Finn Balor In WWE - What Went Wrong?

Balor was never granted the Universal Title rematch he should've been entitled to. Instead, he has fought for the Intercontinental belt several times, never winning it. He has engaged in great bouts with guys like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, but no volume of "this is awesome" chants can compensate for the company's loss of faith, and while Finn's post-injury career has yielded several fun moments, it's now unlikely that he'll ever become the star his fans want him to be.

The death-knell was sounded when McMahon supposedly pulled Balor from a Universal Title programme with Brock Lesnar on account of him "not being over enough," prompting widespread disbelief among the fanbase, but Finn's lack of push is only part of the problem.

What WWE's main roster writers have done to Balor's character is a larger issue. Ask yourself; who is Finn Balor, the wrestler? What defines this man? What makes him tick? What are his key personality traits?

"Nothing" is the operative answer to each, because like countless others around him, Finn has become one-dimensional facsimile of a personality. The modern version of this former NXT Champion is "smiley, nice, Irish guy who keeps himself in great shape and gets bullied by tall guys." He'll unveil a new wrinkle everyone now and then, but that's the extent of it.

WWE deserve credit for not burning the Demon gimmick out. Its return against Baron Corbin was a great moment as a result of this, but unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of Finn's presentation. That Corbin feud was particularly damaging. WWE made a point of highlighting Balor's lack of size, transforming him, in canon, into a "tiny Irishman." When Raw's new Constable mocked, belittled, and harangued his foe, Finn offered nought but a gleaming smile in return.

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