10 WWE Stars In Vince McMahon's Doghouse Right Now

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Finn Bálor

Finn Balor
WWE.com

The case of Finn Bálor is a curious one.

Few acts were (it's past tense now, surely) better positioned to reconcile the ever-divided mentality between the fandom and the office. Bálor was very marketable - slender but photogenically ripped, possessed of an action figure writ large of an alter ego and an entrance designed to create a stunning vista of enraptured fans in their tens of thousands at WrestleMania. He was also a super-worker; fans were predisposed to receiving him in the main event role he was thrust into immediately.

Did McMahon sour on Bálor as a result of the timing of his injury at SummerSlam '16? Or was he always a stopgap, transitional beneficiary of Roman Reigns' suspension?

In either event, it is Bálor suspended in purgatory now, with Vince having lost faith in him as a challenger, let alone a Universal Champion. Is he in the doghouse, or did Vince wish to preserve the power of the Demon by removing him from Brock's orbit altogether? To answer that question with another question: is Finn Bálor now feuding with midcard character Baron Corbin?

Something about Finn's ever-present smile seems either haunted, masking his inner sadness, or hysterical in how over-the-top it is. Is he completely bantering off Vince's "big smile out there" edict in one stretched-out boy-popping in-joke, or are we OVER-thinking it?

WWE Booking Plans For Royal Rumble Debutant Revealed (WWE News)

John Cena Just Got SNUBBED For WWE Hall Of Fame 2026 (WWE News)

Major Update On Will Ospreay's AEW Return After Dynamite Vignette (AEW News)

In this post: 
Finn Balor
 
Posted On: 
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!