10 Times Wrestling Finishers Passed The Torch

8. Pedigree - Triple H To Seth Rollins

Stunner Steve Austin Kevin Owens
WWE.com/WWE.com

With the Curb Stomp off the table following his sensational Money in the Bank cash-in at WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins found himself in desperate need of a new finishing move as he embarked on his first reign as WWE Champion.

Given how he was at that point in the pocket of Triple H and the Authority, Rollins figured that a natural fit could well be the Pedigree that Hunter had used to topple guys left and right over the years. Seeking a passing of the torch, the former Architect of the Shield approached the Game and asked how he'd feel about allowing Rollins to take the Pedigree on for himself.

During a 2019 interview with FOX Sports, Triple H details the pair's exchange:

“He asked. He came to me, and he was like, ‘How would you feel about it, but given the storyline and everything else, how would you feel about me using the Pedigree?’ I was like, ‘If you think that benefits you, please do. Like, I would be honoured.’"

Rollins himself has detailed that the reason the Curb Stomp was banned, was Vince McMahon hated seeing a video package on The Today Show of Seth hitting numerous people with the move - and thus, he was forced to find a new finish.

Triple H and Seth Rollins would both hit Pedigrees on one another at WrestleMania 33, of course, although it was Rollins who emerged victorious on that night.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.