WWE Payback 2017: 10 Huge Predictions You Need To Know

5. Finn To Feature?

Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

Finn Balor's post-WrestleMania comeback may be the worst offender amongst a raft of disappointments since the 'Ultimate Thrill Ride' less than a month ago.

Returning with little-or-no interest in regaining the Universal Title he never lost, Balor has been a late stand-in for a tag match twice, and spent a fortnight of his time crushing jobbers in short inconsequential television matches. Considering the work put into his immediate elevation last summer and a documentary crew tracking his rehab for a WWE Network special, the creative disinterest in the former NXT Champion has been utterly bewildering.

A pre-show Miz TV guest at his first pay-per-view since returning is almost fitting for the 'Demon King', as it is for a Miz character ripped away from his spiritual home on SmackDown Live! to pointlessly reopen conflicts with Dean Ambrose in a meeting so uninteresting that the duo can't earn a spot on the show either (as of press time).

This does however free Miz up for an impromptu match against his talkshow guest, or may even possibly trigger a Teddy Long tag team match against Balor and Ambrose should the 'A lister' again be tasked with finding a partner for a 'bonus' match. Either way, it seems criminally stupid to leave Finn completely absent from the broadcast.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett