10 Times WWE IGNORED The Fans (... And Got It Right!)
7. "Demoting" Finn Balor
When Finn Balor returned to NXT in October 2019 - two months after being squashed by the Fiend at that year's SummerSlam - many groaned at seeing the ridiculously talented one-time Universal Champion back in WWE's developmental arm.
To those naysayers, this was, at worst, a demotion, or at best a mild ratings ploy as NXT found itself going head-to-head with AEW Dynamite. Either way, it was viewed as a backwards step for someone as skilled and tested as the Bullet Club co-founder.
In hindsight, WWE was absolutely right to switch Balor back to NXT. The star himself has since talked about how he was burned out on the main roster, and in reality he had grown stale as a middle-of-the-road babyface. Even an Intercontinental Championship win - the Irishman's second reign with that title - at WrestleMania 35 earlier in the year did nothing of note for a Finn who was merely treading water on the main roster.
During that second stint in NXT, Balor was able to revitalise his character, combining the edge of his Prince Devitt NJPW days with a sprinkling of what made Finn so popular during his initial NXT run.
In addition to memorably turning heel on Johnny Gargano as part of this NXT return, Finn also put on absolute bangers with Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Damian Priest, Velveteen Dream, Timothy Thatcher, Kyle O'Reilly, Pete Dunne, Roderick Strong, and of course Adam Cole - who Balor defeated to become NXT Champion once again.
By the time Finn returned to the main roster in 2021, he was immediately paired up with Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and he's subsequently found himself a fantastic fit on Raw as part of the Judgment Day nowadays.