WWE No Mercy 2017: Assessing The Potential Of All 7 Matches

4. Finn Bálor Vs. Bray Wyatt

Finn Balor Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

Their SummerSlam match wasn't exactly a disappointment.

Bray Wyatt's stock has fallen so sharply that most expected a match that was just there. And that's what it was. Elements of it were very good; Wyatt bumped big for Bálor's suicide somersault senton, sticking his head in harm's way, like a dunce Premier League defender, to put it over. Wyatt demonstrated cunning and viciousness to catch Bálor before drilling him with a suplex to the protective matting. This was undone when Wyatt, as he is wont to do, lost the match, rendering it mere preamble to the inevitable conclusion. The problem - and this extends to all of Wyatt's matches - is that there is such little investment in the character that none of it mattered. He's a guy whose job it is to job. And he jobbed. In just over 10 minutes. The Demon defeated the God. The short duration midcard placement made a mockery of the lofty, superficial stakes. No Mercy, in theory, affords both men a grander platform on which to strut their stuff. Fewer matches and more time with which to work should conflate into something, if not special, than better.

But will an extra five minutes really do anything to elevate this retread into something special? You don't have to possess Wyatt's apparent power of omniscience to gather that "very good" is an optimistic prognosis.

Maximum Star Rating Ceiling: ***1/2

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!