The Back Suplex appears to be a very basic move: you tuck your head under your opponents armpit, grab their legs, lift them up, and fall backwards. Simple, right? Of course, leave it to the Japanese puroresu stars to take such a simple technique and make it insane. The Backdrop Driver is basically a High-Angle Belly-to-Back Suplex, in where the recipient of the move lands on the upper shoulders, neck, or head. It was a popular maneuver in Japan throughout the 1990s, and was most commonly associated with Dr. Death Steve Williams. This move can be extremely dangerous because it can cause serious damage to the recipients spine. If they land incorrectly, it can cause a broken neck, or at the very least compression of the vertebrae. In fact, it is this particular move that caused the death of Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOlMz5eNqY8 We see WWE Superstars perform Back Suplexes all the time; theyre one of the most basic moves in a wrestlers repertoire. But in those variations, the victims land on their shoulders or back, in the safer position. So it makes sense for the Backdrop Driver to stay banned; the WWE doesnt want one of their best stars to suffer a fate similar fate to that of Mitsuharu Misawa.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
