Which Angelico Leap is the Best?

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My good readers, I've been having a difficult time with something this past day or so. Simply put, I cannot decide which Angelico spot I like more! Yes, I'm still fixated on the man that gravity actually forgot (sorry Neville, you lost the name), and his two amazing leaps, like his Marvel/DC esq crossbody (which I decree from this point forth be called Death From Above) and his recent masterpiece, a mesmerizing 20 foot dropkick (now to be called the Doomsday Dropkick). Well, no more! Today, I am determined to solve the mystery; which Angelico move is the superior one? Let's break it down. ON WITH THE SHOW!

Degree of Difficulty

I know, this is like asking whether you liked John Carter or The Lone Ranger better. Both moves were difficult to do, no matter how easy Angelico made them look. Which one was more difficult? I gotta go with the Doomsday Dropkick. Look, Death From Above was glorious and all, but I think it was likely a tad more easy to land. Angelico is obviously making himself bigger with that maneuver, which allowed him to hit multiple members of The Crew (while also allowing them to catch him). It's not a safe move by any stretch, but there was a tad less risk involved. With the dropkick, no one was catching Angelico, he wasn't trying to make himself bigger like he was with the crossbody, and most telling, his trajectory had him landing on the back and, worst case scenario, the back of his head. If he lands wrong, he's in the opening for the next Law and Order episode, playing the guy on the way to the morgue. Major Edge: Doomsday Dropkick

Air Time

This one isn't even close. The Doomsday Dropkick might be underrated as far as airtime goes, but come on; Angelico fucking flew with Death From Above. It was like watching a real life Superman, only if Superman dressed like a Jet Set Radio character. I've frankly already spent too much time on this section. NEXT! Major Edge: Death From Above.

Most Aesthetically Pleasing

Ah, the visual effect award of this column. Before I started, this was also going to be a no contest victory for Death From Above. Then, I saw this gif of the Doomsday Dropkick that I hadn't seen before.

My God, it's full of stars!

Remember when Dave Chappelle once said everything is better in slow motion? That gif proves him right. Looking at the dropkick in slow motion makes you appreciate it over 9,000% more. He flies just as gracefully as he did in Death From Above and he sticks the landing perfectly (underrated part of all this; the dude nailed each spot perfectly both times. All hail Angelico!). All in all, this gif definitely made me consider the Doomsday Dropkick a lot more than I previously did. Sadly, it's still not enough. You just can't beat the move that made us all believe a man could fly. Edge: Death From Above 

Vampiro's Reaction

This is a surprising, yet crucial criteria here. For those of you who might've missed it, LU commentator and wrestling legend Vampiro has completely and utterly lost his shit when Angelico hit these moves. In fact, he was so impressed that he had to get up from the commentary booth each time. Can you imagine Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler or the corpse of JBL doing that? They'd probably screw it up somehow. Another reason why Vampiro and his buddy Matt Striker are far and away the best wrestling commentary team this side of the western hemisphere.

Now to the reactions. After Angelico hit Death From Above, Vampiro literally leaped from the booth and proceeded to take a mini lap around ringside, looking like a Maple Leafs fan after they hired Mike Babcock. For the Doomsday Dropkick, Vamp merely got up from the desk, shook his head in disbelief while looking into the ring, and then proceeded to jump into the crowd and lead the Temple in the loudest "Holy Shit!" chant since Dean and Seth flew off the Cell last October. To say that this is a tough one is like saying Mad Max: Fury Road isn't the best movie of the year so far. Which one takes the cake? I am...going to give it to the dropkick. I know, Vamp didn't literally jump right out of his seat for that one like he did Death From Above, but he did get into the crowd and lead a damn chant. When's the last time you've seen an announcer do that? Plus, that moment gets bonus points for Vamp's sick white shirt. Stay the king you wonderful bastard! Edge: Doomsday Dropkick

The Expert's Analysis

I'll admit it here guys, I needed some serious help on this one. It was too close to call dammit! Luckily, I know several wrestling fans thanks to my LOP days, and several of them generously provided an opinion. Let's see what they said.

LOP Main Page Columnist Pen: Hmm, dropkick requires more precision, while the crossbody was a longer leap. I'd say crossbody. It happened first, plus it still required some precision.

LOP Main Page Columnist "The Doc" Chad Matthews (read his book!): Gotta go with the Ladder. Accuracy on the leap and the connection was amazing.

Joe Brown, Lucha Underground Fan and blog hype man: My opinion, the dropkick all day. Even though the leap was amazing, this crazy son of a bitch had to land a missile dropkick and secure it perfectly to a guy on a ladder. Simply put, I think the dropkick was harder for him to do.

Matt Mortensen, contributing writer, pretty cool dude: Haven't seen the first one. But can't see it topping the crossbody. The first is always better. *after viewing Doomsday Dropkick* That's a more ridiculous one I'll give you that. As it wasn't a standing jump though, crossbody. Now can I go to sleep?

Randall, here because LOP Main Page columnist 'Plan was getting a tattoo: Funny enough, I just watched the ladder match. The crossbody is better. It looks like it connects more, at least with one guy.

Final count; 3-2 in favor of Death From Above. It's a tight one!

Cult's Final Decision

I have spent too much time trying to decide which one of these is better. It's so close. On one hand, the Doomsday Dropkick is impeccable, a high degree of difficulty spot where Angelico risked serious injury and yet avoided it while nailing the move perfectly. On the other, there's Death From Above, the most gorgeous thing since Paige, a scene from a comic book come to life. In the end...I gotta go with Death From Above. Barely. It's prettier (so I'm superficial in this instance. DEAL WITH IT!), it made my eyes bulge out of my head, and yes, it came first. That does matter. If the Doomsday Dropkick had happened first, I think I probably would've given it the edge. Alas, it came second, and thus it gives way to the spot that made Adrian Neville jealous, the death defying, awe inspiring Death From Above. You may take your seat next to every Jeff Hardy spot in the HOLY SHIT Hall of Fame. Don't worry Doomsday Dropkick, we have a seat reserved for you too.

That's it guys. I'm out till later. Till then, thanks to everyone who helped out, check out The Doc's book The Wrestlemania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment (now available in paperback!), read The Pen15 Mightier (laugh the name up fuzzballs), follow Joe Brown, Matt Mortensen and Randall on twitter at @jbrown0715, @HBK4EVER17 and @Super_Hoody, don't forget to tip your waitress, and bring back the DUCHOVNY memes!

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