Some fans have been known to call WWE the ‘fun police’, mainly because they feel they take away certain aspects of professional wrestling that we know and love. Of course, they don’t do it without reason, and more often than not fans end up looking back on these kinds of decisions and thinking, “they were probably right about that”.
Of course, not everyone is going to feel this way, and the five entries on this list certainly made the headlines when they were gradually phased out of the weekly product. Some of them are specific moves, while others are physical ‘things’ that have caused many issues for WWE over the years.
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Every now and again people will do them in order to improve the overall quality of a match, knowing full well that the first thing Vince McMahon will do once they’ve walked back through gorilla position is scream at them and fine them.
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Still, it’s worth it more often than not and seeing it every so often as opposed to all the time does admittedly make things feel a little bit more special.
With that being said, here are five things that are banned in WWE and the reason behind them.
#1 Dangerous moves
A few years back a number of moves were banned in order to follow in line with WWE wanting to reduce head injuries, with Austin’s neck problems courtesy of Owen Hart being a key example of past mistakes. In terms of the actual moves that suffered, there’s quite a few that were caught in the firing line.
This includes the piledriver, the punt, and even the curb stomp. All three have fallen victim to the curse that is Vince McMahon’s trigger finger, and all three moves deserve better. However, it’s strange when you see Sheamus doing a variation of the punt kick that resulted in a broken tooth for Jeff Hardy while Orton is barred from doing so. Sheamus’ style calls for hard-hitting kicks and strikes however unsafe it may look.
Of course, the reasons behind them include Vince not wanting children at home to replicate them, which makes sense, but as long as they’re delivered properly on television then there should be no issue.
#2 Statements and phrases
One of the major factors behind making a match feel special is the commentary. Whether it’s Michael Cole or Byron Saxton, every man behind the desk needs to make what we’re watching feel extra special.
Why? Because that’s one of the things that makes pro wrestling feel more like an actual sporting event.
So then, why are the following words banned from the everyday broadcasts: “belt”, “house show”, “talent”, “feud”, “pro wrestler” and many more. It makes something of a mockery of this art form that we all know and love, but apparently, it’s done in order for Vince McMahon to try and protect the sanctity of the business.
#3 Continue the match
Back in the day, superstars who were injured during a match had one goal from that point onwards – finish the bout. No matter how bad the injury maybe, they felt that it was their duty to carry on until the very end, but over the last few years that mentality has subsided, and that may be putting it lightly.
Referees are required to throw the match out if a real injury has been detected, in addition to preventing the injured superstar from being attacked by their opponent.
In recent times, the likes of Daniel Bryan have suffered from this, with a bout against Randy Orton being called off after he seemed to suffer an injury to his neck.
#4 Head chair shots
Chair shots to the head are intended to cause a great deal of damage; at least, in a storyline. Alas, it wasn’t just on screen that they were affecting the superstars, with Chris Benoit being one of the main victims of the repeated shots to the head. Upon his death, coroners estimated that he had the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient.
Which, as you can expect, lead to Vince McMahon banning all forms of head shots in order to help the wrestlers and take some heat off of the company.
This rule has been broken a couple times over the last few years, with a notable incident being when Triple H struck The Undertaker with an exposed head shot at WrestleMania 27.
#5 Blood
For the most part, blood in professional wrestling comes from one of two things – blood capsules or blading. Both of these things, mainly the latter, are extremely dangerous and can be considered hazardous if either done wrong or done too often.
But that’s not why they were banned. WWE moved into the PG Era and needed to clean up the product more so than they have before. One of the ways they intended to do so was banning the superstars from blading, and despite its effectiveness in terms of sponsors, many wrestlers have still bled the hard way since the TV rating changed to PG.
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