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Any wrestling fan understands that the WWE tries to present a tamer representation of professional wrestling, both story wise and in-ring. Many performers who join the company are usually tweaked, for better or worse, to better fit the WWE style.
Working in a PG environment, wrestlers must adhere to the guidelines given to them by the WWE, even if it means crippling their move set. Recently, we've seen Hideo Itami, the inventor of the GTS, forced to adopt a new move after fracturing the nose and orbital bone of Brian Kendrick last year. Prior to that, Seth Rollins had his Curb Stomp taken away for a few years but was allowed to use the move again in late 2017.
The WWE attempts to keep the most dangerous maneuvers away from the screen in an attempt to prevent their younger fans from trying to imitate their heroes. So it wouldn't be surprising if some of the best talents outside of the company had to adjust their in-ring style a bit if they joined the WWE.
#1 Fear Factor (Package Piledriver) - Pentagon Jr
Prior to his WWE run, Kevin Owen's original finisher was the Package Piledriver. It was deadly, looked dangerous, and was rarely kicked out of. However, once he arrived in NXT, KO was quickly given a new move, dropping his first opponent, CJ Parker, with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. While the move is now iconic for the Prize Fighter, his old finish definitely seemed more devastating.
Pentagon Jr. has since made the move his own, dubbing it the Fear Factor. Pentagon has put away many a foe with the maneuver. The multi-time world champion has cemented his legacy already, thanks in part to the Package Piledriver.
It was rumored throughout the summer that both Pentagon and his brother Fenix would be heading to the WWE in 2019. While the Lucha Bros would end up revealing this to be false, fans imagined what the careers of Fenix and Pentagon would look like once they made the jump. And it's easy to see that, first off, Pentagon Jr. would be given a new finisher.
WWE has an almost hard and fast rule when it comes to piledrivers; don't do them. Aside from The Undertaker and Kane, rarely anybody on the current roster has ever pulled off the move in a WWE ring. The piledriver is just too dangerous, injuring multiple wrestlers throughout the decades, including Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Nobody that comes into the WWE will ever use the piledriver again, and it can be assumed that once the Brothers of Destruction have left the WWE, we may never see any variation of the move in the company ever again.
#2 The Gringo Killer (Vertebreaker) - Homicide
The Vertebreaker is one of the best looking finishers in professional wrestling. Innovated by Megumi Kudo, and made popular by Shane Helms in WCW, the Vertebreaker is done when a wrestler, standing in front of a bent over an opponent, hooks their arms together, before turning their opponent over on their back.
The wrestler then drops to a sitting position, landing their opponent neck first on the canvas.
As great as this finisher is, it's too dangerous for the WWE to allow nowadays. At one point, Shane Helms, as the Hurricane, occasionally broke it out. However, it's rarely been seen since.
At one point, Seth Rollins hit AJ Styles with it at a house show. It was done during a time where Rollins wasn't allowed to use the Curb Stomp and was still working on finding another finisher. While some speculated he might adopt the Vertebreaker, he would ultimately use the Pedigree for a while before, thankfully, reverting back to the Curb Stomp.
#3 Dragon Driver (Phoenix-Plex) - Dragon Lee
The Phoenix-Plex was actually created by Kota Ibushi but was probably more recognized as the finisher of Samuray Del Sol, AKA WWE's Kalisto.
A wrestler would pick his opponent up in powerbomb position before tucking their opponent's head into their shoulder, falling backward into a bridging position. Clearly, the WWE has an issue with the maneuver, as Kalisto would adopt the Asai DDT since joining the company.
The WWE may have made the correct decision in keeping the Phoenix-Plex away from their performers, as Hiromu Takahashi was injured by Dragon Lee thanks to a botched Dragon Driver.
Takahashi's injury sparked a conversation amongst wrestlers and fans alike, questioning whether the style in NJPW needed to be toned down. With that, it's doubtful the move that began that discussion would be allowed inside a WWE ring.
#4 Weapon X - Brian Cage
One of Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground's best stars, Brian Cage has quite a unique move set considering his size. The Swolverine has no right to pull off some of the offense he does, but Cage has found himself to be one of the most innovative performers in the world of pro wrestling at the moment.
With his size, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he was signed to the WWE at some point in his career. That being said, he'd have to leave behind one of his most unique moves.
Weapon X is, essentially, an STO done from a Gorey Special position. It's one of the most protected moves in modern wrestling, and for good reason. Driving his opponent face first with all of his force, it's no wonder that it's caught the wrestling world by storm.
Sadly, it's probably a little bit too much for the WWE to handle. The company strives itself on trying to keep its competitors safe, and while Cage hasn't injured anyone with the move yet, it's easy to assume that the company would have a hard time greenlighting it.
#5 Meltzer Driver - The Young Bucks
The Bucks are considered one of the greatest tag teams of this generation, pulling out all kinds of unique offensive maneuvers. From Early-Onset Alzheimer's (Stereo Superkicks) to the More Bang for Your Buck, the former IWGP Tag Team Champions have innovated quite a few spots in professional wrestling today. With all the rumors regarding the Young Bucks and the rest of the Elite, it wouldn't exactly be shocking to see Matt and Nick Jackson appear on WWE programming in the near future.
Should the Young Bucks find themselves working in NXT or on Raw/SmackDown, we're sure to see most of their repertoire follow them...except for one move.
The iconic finish of the Young Bucks, the Meltzer Driver, will never see the light of day in the WWE. Should the Bucks make the jump, they'll be forced to tone down their speed and innovation, and will no doubt be told to completely abandon the Meltzer Driver.
The WWE already has a firm rule regarding the most basic of piledrivers, only allowing their must trusted superstars to bring it out. While Kane and The Undertaker are allowed to use the Tombstone Piledriver, we've rarely seen any other version of the move appear. In recent memory, only CM Punk and John Cena broke a few out in rare cases.
Knowing their stance on the move, they would never allow the added danger of another superstar assisting the move after springboarding off the ropes.
