10 Ways Stone Cold Steve Austin Changed WWE FOREVER
3. Piledrivers
SummerSlam 1997 is unfortunately best remembered for the wrong reason - a piledriver from Owen Hart that left Stone Cold temporarily paralysed, and with a permanently damaged neck.
The piledriver, a true wrestling staple, would go on to be banned by the WWE in 2000 due to the sheer level of risk involved. Stephanie McMahon confirmed that only The Undertaker and Kane had dispensation to perform a variation of the move, and with the Brothers of Destruction reaching the end of their careers, it could be as good as gone as far as the move is concerned. Apart the from Canadian Desrtroyer, which inexplicably is simultaneously permitted.
While the piledriver wasn’t banned in the immediate aftermath of the Hart/Austin match, Stone Cold’s is by far the most famous injury caused by the move, and certainly led to its ban in the WWE.
It’s a true old school move and one that can of course be carried out without issue when done properly, but given the possibility for a disastrous botch - Austin isn’t the only wrestler to suffer this fate - perhaps it’s best left in the past.