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The WWE has embraced a more PG approach to their programming in recent years. Being a publicly traded company, they felt pressure to tone down their over-the-top product, and make the in-ring action less violent. This led to many moves being banned, for example, Piledrivers.
However, some moves can look safe, but if they are not performed properly they can have devastating consequences. The Styles Clash is one of the most dangerous moves in wrestling, if it is not performed correctly. It requires the person taking the move to refrain from tucking their chin. This is hard because you are taught to always tuck your chin while taking a move to avoid your heading bouncing off the mat. Former WWE wrestler Yoshi Tatsu broke his neck because he didn't take the move correctly. So, just because a move looks harmless, it doesn't mean it is without it's risks.
Here are 4 of the most devastating moves in Professional Wrestling.
#4 Diving Headbutt
The Diving Headbutt is an interesting move, because it causes more harm to the person performing the move than the person on the receiving end. Why would you want to jump in the air and land on your head? Could you not just do a body splash or a elbow drop instead?
All jokes aside, this move can cause serious damage to the person performing it. The most famous example of this being Chris Benoit. Benoit was known for performing the Diving Headbutt, and suffered multiple concussions during his career. Daniel Bryan also performed the move and he missed out on two years of his career through head injuries.
It is a really dangerous move, and maybe it doesn't need to be used anymore.
#3 The Muscle Buster
The Muscle Buster legitimately looks like it could cripple you. Samoa Joe folds his opponents over his shoulder and drives them into the mat. The move is relatively safe, but can be devastating if the person taking the move lands incorrectly. Tyson Kidd suffered a career ending injury from taking the Muscle Buster incorrectly, but admitted to not knowing how to take the move properly, because he didn't get the chance to speak to Joe before their match. Joe has used the move for years, and Kidd is the only wrestler to be seriously injured.
Samoa Joe has said in the past that he got the idea for the move from the Japanese anime Kinnikuman (Ultimate Muscle in the US and the rest of the world). The Muscle Buster is similar to a move that a character in the show uses.
#2 Piledriver (All variations)
There are many variations on the Piledriver. The most famous being the Tombstone Piledriver, which was used by The Undertaker for years. The Tombstone is probably the safest variation of the Piledriver, because most of the impact is on the knees of the person performing the move.
Owen Hart famously broke "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's neck with a Piledriver at SummerSlam 1997. The original plan was for Owen to hit a Tombstone Piledriver, but decided to hit The Hart Driver instead. Austin wasn't positioned properly and landed on the top of his head.
WWE banned the Piledriver in 2000 due to the dangers of it being botched. Wrestlers can only use the move with special permission. CM Punk reportedly defied this rule when he performed a Piledriver on John Cena, during a match on Raw in 2013.
The move is used a lot outside the WWE, and wrestlers take every precaution to perform the move safely.
#1 Burning Hammer
The Burning Hammer is the most devastating move in Professional Wrestling. It is terrifying! You are locked in a helpless position and unceremoniously dropped onto the top of your head with no way to protect yourself. If you tuck your chin you land on your neck and compress your spine; if you look upwards you land directly on your head and break your neck. You are completely at the mercy of the person performing it.
Kenta Kobashi immortalized the move and only used it 7 times during his legendary career. It was used as a last resort to beat opponents, and the move was never kicked out of.
Brian Kendrick used the move against Kota Ibushi during the WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament, much to the surprise of the fans. However, the move was much safer, and Kota kicked out of it.
