WWE no longer interested in pushing Finn Balor as a top star - report

Finn Balor is widely regarded as one of the best all-round wrestlers in WWE right now, but has not been pushed much since his main roster return.

Finn Balor in a file photo. (Image: WWE)
By Shayne Dias | Jan 19, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

This week’s episode of WWE RAW was an unusual one for Finn Balor. The Irish superstar lost in quick time to Austin Theory, which in of itself was not unusual – 50/50 booking is an issue in WWE.

However, the loss came in clean fashion and the match did not last very long. Naturally, this got some fans wondering on the status of “The Prinxe”.

Now, a new report claims that Balor is not in line for a big push in the near future. What’s more, his role in the company right now is simply to help new talent rise – similar to the role Jeff Hardy had before his release.

What’s more, this same report claimed that WWE chairman Vince McMahon sees Balor as nothing more than a mid-card wrestler.

“Yeah, Finn was moved into the spot that Jeff Hardy had. He’s just there now to help get over the younger guys,” a source told WrestlingNews.co.

“There was a pitch to make him heel but that was weeks ago and I haven’t heard much about it since then. Vince never saw Finn as more than just a mid card guy.

“(Paul) Heyman would have pushed him to the moon but Vince just never saw it.

“Austin (Theory) is going to get time to shine in the Rumble match. Last I heard was he will be in the final 4 or 5 at the end of the match.”

Why this is bad news for Finn Balor

Balor is widely regarded as one of the best all-round wrestlers in WWE right now. He can put on a good match with anyone, play either a good heel or babyface and is a good promo.

However, if the chairman of the company sees him as a mid-carder, it would pretty much spell the end of any hopes he might have of being a featured player.

When Balor was first called up to RAW in 2016, he was pushed immediately; he pinned Roman Reigns on RAW and would go on to be crowned the first-ever Universal champion in WWE’s new Brand Split era.

However, an injury suffered during the title match against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam saw him require surgery. When he was back, he became a bit-part player on the brand.

He won the Intercontinental title afterwards but was always lost in the shuffle. A 2019 return to NXT, however, led to him retooling his character.

Now the arrogant “Prinxe”, the character had paralells to Balor’s run in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) as Prince Devitt. Many felt the new character would work well on the main roster should he ever get called up again.

However when he was called up, he remained a babyface and there was little of the character traits seen on SmackDown that he showed off on NXT.

And, as things stand, he is merely a gatekeeper on RAW – despite being a man of plenty of talents.