5 decisions in 2017 which left WWE fans confused

As 2016 has turned to 2017, a number of different things have happened for the Raw, Smackdown Live and NXT rosters. New champions have been crowned, new challengers have appeared, and fans also witnessed a Superstar Shakeup.

However, for all the fresh and new directions that WWE took, some rather perplexing things happened as well. With all the different occurrences that happened, it was hard not to question some of the decisions that were made.

Whether it was the booking or direction of talent, it became rather difficult for fans to try to follow the bouncing ball in WWE's storytelling. When a story leads in one direction, only to change course with no rhyme or reason, it was rather baffling to see.

What decisions has WWE made up to this point in 2017 that made fans collectively scratch their heads? What made fans either stunned or confused? Here are five decisions in 2017 that left WWE fans confused.

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#5 The booking of Bayley

Often made to look pathetic and weak, the early booking of Bayley was baffling against Alexa Bliss

One of the most baffling booking decisions of the WWE recently has been the use of Bayley. Since she came to Raw, it seemed as though she was destined to win the Raw women's championship, and it seemed as though she was primed to be used as the face of the division.

However, she has not been used that way at all. Bayley was put in a feud with Alexa Bliss for the Raw women's title, and at every turn, she wasn't just made to look outmatched, but looked out of place.

Bliss was directing withering promos at her, and when they fought for the title and we thought Bayley would provide some fight against the smaller little Miss Bliss, which didn't happen.

She not only lost her title, it appears as though she has lost some of her fans as well. This, combined with the ‘Bayley, This Is Your Life' segment all made for a very poor set of circumstances for Bayley, and her booking as part of the Raw women's division.

#4 The emergence of Jinder Mahal

Could this image above have been what fans predicted even a year ago for Jinder Mahal?

If there has ever been a wrestler whose push appeared to conflict with the audience's perception, it has been Jinder Mahal. While his time as champion has been handled quite well, getting fans to believe that he is every bit the heel he should be, the decision to put him in that position is what had many fans question the choice.

From those that initially questioned the legitimacy of how he achieved his physique, to others that said he simply ‘wasn't that good in the ring,' there has been a great deal of criticism directed at him.

Those questioning his choice as champion also didn't understand it because he was usually used as enhancement talent, losing consistently, during his time with the company.

So for him to not only challenge but win the championship against thirteen-time champion Randy Orton has made fans scratch their heads. He has worked to prove his detractors wrong, but that doesn't mean the initial push for him didn't leave a number of fans confused.

#3 Finn Balor feuding with... Elias Sampson?

With a roster that boasts The Miz and Bray Wyatt, a feud with Elias appears to have many fans scratch their heads

Among the more recent happenings on Raw was the decision to book a feud between Finn Balor and Elias Samson, which appears to be a program they are moving forward with. As many fans are aware, not too long ago, Paul Heyman hyped Balor up and stated how a match up between "The Demon King" and Brock Lesnar would be quite intriguing and competitive.

However, it ultimately turned out that Balor wasn't the one to challenge Lesnar. Around the same time, he attacked The Miz on Miz TV, but no televised battles for the Intercontinental Championship ensued. He was also attacked by Bray Wyatt, but again no on-screen program resulted.

Balor is considered a contender for the WWE Universal title, but he isn't in a feud that reflects that; instead, he is battling with a recent call up to the roster, Elias Samson. Fans aren't quite sure what to make of this.

The company probably presumes fans don't necessarily watch NXT, and thus are unaware of Samson's losing ways there, and thinks that this feud helps both men. That is questionable, as Balor is nowhere close to the Universal championship.

#2 Leaving Finn Balor and Samoa Joe off of Wrestlemania 33

Two of the biggest names upon arriving on the WWE's Raw roster, both Joe and Balor were held off from appearing at Wrestlemania 33

Two of the biggest additions to the Raw roster over the past year have been Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. Both men seemed poised to play a critical role as part of Wrestlemania. Balor was away for eight months recovering from major surgery, which happened shortly after his main roster call up, and thus had to be re-established.

For Samoa Joe, he had recently arrived as Triple H's hired muscle, someone who was there to help take out Seth Rollins and prevent him from making it to Wrestlemania.

However, Balor was cleared for action and was appearing on house shows, while Joe was ready to compete and had a program, so there was no reason for either being kept off Wrestlemania.

They were part of the roster, but didn't have a program to work with, and creative didn't include them, more than likely because of timing and the ability to build their involvement. It could have been done, as Joe could have been in Triple H's corner and Rollins could have brought in Balor to watch his back as well. As it turned out, neither man was included on the card which was a disappointment.

#1 Mojo Rawley winning the Andre the Giant Memorial battle royal and Jinder Mahal getting the push instead

Mojo Rawley surprised everyone by winning the tournament and then wasn't seen on television for weeks

At Wrestlemania, fans were witness to the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. While winning the annual battle royal hasn't meant all that much for the winner, it was suggested that it was going to mean something for this year's winner.

After outside interference by Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, Rawley eliminated JinderMahal to capture the win. It was a great moment for Rawley, who had been mostly on the shelf due to the injury to his Hype Bros tag team partner Zack Ryder.

However, after capturing the win, Rawley was essentially kept off of television for what seemed like months. His character had no feuds and no direction. It just seemed as though he was stuck in some sort of Smackdown Live booking limbo.

The return of Ryder has seen the team reunite, but the fact remains that for a period of time fans didn't seem much if any of Mojo in singles action. It wouldn't have hurt him to have been used as part of some elimination matches, or even in smaller feuds, but fans not only didn't get hyped, they didn't see hyped either.