10 Wrestlers Struggling To Prove Their Worth To WWE

6. Finn Bálor

Elias Sampson Finn Balor
WWE.com

Finn Bálor's 2017 annus horribilis makes little sense; of all the recent Independent circuit recruits, he best unites office and public. Equipped with the workrate to satisfy the hardcore set and the marketable persona and entrance to pop Kevin Dunn, Bálor is (or was) all things to all men...

...unless you travel, not for the first time, the cynical route: Vince McMahon is notoriously unforgiving of and reluctant to push the injury-prone. That isn't an accusation you can fairly level at Bálor, who never encountered this problem prior to 2014 - but then, what's fair got to do with it? Finn suffered multiple shoulder injuries during his SummerSlam '16 Universal Title win over Seth Rollins, which, on recent evidence, must have reinforced to McMahon his entrenched belief that slighter automatically equals weaker. Given that Bálor deputised for Roman Reigns, and even defeated him en route to that match, the turn of events created a stark comparison. Of course, Reigns isn't immune to injury, either - but then, he is held to a double standard. The normal rules do not apply to him.

Finn was meant to be a headline act, until he got injured. Since that injury, he has wandered aimlessly throughout the WWE midcard. A heel turn and a switch to SmackDown represents the Demon's best - or perhaps only - shot at redemption.

It is a role in which he would excel - but the prospect of WWE positioning him to excel, on recent evidence, is optimistic in the extreme.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!