrestler would lift their leg high into the air as they twisted their hips turning him/herself side-on towards their opponent catching their foot against the opponent's face