WWE: What exactly is going on with Finn Balor?

Finn Balor has been scarce on Smackdown Live since Money in the Bank nearly destroyed his body. Just what has been going on with him anyway?

Last night on Smackdown Live, Andrade cut a promo on Finn Balor both in response to the powerbomb he delivered to Balor at Money In The Bank, and their upcoming match at Super Show Down. Which is understandable. WWE’s got a pay per view to hype, even if it is one of their Saudi ones, and building up Andrade as a formidable opponent to ‘The Demon’ is not a terrible way to go.

Honestly, if the match was happening on another card, I’d be all for it.

However, using the clip of Balor talking about his back injuries from Money in the Bank seems to be burying the lead on the bigger picture.

The clip in question, which was released after Smackdown Live’s fallout show for Money in the Bank, does have Balor reflecting solemnly on his injuries maintained during the match, saying that while he’s felt better, he’s also felt worse. “I think that’s just part of the job.”

However, after a long pause, he transitions to talking about his mental state after the match. Particularly in the wake of Brock Lesnar sliding in at the very end to become the new Mr. Money In The Bank after everyone else in that match nearly died trying. “We’ve all seen what happened at the end of the match… Imagine how that makes me feel.”

He then moves onto his emotional state, saying “I’m starting to think that… maybe…”

Balor then stops and asks the cameraman if they can do this another time. He takes off his microphone, says a few inaudible sentences and just… walks away.

To say that this is unusual for Balor is an understatement. In post-match promos, the Intercontinental Champion has what can only be described as indefatigable positivity. Always looking forward to the next challenge and never down on himself for too long, Balor is usually the one to be smiling after every match.

This particular attitude is new though, at least for WWE.

Between his loss to Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and the end of Money in the Bank, I don’t blame Balor for being down. It’s just so odd to see, and it makes me wonder what exactly is going on with him.

This isn’t the Finn Balor that gets angry before ‘The Demon’ comes out. This is a wrestler with a slightly broken body and perhaps a broken spirit.

And if we’ve learned anything from wrestling, it’s that broken wrestlers trying to put themselves back together can yield interesting results. After all, it happened with Prince Devitt after his first match with Hiroshi Tanahashi. Maybe it is time for Balor to tap into that swagger again, but only time and creative will tell.