6 moves WWE banned after Superstars were legitimately injured

#3 Diving Headbutt

Wrestlers: Remember this the next time you think about doing a diving headbutt from the top rope. (Source - @DarkSideOfRing on Chris Benoit: https://t.co/XtRh9Yqpji) pic.twitter.com/IFPgBqwgYj

— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) March 25, 2020

Concussions have always been the bane for WWE Superstars who look to extend their careers as long as possible.

One move that was considered the reason behind a lot of concussions was the Diving Headbutt. A Superstar would climb up to the top rope and drop down headfirst onto their opponent to use their skull to create an impact. However, it seemed like the deliverer of the move took more damage as compared to the recipient as their head took the impact of the move.

The move gave several WWE Superstars concussions

Furthest thing from a 🎯 by @LarsSWWE...Can @KillianDain take advantage?! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/QdpLLKIS4m

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 19, 2018

WWE Superstars such as Chris Benoit and Daniel Bryan used the move before concussions started to get the better of them.

Richard Berzer wrote in 'A Fool for Old School...Wrestling, That is', (page 68) regarding the damage Benoit took while performing the move:

"Performing this maneuver for the length of his 22-year career, the resulting concussions appear to have been the primary cause of Benoit's descent into madness, murder and suicide."

On the other hand, David Shoemaker had the following to say about how much damage the diving headbutt did to Benoit's brain:

His brain was destroyed by years of diving headbutts that probably concussed him a little every time and of being hit in the head with steel chairs—Benoit was notoriously one of the only guys who would take shots to the back of his head, which is demonstrably more dangerous to your brain.

Bryan’s concussions and neck problems prematurely ended his WWE career before he was able to make a miraculous comeback to the ring, however, the diving headbutt maneuver once again threatened to end his career.

Lars Sullivan was the latest Superstar who used the move regularly before WWE decided to ban the move in the interest of the safety of its Superstars. After noting that Sullivan did not use the move on Rey Mysterio after attacking him, Dave Meltzer from Wrestling Observer Radio had the following to say:

"The key here is that he did not do the diving headbutt. So maybe after a week of people saying the guy's too big he’s gonna end up hurt [they pulled it].”

We’ve seen the move taken off television for some time now, and it is safe to say that WWE made the right decision by shelving the move in the interest of their employees’ safety.