10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (April 17)

3. Finn Is Fine?

Sasha Banks Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

Reports late last week of a concussion suffered by Finn Balor in his first televised singles match had many concerned that another lengthy stretch on the shelf beckoned for 'The Demon King'.

An immediate return to the ring in an admittedly low impact affair with Curt Hawkins seemed to imply that things were not as serious as first thought.

But, with fears for his physical wellbeing somewhat assuaged, concerns must now move to his career mobility in general.

Two short victories over jobbers has done nothing for his superstar aura in the wake of his soul-crushing Universal Title forfeiture last August.

His month-long run on the main roster before the injury was a revelation, especially considering the clean victories over the usually-protected mainstays Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Furthermore, his 'Demon King' act backed it up, with the presentation of his darker side richly warranting the sudden spotlight and attention.

The post-WrestleMania redebut has been the polar opposite.

Presented without paint (presumably until a pay-per-view match justifies it), and left in the middle of the show against nobodies, Balor is starting to pick up the stench of failure from his opponents.

He'll cling to his protracted upcoming programme with Bray Wyatt, but 'The Eater of Worlds' CV hardly bursts free with creative success stories.

The road to a shot against Brock Lesnar may be a bumpy one for the former titleholder.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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