Ex-WWE Star: "Nobody Was Allowed To Chop But Shawn Michaels"
That weird time when WWE banned chops for everyone but HBK (for one month).
Former WWE wrestler Colin Delaney has revealed that management passed down an edict in 2008 that said nobody was allowed to use chops during their matches other than Shawn Michaels. This, presumably, was after Ric Flair had "retired" from the ring at WrestleMania XXIV.
Delaney told Wrestling Inc that he and other ECW hopefuls on the old third brand were banned from using knife edge strikes. This was something WWE made crystal clear to the roster several times - chops belonged to HBK, and anybody found using them during bouts would be punished.
Vince McMahon's brand new rule lasted approximately one month before it was abolished.
Delaney, who was still making sure to follow the edict, said he started to notice more chops in matches when he watched backstage. Apparently, either McMahon had forgotten about Shawn's exclusive ownership of the spot, or abandoned it without telling the ECW minions.
Baffled, Colin again spotted more chops than ever when he eventually left WWE later that year. He's since returned to the promotion in 2017 and 2018 for several cameo appearances. It might be worth checking out those 205 Live showings to see if he landed some chops.
Weird.