There is a good reason why every episode of WWE starts with a warning not to try the moves at home or school. Wrestling is dangerous, not only to ordinary people but to professionals as well. There are many cases where professional wrestlers got seriously injured while performing. The company does the best it can to prevent such occurrences.
One measure they put in place is to ban dangerous moves most likely to result in injuries. Most of the moves have been used in real matches and caught on tape. Here are five moves banned by WWE for being too dangerous.
1. Piledriver
The Piledriver is by far the most dangerous wrestling finishing move in this history of professional wrestling. It involves ‘driving’ an opponent’s head on to the floor. It is the very move that Owen Hart used against Stone Cold Steve Austin and broke his neck, forcing him into early retirement.
There are many variations of the move used by different athletes over the years. The most recognizable is Undertaker’s finishing move. Other athletes who used the piledriver before it was banned in the year 2000 include Kane, Bret Hart, and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
2. Shooting Star Press
The Shooting star press was a big gamble move to both the performer and the subject. Here is how it is executed: The wrestler leaps from the top rope, knees pressed against the chest. He performs a backflip and lands on the opponent in a body press.
The shooting star press was Matt Sydal’s finishing move but was popularized by Billy Kidman in WCW. Brock Lesnar injured himself attempting it in 2003, and Billy Kidman injured Chavo Guerrero in 2004. WWE finally banned it in 2005.
3. Verterbreaker
Shane “Hurricane” Helms’ introduce the Verterbreaker to WWE in the year 2000. As exciting as it was to watch, there is a good reason no other wrestler used it.
From a standing position, Hurricane first lifted his opponent from behind with arms hooked behind theirs. He then sat out, smashing their upper body against the floor.
The danger is that Hurricane did not have eyes on the opponent in the sit-out phase. The opponent could land directly on their neck. WWE banned the move in 2003.
4. Chair Shot to the Head
It is mind-boggling that WWE allowed wrestlers to hit each other over the head with a steel chair for so many years. Following the death of Chris Benoit, it was revealed just how damaged his brain was. The cause of his many concussions was determined to be chair shots to the head. In the history of Wrestling, Mick Folley holds the record for receiving the most hits on the head with a metal chair at 11.
It took time, but WWE learned not to gamble with human heads. The company advises fans not to either. If you are a fan, you can play wrestling-themed games online instead, some of which offer generous prizes. Check out some casinos with instant withdrawal to get started.
WWE banned chair shots to the head in 2010.
5. The Punt
At the height of his maniacal rivalry against John Cena, the legend killer Randy Orton punted his opponents left and right. The punt is practically a straight running kick to the head.
The punt carries too high a risk of concussion. The margin of error in its execution is just too narrow. The move was banned in 2012.
Conclusion
This list of dangerous moves banned in WWE is not exhaustive. Most of them were fun to watch, even exciting to anticipate during a match. To the wrestlers, however, they put their well-being, careers, and even lives on the line.
You can still view how these moves are executed in the ring in online videos. Which of these do you think is so dangerous it should never have been allowed in the first place?
