10 Wrestlers Who Gained Nothing By Being WWE World Champion

7. Finn Bálor

Finn Balor Mick Foley
WWE

Which Belt: Universal Title.

Why They Gained Nothing: If shoulder injuries were a man, then Finn Bálor would probably punch them straight in the mouth for cruelly taking away something he'd worked so long for. After being crowned the first ever Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016, Bálor was forced to vacate the belt 24 hours later on Raw.

Fans were sad, but nowhere near as sad as the artist formerly known as Prince Devitt would've been.

Ever since lighting up Japan under that very moniker, the Irishman had worked classics in NXT and was now reaping the rewards of his efforts on the main roster. Then, he suffered a torn labrum and was benched for at least four-six months. It was depressing, and it also meant he gained nowt from his World Title win.

When Bálor returned early the next year, he wasn't thrust back into the title scene immediately and then had to plod through a dire feud with Bray Wyatt. It was like his Universal Title success hadn't happened.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.