WWE: Eight brutal moves that have been banned over the years

WWE may be a physical sport, and there’s no denying that performers put their bodies on the line for our entertainment.

While injuries do come with the territory, WWE does try and protect its performers as much as possible, especially now that we know more about head and neck injuries.

As such, higher-ups have banned several moves over the years, particularly those that regularly lead to serious injuries, and you can check out eight of the most famous examples below.

The Punt Kick was once Randy Orton’s brutal finishing move, but the former WWE Champion was told to stop doing it back in 2012.

The decision was made due to the increase in concussion awareness, which definitely made a lot of sense.

Randy Orton was never actually kicking his opponents in the head, but WWE made the decision to ban the move due to the fact that it promoted the act to its fans.

Seth Rollins may use the Curb Stomp now, but for a period of around three years, WWE banned him have it as part of his arsenal.

The move, which Rollins used until 2015, saw him stamp on the back of his opponent, driving their head into the mat.

However, as Rollins has confirmed in interviews since, Vince McMahon told him to stop doing the move over fears that it would be very dangerous should children try and imitate it.

During the time when he wasn’t able to use the move, Rollins used both the Pedigree and the Ripcord Knee, but was granted permission to use the Stomp again in 2018.

There’s no denying that The Vertebreaker, which was made famous by Shane ‘The Hurricane’ Helms, is one of the most brutal-looking moves in WWE history.

Goliath.com explained that the “move requires perfect timing to prevent injury”, due to the fact that the person delivering the move can’t