Return of the Curb Stomp Suddenly Revives Seth Rollins' Stale WWE Character

Who knew one Superstar's signature move could make such a major difference and create so much buzz?

Aside from Braun Strowman's rampage on Raw this week, the flagship show lacked memorable moments on Monday night. That was, however, until Seth Rollins revived a familiar finishing maneuver to beat Finn Balor: the Curb Stomp.

Better known as the Blackout, the Curb Stomp had been closely linked to Rollins for the first few years of his WWE run. It was the perfect finisher for him because it would allow The Architect to put his opponents away out of nowhere, such as Balor on Raw.

As soon as Rollins connected with the move during the latest Raw main event, the entire arena exploded with excitement. Heck, even Rollins appeared to be elated that he could use the once-banned Curb Stomp again.

Many fans thought we had seen the last of the Curb Stomp when it was essentially outlawed by the company in April 2015, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wrestling News). Seth Rollins noted during a 2017 interview with Sam Roberts (h/t Wrestling Inc) that Vince McMahon thought the move had a negative connotation to it, saying:

"I get it from a marketing standpoint. I totally understand it. I hate it because it was such a great finish. It was easy and could do it to everybody, but, hey, so is my cool knee now, so let's start liking that."

Credit: WWE.com

From that point forward, Rollins began the Pedigree as a regular finisher, which made complete storyline sense at the time. It was bestowed upon him by his mentor Triple H, and the former Money in the Bank winner was merely following in his footsteps by taking after him.

Rollins beat countless Superstars with the Pedigree over the next two years, including Triple H himself at WrestleMania 33. Soon after, he adopted a short-arm high knee as his finisher, dubbing it King's Landing, though it wasn't nearly as impactful as the Curb Stomp was.

Coincidentally, Rollins has seemingly lost a step or two since he stopped using the Curb Stomp as his match-ending move. Now that it has returned, his stagnant character could be on the verge of a much-needed resurgence.

In the long-term, Rollins will be more valuable to the company as a babyface. Although his best character work came during his time spent as a heel from 2014 to 2016, his innovative offense, and specifically the Blackout, have led to him being revered by the fans.

The former two-time United States champion had a solid, albeit uneventful, 2017, but it wasn't until he joined forces with Dean Ambrose that he came across as motivated for the first time in a while. With Ambrose out of action for the foreseeable future, he'll need something to sink his teeth into for the time being.

The timing of the comeback of Curb Stomp is interesting, especially with WrestleMania 34 right around the corner. Perhaps it was designed to plant the seeds for a storyline involving himself and Balor in the foreseeable future, as well as tease tension between himself and Jordan.

Credit: WWE.com

As of now, Rollins is only slated to defend the Raw Tag Team Championship against Sheamus and Cesaro at the Royal Rumble. His status for the Rumble match itself is unknown, but a strong showing in the annual Battle Royal could set the stage for an exciting WrestleMania season for him.

Rollins had a ruthless side as well as an unpredictable element about him when he had the Stomp in his arsenal years ago. Now that he is clear to crush Superstars again with the move, don't be surprised to see him eventually revert back to his villainous ways.

Above all else, the resurrection of the Blackout got fans hyped coming out of Raw, building anticipation for what lies ahead for The King Slayer.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.