10 Wrestlers Banned From Using THEIR OWN Moves

7. The Undertaker And Kane

Nakamura Samoa Joe Muscle Buster
WWE

In a strange development, WWE implemented a blanket ban on the piledriver.

Citing safety concerns, shortly following the public listing of the company amid mounting pressure from the Parents Television Council, WWE did away with a move in 2000 that, like virtually any other, is entirely safe when executed correctly. Astonishingly, it took a full decade thereafter for WWE to ban unprotected chair shots to the head. Brain-scrambling weapon shots impossible to gimmick were fine, but a risky move done safely in the hands of professionals was not.

This directive was brought to you by the same company that said "A shallow cut opened up by a blade is bad, but Brock Lesnar is allowed to risk concussing people (which actually happened) because we can pretend he went into business for himself".

It's almost as though the better the worker was, the more likely they were to get punished.

That can't be true, actually, since Kane was affected by the edict: yes, for a very brief time, both Kane and the Undertaker were banned from using the Tombstone, replacing it with the Chokeslam and Last Ride respectively, before WWE softened their stance.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!