In the brutal world of WWE, wrestlers conduct their storytelling with their bodies – but that does not happen without limits.
Over the years the company have been forced to ban certain moves due to the serious injury risks they pose to the athletes.
From career-ending injuries to evolving medical knowledge, the WWE has cracked down on some of the most dangerous manoeuvres in the sport. Here, we take a closer look at seven of them.
Piledriver
The classic version of the piledriver – where a wrestler drops their opponent headfirst into the mat – has been banned by the WWE since 2000.
The company took a strong stance against the move following an incident at SummerSlam 1997 which saw Owen Hart botch the execution of the move on Stone Cold Steve Austin, leaving him with temporary paralysis.
For many years, only The Undertaker and Kane were able to perform a safer kneeling version of the move, though that has changed in recent times.
Kevin Owens executed a piledriver on Randy Orton during an episode of SmackDown in November 2024, while Cody Rhodes also performed the move on John Cena during their match at SummerSlam 2025.
Clearly, the WWE is only willing to utilise the piledriver sparingly and with trusted wrestlers who are capable of pulling off the manoeuvre safely.
Muscle Buster
Samoa Joe’s muscle buster was a move that was banned following a tragic injury during a 2015 dark match.
On that occasion, Tyson Kidd was on the receiving end of the manoeuvre, which left him with a devastating spinal cord injury.
The wrestler needed staples, screws and a rod inside his neck, effectively ending his in-ring career. Doctors later revealed that around 5 percent of people survive the injury.
The muscle buster was discontinued by the WWE, though rare appearances of the manoeuvre have occurred in the company’s developmental brand, NXT.
Shooting Star Press
When you look back at Brock Lesnar’s wrestling career, one of the first things that comes to mind is his outlandish attempt at the shooting star press back in 2003.
Fuelled by the adrenaline rush that comes with a WrestleMania match, Lesnar dared to test his high-flying abilities, but instead, he came close to ending his career after a botched landing.
Since then, the WWE has banned the move for the majority of the roster and only provided exceptions for a select few. Wrestlers like Evan Bourne and Ricochet are a couple of examples.
Curb Stomp
WWE superstar Seth Rollins saw his curb stomp finishing move banned in 2015 due to safety concerns.
The Visionary was forced to use alternatives until the company allowed a somewhat modified version of the move.
Vertebreaker (Kudo Driver)
The Vertebreaker is a reverse piledriver which was made famous in the WWE by Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms.
The move was banned in 2003 due to the high risk of neck injury, though one-off permission has been granted to wrestlers in the past.
Cody Rhodes, for example, used a variation of the move in 2024 during a King of the Ring match.
Chair shots to the head
WWE officially banned chair shots to the head in 2010 due to the significant brain injury risks – especially after prolonged use.
The Undertaker and Triple H faced enormous fines for violating the rule during their match at WrestleMania 27 in 2011.
Punt kick
Made famous by Randy Orton in the modern era, the punt kick is exactly what it sounds like – a soccer kick to the skull.
Due to the high concussion risk and possible head trauma, the WWE decided to ban the move back in 2012.
WWE chairman Vince McMahon felt the full force of a punt kick after suffering a concussion himself.
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