6 Ups And 8 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jan 14)

2. Stacking The Deck

finn balor john cena
WWE.com

It wasn’t enough that Finn Balor stepped up to the plate Monday night to get tapped for a #1 contender’s fatal four-way match, but he then had to earn his spot.

Jinder Mahal weaseled his way into a match against Balor, with the winner going on to the #1 contender’s match. Then, Mahal attacked Finn before the bell, driving his ribs into the barricade and ring apron numerous times. But it wasn’t enough for Jinder, as Balor recovered, rallied and defeated Mahal.

The match, which followed Vince McMahon telling Balor that he didn’t necessarily believe in him against Brock Lesnar, helped shape the greater narrative of the episode, which was actually a really nice piece of storytelling for a change, a great arc that concluded in the main event.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.