10 Wrestling Moves That Hurt The Wrestler Performing Them

Professional wrestling features some of the most dangerous moves in all of sport. Wrestling stars often suffer devastating injuries at the hands of simple moves like a hiptoss or a kick. Bodies are always on the line for both the person receiving a wrestling move and the person performing the wrestling move.

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Wrestling requires a high level of technique. It doesn't matter how "scripted" WWE or other companies are, the talent put their bodies on the line for virtually every move performed. Some moves even hurt the person performing them for the sake of entertainment. This list will examine 10 wrestling moves that hurt the performer more than the person receiving the move.

10 Missile Dropkick

A missile dropkick is a move commonly performed by smaller men to put bigger wrestlers on the mat. The move requires a wrestler to jump in the air and kick their opponent with both of their feet firing at them like a missile.

Although the move appears to be devastating to the opponent, the person who suffers the most from this move is the person landing on their back, aka the person kicking. It's a bump that many veteran wrestlers say causes long-term harm to the backs of the person kicking. The person receiving the kick is usually only grazed unless the move is botched.

9 Diving Headbutt

The Diving Headbutt is one of the most dangerous moves in wrestling. The person who receives the headbutt off the top rope is usually barely touched by the move. The person delivering the headbutt, on the other hand, can suffer devastating long-term injury.

Harley Race made the move famous and told wrestlers not to do the move thanks to the brain and neck damage it causes. Chris Benoit performed the move and some have speculated it contributed to his brain damage. Daniel Bryan performed the move and has had a long history of issues with concussions. It's a move so harmful to the person performing it that it should be outlawed.

8 Suicide Dive

The suicide dive is basically a Spear performed through the ropes to the outside of the ring. It's a move that gets the crowd hyped, but often requires a ton of selling on the part of the person performing it since it's not a move that logically makes sense.

There's no chance an opponent can't avoid a suicide dive if they are conscious. The move also harms the diver since they leave the ring at full speed and rarely have their opponent break their dive. CM Punk recently tore his bicep performing the move and wrestlers often suffer minor injuries performing the dive.

7 Frog Splash

The Frog Splash is one of the most exciting moves in wrestling despite its simplicity. The move was made famous by Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam who are two of the most beloved wrestlers to ever compete in the world of wrestling.

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Although the move seems devastating to an opponent since it requires a wrestler to take flight and land on their opponent, it's actually a fairly low-touch move for the opponent. The person flying off the top rope lands on their elbows and knees providing little impact to the person on the floor. Eddie Guerrero famously dislocated his elbow performing this move.

6 Leg Drop

The Leg Drop is one of the finishing moves responsible for the rise of finishers in the world of wrestling. Hulk Hogan made the move famous and has defeated every legend of his era performing the Leg Drop. Hogan has also said the move has caused him a ton of harm in his hip and back.

Matt Hardy also used the move, mostly off the top rope, and he has also said that the leg drop has caused his major hip and back issues. It's a move that is much more devastating to the person performing the move.

5 Single Knee Facebreaker (Codebreaker)

Chris Jericho has had many different finishing moves. He began using the Codebreaker during his 2007 return to WWE. The move is a Double Knee Facebreaker that appears to have a devastating effect on his opponent's face. In actuality, the move mostly features Jericho falling to his back. The move hardly touches his opponent, but it does force Jericho to fall to the mat hard, which is the most damage either wrestler receives from the move.

4 Headlock Bulldog

The Headlock Bulldog is a classic wrestling move that appears to show a wrestler slamming their opponent's face on the mat. Although the move appears to be devastating, the person receiving the Headlock Bulldog breaks their fall with their hands. The person running lands on their butt. It causes a bump to the spine and tailbone, while the person receiving the move takes the bump on their hands.

3 Swanton Bomb

Jeff Hardy made the Swanton Bomb famous as he used his variation of the move to help him win World championships across multiple wrestling companies. Hardy has said that the move has had devastating effects on his health.

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The person delivering the Swanton takes the brute of the move on their lower back. The person receiving the move is hardly touched. Hardy has claimed decades of doing the move have caused his major issues with his lower back.

2 The People's Elbow

The People's Elbow is both one of the most entertaining and least believable finishers in all of wrestling. The Rock made the move famous in the Attitude Era, where he used The People's Elbow to win many World titles. Although the move is clearly low impact to the opponent, the majority of the elbow fall requires The Rock to land hard on his back shoulder. It causes The Rock much more damage than it could ever inflict on an opponent.

1 Sister Abigail

Bray Wyatt's version of Sister Abigail perfectly fits his wrestling persona. Sister Abigail requires Wyatt to flip his opponent on their head. Although the move looks devastating, it actually causes more harm to Wyatt than his opponent. When executed to perfection, the move doesn't require the person receiving the move to take more than a slight bump on their hand or elbow. Bray, on the other hand, essentially slams himself on the mat at full force to sell the move.