WWE Superstars Banned From Using Armbar Due To Ronda Rousey’s Presence

WWE likes to make their top Superstars’ moves feel special. There are enough moves to go around in 2023 after pro wrestling expanded beyond leg drops and body slams as finishing moves. That being said, sometimes a star’s presence on the roster can cause a sweeping ban for that move.

Ronda Rousey’s armbar was treated like it was lethal during her first run in WWE. That being said, other Superstars were suddenly not allowed to use it.

During a recent episode of his Oh You Didn’t Know podcast, Road Dogg addressed reports that certain Superstars aren’t allowed to perform certain moves in the ring. He specifically mentioned reports that Asuka was told not to use her armbar after Ronda Rousey joined WWE.

Ronda Rousey made her in-ring debut for WWE at WrestleMania 34 in 2018. In that match, Rousey ended Asuka’s ridiculous undefeated streak. Rumors circulated that the armbar was removed from Asuka’s repertoire due to Rousey’s presence on the roster.

Road Dogg confirmed the rumors, noting that it’s not uncommon for wrestlers to be asked to stop doing certain moves. He pointed out that many stars stopped doing German suplexes after Brock Lesnar popularized the move. The fact that they were selling a ton of Suplex City t-shirts also caused WWE to make that call.

“I do remember about Ronda coming in and people stopping or having to stop using similar armbars. Look, a lot of people do that; you know what I mean? A lot of people come in and have stuff, and you go, ‘Yeah, we’re not going to do that anymore. Don’t do those.’ Look, a lot of German suplexes, when Brock was coming around and taking everybody to Suplex City, and that shirt was selling like wildfire, you didn’t notice too many other people doing German suplexes, didn’t you? But nobody said a word about that.”

We will have to see which moves might get nixed in the future. WWE can always pump up one Superstar’s basic move and cause a sweeping mandate to nix that move from everyone’s move set. With Vince McMahon back in control of WWE, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next.

What’s your take on Ronda Rousey causing WWE to nix armbars? Should some moves be perfected? Sound off in the comments!