Evel Knievel remains the household name when it comes to death‑defying feats, his flamboyant jumps over rows of cars and buses forever etched in popular memory. Yet, as the world of extreme sports has evolved, a fresh generation of daredevils has taken the art of the impossible to new heights, making Knievel’s legendary stunts feel almost tame. In this roundup, we count down the 10 modern stunts that have reshaped the landscape of high‑risk performance.
10 Modern Stunts That Redefine the Edge of Possibility
10 Danny Way Ollies The Great Wall Of China On A Skateboard
Imagine a skateboarder tackling a structure that has stood for centuries – the Great Wall of China. In 2005, Danny Way turned that fantasy into reality. After previously leaping out of a helicopter while perched on a skateboard and constructing a seven‑story ramp for his own use, Way engineered a custom‑built ramp that wrapped around the Wall’s highest point, because jumping a low‑lying section simply wouldn’t do. The ramp swayed in the wind, adding an extra element of danger to an already audacious plan.
During a rehearsal, Way suffered a broken foot. Rather than head straight to the operating room, he wrapped the injury to keep swelling at bay and pressed on with the stunt. The moment of truth arrived as he rolled onto the ramp, launched over the ancient stones, and executed a flawless 360‑degree spin mid‑air, leaving onlookers breathless as he conquered the Wall with the poise of a modern‑day Mongol.
Way’s feat wasn’t just a spectacular jump; it was a statement that skateboarding could rival any motor‑bike stunt in sheer audacity. The combination of a custom‑engineered ramp, a broken foot, and a perfect 360 made this a defining moment in extreme sports history.
9 Kyle Loza Performs The Electric Death
Kyle Loza’s name is synonymous with fearless innovation. At the 2008 Summer X‑Games Best Trick competition, he pushed the envelope beyond what most could imagine. In a matter of seconds, Loza catapulted his motorcycle three stories high, clinging to the handlebars with just one hand.
While airborne, he performed a handstand, flipping his entire body around before briefly brushing the edge of danger itself. He landed smoothly, rolled away as if the whole ordeal were a routine practice run, cementing his reputation as a true master of the extreme.
8 Brian Deegan Performs A 360 Flatspin While Injured
Brian Deegan, the original bad‑boy of freestyle motocross, helped shape the sport from its earliest days. After “ghost‑riding” his bike across the finish line at the 1997 LA Supercross, he faced a fine from the AMA but won the crowd’s adoration. Teaming up with Larry “Link” Linkogle, Deegan co‑founded the Metal Mulisha FMX crew and quickly rose to prominence.
Even though he was nursing an injury from the previous Winter X‑Games, Deegan entered the 2004 Summer X‑Games FMX Best Trick contest. Defying pain, he launched off the ramp and executed a dizzying 360‑degree flatspin—a hybrid of a backflip and horizontal rotation—showcasing a level of skill that most athletes could only dream of achieving while fully healthy.
7 Night Of Records 2006
Back in 1996, Seth Enslow technically surpassed Evel Knievel’s long‑distance record by hopping roughly 60 meters (200 ft) between desert dunes during the filming of “Crusty Demons of Dirt 2: Twisted Metal.” Unfortunately, Enslow crashed into a crowd of spectators and bikes, rendering the record unofficial—much like Knievel’s own crash‑filled finale.
Fast forward to 2006, when a gathering of FMX riders converged in Queensland, Australia, for the Night of Records event. Their goal: to eclipse Doug Danger’s 77‑meter (251 ft) benchmark, a record already surpassing Knievel’s. While Enslow withdrew due to a practice‑run injury, Metal Mulisha founder Larry “Link” Linkogle seized the moment, leaping 78 meters (255 ft) to claim the title—albeit briefly.
Later that same night, Trigger Gumm vaulted an astounding 84 meters (277 ft), smashing both Danger’s and Linkogle’s marks in a single, electrifying session that left the crowd roaring.
6 Carey Hart Lands The Holy Grail: The Backflip
During the 1990s, motocross pioneers like Jeremy McGrath and Mike Metzger began transplanting BMX tricks onto motorcycles, birthing the freestyle motocross (FMX) movement. Both Metzger and rival Carey Hart set their sights on adapting the iconic BMX backflip to two‑wheeled machines, a maneuver that many deemed impossible.
Repeated attempts saw both athletes crash and make multiple trips to the emergency room. By the decade’s end, the backflip remained an unattainable dream—until the 2000 Gravity Games, often overlooked in favor of the X‑Games.
There, Hart launched his bike off a dirt jump, soaring three stories high, rotating the bike backward in mid‑air, and landing cleanly. The crowd’s collective heartbeat stopped for a heartbeat, marking the moment the “Holy Grail” of FMX was finally captured, opening the floodgates for a new era of extreme aerial tricks.
5 Mike Metzger Backflips Over The Caesars Palace Fountains
In 1967, Evel Knievel envisioned leaping over the Caesars Palace fountains, a stunt that would cement his legend. He orchestrated the event through elaborate social engineering, even masquerading as a representative of “Evel Knievel Enterprises” and feigning contacts with ABC and Sports Illustrated to secure the deal.
On New Year’s Eve, after a shot of whiskey, Knievel attempted the jump but fell short, crashing violently, breaking a litany of bones, and slipping into a 29‑day coma.
Fast forward to 2006, when Mike Metzger—often hailed as the Godfather of FMX—paid homage to his idol. He backflipped his 100‑kilogram (220‑lb) bike over the same iconic fountains, soaring 38 meters (125 ft) and landing flawlessly, a tribute that linked past and present in a spectacular aerial display.
4 Robbie Maddison Backflips No‑Handed Over Tower Bridge
London’s historic Tower Bridge had never before been the launchpad for a motorcycle stunt—until early summer 2009, when FMX legend Robbie Maddison (“Maddo”) took on the impossible. Police shut down the bridge and raised its central span, turning it into a massive, death‑defying ramp over the dark waters of the Thames.
Armed with a 120‑kilogram (265‑lb) bike, Maddison launched across the raised bridge, executing a backflip mid‑air. As he rotated, he released his grip on the handlebars, effectively performing a no‑handed flip—a bold taunt to the Grim Reaper himself.
The feat combined sheer audacity with flawless precision, cementing Maddison’s status as a pioneer who dared to turn a world‑heritage landmark into his personal playground.
3 Travis Pastrana Performs A Double Backflip
Travis Pastrana’s rise in the motocross world began early. At 16, he competed in the inaugural X‑Games Freestyle Motocross Competition, inventing the “Lazy Boy” trick. By 17, he claimed the 2000 125 cc Motocross championship, and at 18, he secured the 2001 125 cc Supercross title.
His most daring accomplishment arrived at the 2006 Summer X‑Games FMX Best Trick competition. Determined to conquer the “Holy Grail” of FMX—a double backflip—Pastrana sped toward the ramp, launched, and rotated twice in mid‑air. The audience held its breath as time seemed to pause, witnessing a flawless double rotation before he landed cleanly.
This historic moment solidified Pastrana’s reputation as a fearless innovator, pushing the boundaries of what a motorcycle could accomplish in the air.
2 Josh Sheehan Performs A Triple Backflip
Nearly a decade after Pastrana’s double backflip stunned the world, Josh Sheehan set his sights on an even loftier goal: a triple backflip. With Pastrana’s backing, the duo constructed a custom ramp in Pastrana’s backyard, designed to give a bike enough altitude for three full rotations.
Sheehan revved his Honda, surged toward the ramp, and launched skyward. In a cinematic slow‑motion sequence, he executed three consecutive backflips, each rotation more daring than the last, before touching down safely.
After landing, Sheehan tossed his bike aside, raised his arms in triumph, and was immediately swarmed by the Nitro Circus crew, marking a monumental milestone in FMX history.
1 Robbie Maddison Jumps On The Vegas Arc De Triomphe And Back Down
Robbie Maddison has repeatedly redefined FMX limits. After setting the longest‑distance jump record in 2005 and breaking the long‑distance record again in 2008 with a 107‑meter (351‑ft) leap, he staged his most audacious stunt on New Year’s Eve 2008.
In front of a crowd of 300,000, Maddison sped his Yamaha toward a ramp, vaulted ten stories into the air, and landed precisely on the 12‑meter‑wide (40‑ft) platform atop the Arc de Triomphe at the Paris Las Vegas hotel.
Instead of descending via a helicopter, Maddison rode off the edge, free‑falling 15 meters (50 ft) before a secondary ramp caught his bike, allowing him to roll away safely. The crowd erupted as he survived the seemingly impossible descent, cementing his legend in the annals of extreme sport.