WWE: Finn Balor situation is what happens when you don’t use your talent
By Kyle Brown
Finn Balor’s request for time off highlights that WWE’s overcrowded roster and declining ratings have caused an issue with talent-use that could have lasting ramifications if not fixed immediately.
After dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura at Extreme Rules, stories began to be posted about former champ Finn Balor being granted time off from WWE.
Various reports claim that he asked for, and was granted, a two-month leave of absence from the ring following SummerSlam.
It is said Balor wants to ‘recharge’ and that his lack of use during his IC title run played into his decision to step away for a moment.
This (and not the writing, as bad as it has been) is, arguably, the biggest problem facing WWE right now.
They have an abundance of talent on their roster, but choose to use them sparingly, if at all.
First, let me say, I’m not against Superstars asking for a break. WWE’s schedule is ridiculously hectic and these men and women are on the road a majority of the year.
For comparison, I’m getting ready to go on my third vacation of the year in the next week.
There is the argument that they knew what they were signing up for when they came to WWE, but I would argue back that when they agree to a contract they expect to get steady ring/screen time.
In Balor’s case, he is one of the most popular stars in the company. He has an alter ego persona that, before it was handled so miserably and shoved down our throats, was a top attraction when he brought out the Demon King.
He also held one of the most prestigious titles in the industry and barely appeared on-screen during the five hours of main roster programming each week.
The misuse or non-use isn’t just exclusive to Balor.
EC3 has been reduced to chasing the 24/7 Title around backstage and hanging out in a stuck elevator. This man was a top 20 singles competitor in PWI’s Top 500 in 2016 and was one of the most successful Impact stars in their history.
Robert Roode, a former United States Champion, just made his reappearance on this week’s Raw that gave most fans watching the thought of ‘oh, yeah, he’s still on the roster, isn’t he?’ Roode has held multiple titles in WWE and was a part of the uber-successful Beer Money tag team in Impact Wrestling before a run as champion.
Until recently, Ricochet was another Superstar that had been forgotten about since being called-up from NXT. There would be weeks between matches for Ric before he finally broke through with his US Title win.
The list could go on and on.
Superstars sitting around in catering each week watching the same 10-15 people walk to the ring and compete every night.
The brand split was supposed to alleviate this issue. Two shows with completely different rosters where more superstars could get exposure and fans would get to see new and exciting matches and feuds.
The floundering ratings made Vince McMahon panic and quickly implement the Wild Card Rule, which has basically rendered the brand split obsolete.
What can be done to fix this problem before more of the roster takes a page from Finn’s book and asks for time off, or just outright asks for their release?
If the brand split is a thing of the past, WWE must start utilizing their other shows.
Main Event should be reserved for stars not appearing on Raw or SmackDown Live. WWE could also revive the Superstars tapings as another show to air on WWE Network that gives another platform to underutilized performers.
If you can recall back to the late 90’s and early 00’s, there were two or three main feuds that ate up a majority of the screen time. The rest of the roster were left to use Shotgun Saturday Night and Heat as a way to get exposure.
If WWE keeps their roster at its current size, they must better use their secondary shows and not just start sending wrestlers back down to NXT to take spots away from those men and women that are trying to break onto the main roster.
The other solution is to, simply, cut the roster size.
If you look back through your booking log and noticed you haven’t used Curt Hawkins for a month, it may be a better idea to cut him loose than to pay him to eat your catered food.
It is a bad situation for everyone, at the moment.
WWE are trying to use their heavy-hitters to pop some ratings numbers while the mid-carders are left with nothing to do.
Balor will, most likely, get beaten down so badly by Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam that he’ll be written off for two months, then hopefully will reappear for a run to Survivor Series (possibly with a little help from his Club friends.)
It’s what the other truckload of underused talent decide to do that will shape the rest of this story. Will they want a vacation or will they want to follow the All Elite road?
Trying to make sense of Drew McIntyre's recent booking. dark. Next
The decision-makers at the top need to figure out a solution, quickly, or there will be a list a mile long of people looking for a break; short-term or permanently.