The reason that the Styles Clash is dangerous is because so many of the bumps wrestlers take are dependent on them tucking their heads - but what happens when they're supposed to tuck, and it just doesn't work? The Alabama Slam - popularized in WWE by Hardcore Holly - is one such maneuver. The performer puts his head between the victim's legs, lifts him upside down on his shoulders, and slams him back-first to the mat. The problem is that so much momentum is generated by the 270 degree rotation that even if a wrestler tucks his head properly, he's at risk of having his neck snap back. After that, the back of his head is sure to collide with the canvas, putting the recipient in a position where head trauma and concussion become likely. Very, very dangerous move, one that must be performed almost at half-speed to be done safely.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
