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Finn Balor is currently getting Claymore Kicked in the face by Drew McIntyre on nearly every episode of Raw. His last win was on the 5th November episode of Raw where he defeated Dolph Ziggler with a roll-up.
Balor is a talented in-ring performer and he also connects well with the audiences. His demon persona is very popular with the fans and it has been protected well by the WWE. However, the same cannot be said for Balor's normal persona. The way he has been booked is baffling and confusing.
But this is not the first time that Balor has been underused or de-pushed. There were multiple times when he was red hot but WWE did not capitalize on his popularity and pushed him to the background. Here we take a look at the 5 instances when Finn Balor was not made to look like a big deal.
#5 Not doing anything after his return from injury
Finn Balor's main roster start was nothing short of fantastic. He pinned Roman Reigns clean on his Raw debut and became the first ever Universal Champion by defeating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016. However, an injury to his shoulder sustained in the Championship match forced him to relinquish his title the very next day.
Balor sat on the sidelines for more than 7 months and returned on Raw after WrestleMania 33. He took part in a six-man tag match alongside none other than Seth Rollins which was really baffling as Balor was willing to team with Rollins even after knowing that it was Rollins who put him out of action for so long.
Even after returning, Balor was booked to defeat lower enhancement talents like Curt Hawkins and was not featured in any prominent feud. He missed many PPVs as there was no place for him to be on the card.
#4 Lackluster feud with Bray Wyatt
On paper, Demon Balor vs Bray Wyatt looks very cool but in reality, it was far from it. The feud was dragged for months with multiple matches between the two. They both kept trading wins with neither of them moving up the card.
However, the worst point in the feud came when WWE booked Finn Balor to face not Bray Wyatt, but sister Abigail at TLC. Initially, there was excitement regarding the matchup as people were not aware of Sister Abigail's identity. However, that excitement was soon gone when Sister Abigail was revealed to be none other than Bray Wyatt himself in Sister Abigail getup and channeling her which was weird, to say the least.
However, the match never happened as many superstars were dealing with a stomach issue and Bray Wyatt was ultimately replaced by AJ Styles who went on to have a brilliant match with Finn Balor. Even after Bray was fit, he did not interact with Balor again.
#3 Being squashed by Kane after a stellar performance at TLC, 2017
This is one of the most confusing decisions made by WWE on Finn Balor. Balor and Styles had a great match at the TLC PPV where Demon Balor defeated AJ Styles and it was expected that he would move up the ladder after such a huge performance but the next night on Raw, Balor was squashed by Kane.
Kane returned to WWE TV before TLC and he was booked to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in the coming days due to which WWE felt the need to showcase Kane. But why was Balor sacrificed? Why was Balor chosen to be squashed when there were several other guys backstage who could have taken the pinfall.
It was like WWE was contradicting its own decision. His squash to Kane is still fresh in fans' minds and serves as the first example of Balor not getting pushed.
#2 Defeat to John Cena
John Cena is already a legend in WWE. He has been on top of the WWE for a very long time and has been one of the most dominant stars on the roster. However, in recent years, John Cena has shifted his focus from WWE to Hollywood and has taken a part-time role in WWE.
At this stage in his career, John Cena has fought against Superstars like Rollins, Styles, Nakamura and has lost against them which has helped establish them as Superstars. WWE had the same opportunity to make Balor look strong by letting him defeat Cena just like other stars did but WWE didn't let it happen and made Balor look like a chump as he was defeated in a convincing manner.
WWE still has the chance to re-write the wrong they did and book Cena vs Balor for Mania and let Balor come out on top.
#1 Cannon fodder for Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre
Finn Balor has been on the receiving end of a beat down from Drew McIntyre for nearly a month. Before that, he was getting beaten by Bobby Lashley. Balor is often sacrificed to make others look good and right now on Raw, he is there to make the trio of Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre look strong.
Balor is made to look gusty and resilient in his matches but he always ends up getting pinned. He loses and gets beaten down one week but the next week he comes down the ramp all smiling as if nothing happened. This impression makes us believe that there is no fire inside Balor and that he does not want to be at the top level.
WWE must improve Balor's booking and must give him a proper push as they have got a gem in Finn Balor and they must learn to properly utilize him.
