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Top AEW Wrestler Questions WWE Banning a Move Used by Legends Like Bret Hart in the Past: “It’s a Fine Move”

Published 02/27/2022, 2:30 PM EST

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Pro-Wrestling is a source of entertainment for fans, but it is also an equally risky sport for the performers. The wrestlers put their bodies on the line for years to make their fans happy. WWE stars like Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin are some names who retired early because of the wrong execution of the moves.

Wrestling moves like Piledriver, Punt Kick, Vertebrate Piledriver, etc are either banned or are used very rarely in WWE and other companies. To protect the superstars, the WWE since the late 2010s has put safety protocols in place.

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Recently, current AEW star Matt Hardy on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy episode opened up about the banned wrestling moves. He talked about The Piledriver, which has been banned in WWE for years and is used very little in other companies.

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He said, “Being banned isn’t gonna like change a ton of injuries. Obviously, you’re not gonna get anybody being hurt from a Piledriver because you can’t do the Piledrivers.”

Matt added, “But do I think it’s a good thing it’s banned? Not necessarily. I think if you have someone who knows what they’re doing and they’re strong, I think it’s a fine move.”

The SummerSlam match of Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Owen Hart paralyzed Austin during the match because of the wrong execution of the move. That match in 1997 caused serious neck problems for the Texas Rattlesnake in the future, which meant he had to take early retirement from wrestling.

As of now, they use the Piledriver in some companies under proper coordination between wrestlers. In WWE, The Undertaker and Kane used the unique version of this move, Tombstone Piledriver until their retirement.

WWE legend Matt Hardy talks about receiving the Piledriver

WWE started using the Piledriver occasionally by the year 2000. They almost banned it in the company after Austin had major effects from it. Only certain wrestlers could use the move. Matt Hardy recalled receiving a Piledriver in his match against Edge and Christian at No Way Out. 

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He said, “We were all at that point where we wouldn’t have pushed the rules if we were told not to do something. I don’t think any of us were that kind of rebel at that point.”

Matt added, “But I was surprised even when I saw the piledriver because I know later on a couple of years later, after that, it ends up being banned permanently.”

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We associate the Piledriver move with many great wrestlers. For a generation of fans, the move is a part of their wrestling history. What do you think about the move being banned? Can they use it again under proper guidance? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Tushar Deogharkar

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Tushar Deogharkar is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. Tushar has done his Master's in Tourism Management and is an ardent fan of pro wrestling. He follows WWE and AEW very closely and wants to learn how the promotions are run.
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