10 Crazy Moves Banned by WWE

WWE prides itself on safety these days, but that wasn't always the case!  With that in mind, let's take a look at 10 classic wrestling maneuvers WWE has since banned their Superstars from performing!

#10 Doomsday Device

Finishing maneuver of The Road Warriors/Legion of Doom, where Hawk would perform a top rope clothesline knocking his opponent off his partner Animal's shoulders in the process.  It takes skill (mainly from the performer taking the bump) to avoid injury on the landing from the Doomsday Device, unfortunately a lot of enhancement talent in the 90's lacked said skill, thus the move was pretty much retired after LOD left the company, with the exception of the Dudley Boys performing it occasionally during their first run with WWE.

#9 Piledriver

The Piledriver was a devastating finisher/signature move right up to the mid 2000's in WWE, although it had become a watered down version by the end.  The move was made famous by the likes of Wild Bill Longson, Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff & Jerry The The King Lawler to name only a few!  However now with a better understanding of the dangers of concussions, WWE isn't that keen on any moves that involves a Superstar being dropped directly on their head anymore!

#8 Burning Hammer

Made famous by Kenta Kobashi in Japan, the Burning Hammer (in it's original form) was not seen in WWE very often as it was pretty much always banned by the company.  However after Brian Kendrick surprisingly performed it on Kota Ibushi in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, it went straight back onto the forbidden list!

#7 Brainbuster 

A move more commonly used in Japan and on the Independent circuit, the Brainbuster has, for the most part, been frowned upon by WWE for years.  They did allow it though, but would only permit workers who they trusted to perform the move safely, and Chavo Guerrero (one of the chosen few) actually used it as a finisher at one time.  Nowadays it is very much on the shelf, as because we already established, WWE doesn't like dropping their Superstars on their heads any more!

 #6 Sit-out Tombstone

The sit-out Tombstone Piledriver is a move that most Stone Cold Steve Austin fans (like myself) absolutely despises with a passion.  The move in my opinion is idiotic & unnecessary as the original tombstone (where performer drops to his/her knees instead) is much safer, but still looks every bit as devastating as the sit-out version.  As you can see from the clip, the move was botched by Owen Hart when he performed it on The Texas Rattlesnake at Summerslam 1997, breaking his neck, causing temporary paralysis and subsequently shaving years off Austin's in ring career.  Needless to say it's now on the banned list in WWE.

#5 Spike Piledriver

A version of the Piledriver (above) with a twist.  This brutal tag team finisher was made famous by The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard) in the 1980's which was later adopted by The Powers of Pain (Barbarian & Warlord) after Arn & Tully left the company.  The move is the traditional Piledriver combined with a double team where the other partner comes off the second rope "spiking" their opponent into the canvas with even greater force.

#4 Vertebreaker

Stand back...there's an injury coming through!  The Vertebreaker was an infamously dangerous maneuver performed by The Hurricane (Shane Helms) during WWE's attitude era.  It wasn't around too long before WWE banned Helms from using the move, as they realised just how dangerous it could be.

#3 Frankensteiner

Back in the 80's Scott Steiner's Frankensteiner was one of the most unique moves ever seen in Professional Wrestling.  Although it is very similar to The Hurricanrana, which is still very common in the Cruiserweight division today, the Frankensteiner adds driving your opponent's head into the canvas to the mix, and as we have already established WWE doesn't like their performer's being dropped on their head, thus the move is no longer permitted!

#2 Steiner Screwdriver

Oh look, it's the human concussion machine Scott Steiner again!!!  We now all know my feelings on the sit-out Tombstone, well... the Steiner Screwdriver has the same fundamentals with extra elevation & force with even less protection!  Just watch the clip and you'll understand why this move is classed as too dangerous for WWE (and rightly so!). 😱😱😱  

To be fair Scott Steiner was actually an incredible in ring performer and it's a credit to his ability that his opponents trusted him to perform such a dangerous maneuver on them!

#1 Chair Shot to the Head

Yes, a Steel Chair to the head used to be very common in WWE back in the day.  Thankfully the key phrase here is "used to be".  Yes, the old concussion chestnut comes into play here yet again, and alas the steel chair to the head is a thing of the past!  

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Credit: WWE.com (All photos/footage unless specified)