7 Ups And 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Dec 4)

1. Finn Treads Water

Every time Michael Cole mentions that Finn Balor is the first WWE Universal Champion, this writer thinks of two things:

1) Where is the Universal Championship? (Oh right, Brock Lesnar wandered off with it and shows up every few fortnights to remind us he’s alive.)

2) What has that title done for Balor lately?

Balor won that title with a separated shoulder, which was proof of how tough he was and still is. He’s still immensely popular with fans. And he has an awesome alter-ego.

But none of that really matters at this point, as he continues to tread water on Raw with no feuds seemingly on the horizon. Finn was battling Bray Wyatt, but that mercifully ended due to Bray’s illness before we could meet “Sister Abigail.” And then he seemed to renew his NXT rivalry with Samoa Joe, but then Joe beat him cleanly on Raw last month. And his battles with Kane have ended with him down and out.

So where does that leave Finn? Will he get retribution on Kane at some point? Is he battling the Miztourage (he defeated Bo Dallas Monday night) in anticipation of fighting the Miz when he returns? Whatever the case, Balor clearly is without direction at this point.