The Great One has spoken and it isn't the People's Elbow
Stop everything you're doing. The man who made a career out of dropping dudes with a dusty elbow pad just went on record to tell us his favorite move in the entire WWE arsenal. You would think, given the ego the size of a Hollywood soundstage, that he would pick something signature like a Sharpshooter or maybe just the Rock Bottom repeated forty times. Nope. The Rock went out of his way to throw some serious respect on the name of Seth Rollins and his Curb Stomp.
We all saw what happened back at WrestleMania 40, where the Great One spent a very long night in the ring with a tag team powerhouse of Rollins and Cody Rhodes. It was a chaotic mess of bloodline politics and mid-match storytelling that somehow worked. But apparently, the highlight for Dwayne Johnson wasn't the main event win, but the moment his face met the canvas thanks to the Architect.
I really like Seth Rollins’ curb stomp. I think it’s a great finish.
Let’s talk about that specific move for a second. The Stomp is arguably the most protected finisher in the modern era. When Rollins leaps up and puts a boot through his opponent's cranium, you know the count is going to be 3. It doesn't rely on theatrical taunts or taking off your elbow pad to signal the end. It is just violent, efficient, and looks like a total game-ender every single time.
The irony of the Great One loving the Stomp
Here is where I have to play the skeptic because I don't buy that everything in the fed is sunshine and rainbows. The Rock, a guy whose entire wrestling personality was based on over-the-top, dramatic flair, choosing the coldest, most clinical finisher as his personal favorite? It feels a little calculated. It is almost like he is trying to bridge the gap between that Attitude Era flash and the modern, work-rate-heavy product that Rollins lives and dies by.
Is it possible that The Rock just appreciates someone who can actually sell for him? Consider how many times he has eaten dirt to elevate guys. Watching him put over the Stomp is a massive rub for Rollins, but it is also a bit of a backhanded compliment to everyone else currently on the roster. What about the RKO? What about Bron Breakker’s spear? Does he think those look like wet noodles compared to a stomp to the head?
Maybe I am just being cynical. Maybe the guy just likes seeing a clean move executed to perfection. It is worth remembering that Marc Mero helped pivot the entire business model to guaranteed contracts back in the day, but it took guys like Rollins to prove that the in-ring work actually mattered more than the paycheck. The fact that the biggest star on the planet is acknowledging that speaks volumes about how far the industry has moved.
The booking implications of Rock’s approval
You can bet your bottom dollar that the creative team is going to lean into this. We are likely going to see a promo where someone reminds us exactly who loves that finisher. It puts a target on Rollins’ back, sure, but it also elevates the move to legendary status. I hate when they do this, honestly—the revisionist history that turns a regular finisher into an indestructible weapon—but this is a rare case where the hype is deserved.
If we look back at the backstage shift in how talent is viewed today, it used to be all about who was on the poster. Now, it is about who has a finisher that looks like it could kill a man. Seth hitting that move on a stadium stage is a 5-star visual every time. If even the guy who main-evented half of the 90s thinks it is the peak of the art form, who are we to argue? I guess we just have to live in a world where the Curb Stomp is the gold standard.
My only real gripe? The constant need for legends to validate the current roster. Seth Rollins doesn't need The Rock to tell us he is good at his job. He has been carrying the weekly show on his back for years with 20-minute classics and legitimate character work. Still, if this gets the casual fan to tune in and realize why the guy is such a menace in the ring, I will take it. Just don't let it become a permanent crutch for the booking, or we are all in trouble.