10 Injuries That Changed WWE History
2. Darren Drozdov
Darren Drozdov's horrific October 1999 injury left the former NFL nose tackle a quadriplegic, but also drastically altered the company's stance towards moves that put added pressure on necks and backs for years to come.
Despite the flubbed running powerbomb from D'Lo Brown being a regular part of his repertoire up until that point, the resultant injury proved the risk of the move in the first place simply wasn't worth it.
In this particular case, Brown was unable to get a solid grip on Drozdov's loose-fitting shirt, and Droz couldn't elevate himself enough to safely perform his part.
With company top draw Steve Austin going under the knife for his neck surgery around the same time after complications caused by an errant Owen Hart tombstone in 1997, the company edict was laid down to ban all piledrivers and neck-intensive manoeuvres going forward.
Nearly two decades on, the rule has remained broadly in place with occasional exceptions. Both Undertaker and Kane were permitted to use tombstones, and piledrivers were occasionally employed to sell particular devastation.
Following Sting's scary wobble from the move in 2015 and a 2016 injury to Finn Balor, Seth Rollins' 'Buckle Bomb' has earned similar usage caveats in an era where the company has been forced to pay more attention to the welfare of performers to avoid similar disasters in the future.