7 Shocking Times WWE Revived Banned Moves

2. Curb Stomp

Finn Balor Seth Rollins
WWE

Finn Bálor could probably hear the feverish excitement ringing in his ears after Seth Rollins planted his head into the mat with the first Curb Stomp (rechristened as 'The Black Out') in nearly three years.

The impressive and impactful finisher was ripped away from 'The Architect' midway through his 2015 WWE Title reign amidst fears that it would be mimicked by overzealous children in playgrounds across the world. Admittedly, the relatively straight-forward setup of a crawling opponent does open it up for imitation, but no more so than a powerbomb, superkick or figure four leglock between cooperative friends.

It significantly damaged the presentation of the Shield star too. Initially adopting a Pedigree in tribute to his on-screen mentor (and emotionally abusive Father figure) Triple H, he settled for a running knee the company couldn't settle on a name for.

Rollins never found the finisher to replace his original face-smashing surprise. Based on the talked-about conclusion to his Monday Night Raw clash, it appears as though he'll no longer have to continue his futile quest.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett