Why is this feud still happening?

Singles match

Finn Bálor vs. Constable Baron Corbin

Both guys are entertaining, but what the heck is up with this story?

The Road to SummerSlam

At Exteme Rules, Bálor won.

It wasn’t exactly an impressive win, mind you. Finn was beaten from corner to corner by Corbin before escaping with a roll up victory.

It was the sort of underwhelming win that does nothing to make a bully back off. On the following episode of Raw after Extreme Rules, Constable Corbin was right back to his bullying ways, setting up a children’s playhouse for Bálor to use as a locker room for his own amusement.

The two had a rematch on Raw that was much more evenly matched, but Baron caught the former Universal Champ with an End of Days to seal a victory. He also gave Balor a post-match beatdown that left the Constable feeling good and standing tall.

Finn paid him back the next week by interfering in Corbin’s match with Roman Reigns and picking the bones once Reigns was finished. Commissioner Stephanie McMahon’s proxy turned to using his authoritative power to try to get back at Bálor by booking in a handicap match, but General Manager Kurt Angle was quick to even the playing field.

What’s at stake?

Oof. Good question.

Who knows, really? Bragging rights? This feud’s been fairly entertaining from week to week, but there’s been a complete oversight in booking this match to matter.

Take Constable Corbin, for example; he’s essentially playing the role of any grade school bully. Where does he go if he wins? He probably just keeps bullying Bálor, right? Maybe he expands to bully someone else as well?

For the Extraordinary Man, a win means...what? He’s already beaten Corbin. A win doesn’t necessarily get the Constable off his back. If only there were a way for Bálor to scare off a bully for good, to transform into some eerie character that would destroy what’s essentially a run-of-the-mill movie villain.

...But Finn wouldn’t have anything like that, would he?

There are no real title stakes here, either. Moving up to challenge for the Intercontinental Championship or Universal Champion has never been part of the narrative. Bluntly, this match needs a result that earns its spot on the SummerSlam card. Because this story’s surely been lacking.