Aided piledriver Any
double-team move in which one wrestler helps another to perform a piledriver on an opponent by pushing down on the opponent's legs for more impact. In a variation of the move, the second wrestler jumps off the turnbuckle while pushing the opponent's feet downward for even more damage; this is well known as a
spike piledriver (not to be confused with a one-man
spike piledriver).
Argentine piledriver The move is executed from an
Argentine backbreaker rack (face up, with the neck and one leg cradled) position. The wrestler pushes the opponent forward while holding the opponent's leg with one arm, and the head with the other arm, and then sits down, driving the opponent head first down to the floor.
Super Dragon used this move throughout his career, calling it the
Psycho Driver. He also has a cutthroat version (draping one of the opponent's arm across their neck, similarly to the setup of a
Cobra Clutch) called
Psycho Driver III.
Backflip piledriver The user approaches an opponent from behind and grasps his torso with his legs, similar to a bodyscissors. The user then shifts their weight to suddenly roll backward until they are prone, pulling the opponent behind them so that their neck hits the ground in a fluid motion. An aerial version of this technique was innovated by
Manami Toyota as the
Victory Star Drop. Due to the high danger of this movement, it is not very common to see.
Back-to-belly piledriver performs the back-to belly piledriver The wrestler bends forward or crouches in front of their opponent, grabs hold of the opponent around the legs and stands up, lifting the opponent upside down facing the wrestler's back. The wrestler then either sits down or drops onto their knees, driving the opponent's head down to the mat. It was invented by
Takao Omori as the
Axe Guillotine Driver.
Hangman Page would executed the move in a kneeling position called the
Rite of Passage/
Dead Eye, while
Genki Horiguchi and later
Orange Cassidy use a sitout variation called the
Beach Break. performs
Crunchie. A variation on this, sometimes known as the sunset driver, sees the attacking wrestler hook the opponent's legs underneath their arms while holding the opponent up in the back to belly position. From here, the wrestler drops to their knees, driving the opponent's head into the mat. This move will often see the attacking wrestler hold the move after landing for a
rana style pinfall attempt.
Trent Beretta calls it the
Crunchie.
Over-the-shoulder back-to-belly piledriver performs
Schwein This move begins with the wrestler facing the opponent. From there, the wrestler will pick up the opponent and place them over their shoulder so that the opponent's head is dangling over the wrestler's back by the waist of the wrestler. The wrestler then holds the opponent in place by holding their leg with one arm and applies a headlock to the opponent with their other arm, bending the opponent across the attacker's back. The wrestler then drops to a seated position, driving the head and upper back of the opponent into the ground. This move was innovated by
Mariko Yoshida, who named the move the
Air Raid Crash, and was popularized by
Fit Finlay, who dubbed it the
Celtic Cross,
Cima, who uses it as the
Schwein,
Nova, who called it
Kryptonite Krunch, Sheamus who dubs the move
White Noise,
Tommaso Ciampa uses the move calling it
Air Raid Crash, and
Taichi as
Black Mephisto. A common variation was popularized by
Hiromu Takahashi, where he puts his opponents into a Fireman's Carry, before Swinging his opponents into the over-the-shoulder back-to-belly Piledriver, calling it the
Time Bomb. Another variation of the move called the
Air Raid Crash Neckbreaker or
Reverse Neckbreaker has the wrestler performing the move drop the opponent's head on their knee rather than the ground. Frequently used by
Kazuchika Okada,
Colt Cabana and
Toni Storm.
Pumphandle back-to-belly piledriver The user of this move first starts by putting the opponent into a
pumphandle position, then lifting them into the air perpendicular to the ground and upside down, rotating them so that their back is against the chest. The user then proceeds to fall to a seated position, while dropping the opponent onto their head, neck, and/or shoulders. This move was popularized by
Super Dragon, who called it
Psycho Driver II.
Belly-to-back piledriver Also known as a Texas, Sit-out, or traditional piledriver, this is the classic and original piledriver technique. From a position in which the opponent is bent forward and the opponent's head is tucked between the attackers thighs in a
standing headscissors, the wrestler grabs around the opponent's midsection and lifts so that the opponent is held upside down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, the wrestler then drops to a sitting position with the opponent's head falling between the wrestler's thighs down to the mat. A Flowing or Snap version of this move exists which sees the wrestler perform this in one quick motion all at once for greater impact.
Toni Storm uses this version as a finisher called
Storm Zero.
Kneeling belly-to-back piledriver A variation of the piledriver where instead of dropping to a sitting position as in the basic belly-to-back piledriver, the wrestler drops to a kneeling position. It is often referred to as an Inverted Tombstone.
Cradle piledriver performs the cradle piledriver The cradle piledriver is a variation of standard piledrivers which sees the attacking wrestler grapevine the opponents leg with their arm. The most common of which is similar to a Texas piledriver. This move sees the attacking wrestler, from a position in which the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, reach around the opponent's midsection and lifting them so that they are held upside down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, the wrestler then hooks their arms around one leg of the opponent before dropping to a sitting or kneeling position with the opponent's head falling between the wrestler's thighs down to the mat. It was invented by
Karl Gotch, known as the
Gotch-Style Piledriver and is commonly used by
NJPW wrestler
Minoru Suzuki (Gotch's protege). It was once used by
Jerry Lynn, and
Deonna Purrazzo also uses this move, known as the ''Queen's Gambit''. This variant can be used on other types of piledrivers, including the cradle
tombstone piledriver variation: instead of wrapping both of their arms around the opponent's waist, the wrestler wraps one arm around the waist and places their other arm between the opponent's legs, grabbing hold of their other arm. The wrestler then drops down on their knees, driving the opponent down to the mat head-first. This Variation is used by
Hiroyoshi Tenzan as the
Original TTD (Original Tenzan Tombstone Driver) and he also uses a Sitout Variation called the
TTD (Tenzan Tombstone Driver).
Kenny Omega also used the move as Signature Maneuver.
Cross-arm piledriver From a position in which the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection, the attacking wrestler crosses the arms of the opponent between their legs (a double
pumphandle) before then lifting the opponent up into a vertical position and driving them down between the attacking wrestler's legs. It is used by
SHO as the
Shock Arrow. Double-underhook piledriver Also known as butterfly piledriver and the ''Tiger Driver '98''. In this piledriver, a wrestler will bend their opponent forward, placing the opponent's head between the wrestler's legs, and
hooks each of the opponent's arms behind the opponent's back. They then pull back on the opponent's arms lifting them up so that the opponent is held upside down facing in the same direction as the wrestler, the wrestler then drops to a sitting or kneeling position dropping the opponent's head into the mat. The namesake of the move is a tribute to
Mitsuharu Misawa, as it's a hybrid of a Tiger Driver and the Tiger Driver '91 (Misawa's innovated and seldom used big match finisher; a double underhook into a kneeling-release neck-first powerbomb). The Tiger Driver '98 was used by ROH legend
Jay Briscoe as the
Jay-Driller, and is used by former TNA wrestler
Josh Alexander as the
C4 Spike; and current TNA wrestlers such as
Eddie Edwards as one of his signature moves, while
Sami Callihan uses this move as the
Cactus Driver 97 as a tribute to
Mick Foley's "Cactus Jack" persona. AEW commentator
Excalibur previously used this in his wrestling career. In a kneeling position, this move was innovated by
Jaguar Yokota.
Double-underhook back-to-back piledriver performing her
Kudo Driver (back-to-back double underhook piledriver) finisher on
Wesna Also known as the vertebreaker and the Kudo Driver, this move is executed from a position in which the opponent is standing behind the wrestler, the wrestler underhooks their arms under the opponent's arms. Then the wrestler twists their body around so that the wrestler is facing the ground and the opponent is standing with their back resting against the wrestler's back. Then the wrestler stands while the opponent is in an upside down position while both the opponent and the wrestler's arms are still hooked. The wrestler then drops to a sitting position. Another way to get the opponent into the position is to approach a standing opponent from behind, hook the opponent's arms, bend forward under the opponent, and then rise up, raising the opponent upside down. The move was invented by
Megumi Kudo, dubbing it the
Kudome Valentine, and is used by various wrestlers such as
Homicide,
Cheerleader Melissa,
Shane Helms,
Ryusuke Taguchi and
Cody Rhodes. This technique is extremely dangerous, possibly one of the most dangerous maneuvers in professional wrestling, as the opponent's arms are restrained and their head is not placed between the wrestler's legs, giving them little to post against. It was banned by
WWE in April 2003, except for in cases in which the wrestler received special permission to use the move.
Flip piledriver performing the
Canadian Destroyer on Brent B The move, made famous by
Petey Williams, also referred to as the
Canadian Destroyer,
Destroyer, or a sunset flip piledriver, begins in a position in which the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection. The wrestler then grabs around the opponent's midsection latching onto the opponent's back, with their head to one side of the opponent's hips or between their legs, keeping their legs around the opponent's head. From this position the wrestler pushes off the mat with their legs to flip the opponent over. As both wrestlers flip, the attacking wrestler uses their body weight to land in a seated position driving the opponent's head down to the mat between the wrestler's thighs.
Rey Mysterio occasionally uses the move,
Bad Bunny used this move during
WrestleMania 37 and at
Backlash (2023), which was coined by commentators as the
Boricua Destroyer. A
double underhook variation exists in which the arms of a bent over opponent are placed in a
butterfly prior to performing the flip. There is a diving variation from the second rope,
Adam Cole uses this move calling it the
Panama Sunrise. According to Petey Williams, the move was suggested to him in 2003 while travelling to an
IWA Mid-South show along with
Chris Sabin and
Truth Martini. Williams and Sabin originally planned to use the move in their match together but decided against it. The next month, Williams debuted the move in a match against
Matt Sydal. It was not until 2004, when he debuted for
TNA, when he learned that TNA star
Amazing Red had performed the move since the 1990s.
Jumping piledriver performs the spike piledriver Also known as a spike piledriver or stiff piledriver and is performed in the same way as a
basic piledriver, however the wrestler will jump in the air before dropping down to the sitting position for more impact. This move was used as the finisher of WWE Hall of Famer
Paul Orndorff.
Package piledriver executing his package piledriver finisher on
Tyson Dux A package piledriver is almost the same as a basic belly-to-back piledriver, but instead of grabbing the waist of the opponent, the wrestler puts their arms underneath the opponent's arms and grabs their legs by the knees. The wrestler then stands up, lifting the opponent until they are upside down, and drops to a sitting position with the opponent's head between their thighs. A version of this move also exist that can be performed without underhooking the arms of the opponent. There is also an inverted version of the move in which an attacking wrestler reaches between an opponent's legs with one arm and reaches around that opponent's back from the same side with their other arm before lifting their opponent upside down into a belly-to-belly position. The attacker then grabs the opponent's legs by the knees, jumps up, then drops to a sitting position with the opponent's head between their thighs.
Aja Kong innovated the move. This move was popularized by
Kevin Steen during his time on the independent circuit. It is used by
Chase Owens as
Package Driver. Another notable user is
Shane Taylor.
Pentagón Jr. uses the package piledriver as the
Fear Factor.
Pulling piledriver Also known as a stump piledriver and Cactus Driver (after Cactus Jack, one of
Mick Foley's alter egos), this is a variation of piledriver where, instead of wrapping their arms around the opponent's waist, a wrestler grabs onto the back of the waistband of an opponent's tights to lift them upside down before dropping into a sitting position. Mick Foley was famous for have used this move which he called the
Stump Puller.
Reverse piledriver Also known as a belly-to-belly piledriver, a wrestler faces an opponent and grabs the opponent's waist and turns them upside-down, holding them belly-to-belly against their torso. The wrestler then jumps up and drops down to a sitting position, driving the opponent's head down to the mat between the wrestler's thighs. This move was best remembered as being used by Owen Hart as a finisher. The wrestler may also place the opponent over their shoulder and fall to a seated position, driving the opponent's head to the mat between their thighs. This move is often known by the name
Fire Thunder, or
Fire Thunder Driver as named by
Mr. Gannosuke.
Bam Bam Bigelow and
Rikishi used this move as a signature move, calling it the
Greetings from Asbury Park and the
Rikishi Driver respectively.
WALTER/Gunther has used this move mainly on the
independent circuit. Former AEW wrestler
Rey Fénix also uses this move as a finisher calling it the
Fénix Driver/Fire Driver/Fire Thunder Driver which sees him sometimes transition into the move from a
reverse suplex lift or
fireman's carry.
Havok of
TNA uses this move which was later dubbed the
Sick Driver when portraying her Jessicka character.
Kneeling reverse piledriver performs the
Tombstone Piledriver (a.k.a. reverse kneeling piledriver) on
Ric Flair. The wrestler first stands facing an opponent and places their stronger arm between the opponent's legs and their weaker arm on the opponent's opposite shoulder. The wrestler then lifts the opponent onto their stronger shoulder, turning them upside-down, similar to a
scoop slam lift. The opponent is then lowered while being held so that the opponent's head is hanging between the standing wrestler's knees. The wrestler then falls or jumps to their knees, driving the opponent's head into the mat. The move was innovated by
Karl Gotch, but the move was first utilized by
Andre The Giant in the 1970s, before it was popularized by
The Undertaker and was later used by his (
kayfabe) brother
Kane. However, contrary to the popular belief, the name
tombstone predates Undertaker's debut and has been used since at least 1972. Other famous practitioners include
Dynamite Kid,
Satoru Sayama,
Don Muraco,
Matt Riddle (during his independent circuit wrestling), Owen Hart, and
Kazuchika Okada. An over the shoulder of the version of this move also exists and was used by The Undertaker early in his career.
Masakatsu Funaki uses a variation of the move, known as the
Hybrid Blaster, where he places one of the opponent's arms in a hammerlock before delivering the piledriver.
Kyle Fletcher also uses that hammerlock variant called
Grimstone.
Kris Statlander,
Kota Ibushi,
Konosuke Takeshita,
"Hangman" Adam Page,
Mariah May and
Xia Brookside also use a cradle variant.
Pumphandle reverse piledriver This variation sees an attacking wrestler first lock an opponent in the
pumphandle hold before then using the hold to raise the opponent up over the shoulder of the attacking wrestler. From here the attacking wrestler brings the opponent down into the belly-to-belly position before then sitting down for a
reverse piledriver with the opponent's head impacting the mat between the legs of the attacking wrestler.
CM Punk used this during the indies as the
Punk-Handle Piledriver.
Rope-assisted piledriver This version sees an attacking wrestler place the opponent on an elevated surface, usually the ropes/turnbuckle/ring apron, while the opponent is bent forward against the wrestler's midsection. The attacking wrestler next draws the opponent away from the elevated surface leaving the opponent's waist over the elevated surface (i.e. ring ropes), making them the only thing other than the wrestler keeping the opponent off the ground. The attacking wrestler then grabs the top rope while pushing off the mat with their legs simultaneously like a see-saw so that the opponent is forced to dive forward onto his/her head with extra force due to the height of which they were dropped. Innovated by Independent Wrestler, Rocky Rage, as The Ebola Driver in 2014. Popularized by
MJF as the
Heat Seeker.
Scoop side piledriver Facing the opponent, the wrestler reaches between the opponent's legs with their right arm and reaches around the opponent's neck from the same side with their left arm. They then lift the opponent up on their chest so that they are facing downwards. The wrestler then moves their left arm from around the opponent's neck to around the opponent's torso. They then turn the opponent so that they are upside down on one side of the wrestler. The wrestler then jumps up and falls down to a sitting position, driving the opponent down to the mat neck and shoulder first. The move was popularized by
Hayabusa, who called it
H Thunder, and by
Mitsuharu Misawa, who called it the
Emerald Flowsion.
Scoop slam piledriver Facing their opponent, the wrestler reaches between the opponent's legs with their right arm and reaches around the opponent's neck from the same side with their left arm. They then lift the opponent up and turn them around so that they are held upside down, as in a
scoop slam. The wrestler then drops down to their knees, driving the opponent down to the mat neck and shoulder first. There is also
a seated version of this move. It was innovated by
Taka Michinoku and used by
Tennile Dashwood,
Nick Aldis, and more.
Vertical suplex piledriver The wrestler applies a
front facelock to the opponent and hooks the opponent's near arm over their shoulder and lifts them into a
vertical suplex position. They then turn the opponent 180°, force the opponent into the
reverse piledriver position, then drop to a sitting position, dropping the opponent on their head. This move was first used by
Jushin Thunder Liger on
Ultimo Dragon, then the move became popular through use by
Scott Steiner, who called it the
Steiner Screwdriver.
AEW wrestler
Brian Cage currently uses the move as the
Drill Claw.
Tomohiro Ishii briefly used the move in 2013 as the
Ishii Driller. Naomichi Marufuji invented a
fisherman suplex variation called
Pole Shift. Wheelbarrow piledriver Similar to the
wheelbarrow facebuster but instead of dropping their opponent face first, they drop their opponent so that the opponent lands on their upper back and neck between the legs of the wrestler, facing towards them usually resulting in a pin. ==See also==