8 Moves Banned By The WWE

Ever wonder why your favorite WWE Superstars suddenly trade in their super awesome finishers for some type of lame downgraded powerslam or clothesline? In most cases it’s because a superstar on the other end of those moves has gotten seriously injured, like for real, not just in the pro wrestling sense. Other times, public outcry has caused the WWE to drop a move in favor of a less influential finisher.

In the past decade, WWE has tried to stay ahead of the game when it comes to wrestler safety. They have introduced a Wellness Policy that all wrestlers (not named Brock Lesnar) have to abide by and they travel the world with a doctor on hand.

Past concussion lawsuits have greatly influenced the moves WWE has allowed their superstars to perform. With many past wrestlers showing CTE symptoms, the protocol for what is deemed acceptable in the ring has greatly changed.

Unfortunately, this focus on wrestler safety has meant that some of our favorite moves from the past have been future endeavored. Our friends at HalloweenCostume.com have made an ingenious infographic to break down 8 moves that have been banned by the WWE.

Some of these bans you may already know about and some will shock you. More interestingly, you’ll see some banned moves that only a few superstars are still allowed to use.

Click through the slides to see 8 moves banned by the WWE.

Chair Shots (To The Head)

Even as a kid I remember thinking, “how do they fake that?” Turns out they weren’t and the long term results were quite traumatic. It’s been seven years since someone took a chair shot to the dome. Concussions have played a very obvious factor in the removal of chair shots, but wrestlers are still allowed to whack each other in the back as many times as they want. 

Vertebreaker

This move always looked pretty sweet, but when a guy’s head is where you can’t see it, the high probability of injury is just too risky.

Curb Stomp

The curb stomp was reportedly banned because WWE officials feared kids would not only be able to try it at home, but succeed. As a former kid who wrestled all his friends, I can say that the curb stomp would have been much safer than all of the botched powerbombs we tried. 

Really hate that they took this move away from Seth because the Pedigree will always feel like Triple H’s move. Especially when Triple H is still using it. 

Piledriver

The Piledriver was always one of the coolest moves in wrestling. No move looked like it would be more devastating than the piledriver and it turned out that assumption was mostly correct. Stone Cold had his neck broke by the move in a match against Owen Hart and while Austin would recover from the injury, the lingering effects would ultimately cut his career short.

Undertaker and Kane are currently the only ones allowed to use their Tombstone version of the piledriver and they only pull those out once or twice a year. 

Which of these banned moves would you most like to see back in the WWE? 

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MORE WWE: Jack Swagger Released From WWE / Hardy Boyz Next Move Revealed / AJ Styles Out Of Wrestlemania Main Event

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Pedigree

Speaking of the Pedigree, go back and look at some of the old video of Trips using the Pedigree. It was a much different version that the one we see he and Seth Rollins use today. The opponents arms used to be locked from the time the move started until the time it was over. These days, the arms are allowed to be released and brace the victim from smashing his face on the ground.  

Punt

This one makes a lot of sense. But honestly, I dont’ see how this kick to the head is worse than the 45 superkicks to the head we see in nearly every WWE match.

Shooting Star Press

Brock Lesnar knocked himself out doing this move against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania. It may be banned, but you’ll still see it show up every now and then. Neville’s finisher was way cooler and he’s since dropped it because it’s too over with the fans. 

Wings of Love

Girls can have moves banned too, you know. Michelle McCool’s Wings of Love finisher was a pretty awesome version of the Pedigree/facebuster but the way the move was being held was a little too dangerous.