100 Best Wrestling Moves EVER
75. Rikishi | Rikishi Driver
The piledriver - any variation of it - was on thin ice in WWE by 1999, thanks mostly to the damage done to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s neck in 1997, but also due to a series of other serious injuries from moves like it taking out talent for long and difficult rehab stretches.
By 2000 it was completely outlawed, and if The Undertaker wasn’t getting his Tombstone, his BSK brother Rikishi stood no chance of keeping the Rikishi Driver. More’s the pity - as total shock-and-awe head drops go, it's one of the most satisfying ever witnessed within the walls of the market leader.
Dropping to a seated position with remarkable control, the former Headshrinker knew how to make it look like he was taking a few inches off the top of his opposition. The compactness of the move amplified the visual impact, as the opponent appeared to be driven headfirst with no room to maneuver or absorb the blow. Confined more to video games than reality, if the social media feedback loop existed back when Rikishi was at the top of his game, the sheer drop bounce of it all might have generated the same discourse as a Canadian Destroyer.