WWE NXT is Ready to Move on from Finn Balor

NXT has set themselves up for success once Finn Balor leaves for WWE’s main roster.

The talk of Finn Balor leaving NXT to join WWE’s main roster seems like it’s been going for an eternity. He’s such a polished talent that it always felt like the promotion could come at any time, leaving fans to speculate on and hope for his arrival whenever the moment seemed right. But the reason Balor has stuck around in NXT so long probably has less to do with him, and more to do with the rest of NXT and how they would fare without their biggest draw. Now, NXT is more prepared than ever before for Balor’s inevitable call-up.

When the rumors of Balor joining the main roster first started, fans either didn’t consider how thin the yellow brand’s roster would be, or they figured it would just be a transitional period. Clearly, WWE was not willing to take that risk, leading to Balor’s lengthy title reign and long tenure as the face of the brand. But let’s take a look at what would have happened if Balor had been called up last April, for example, which was when he posted one of his earliest teasers regarding his jump to the main roster:

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This was posted about a month before Balor became No. 1 contender for the NXT Championship.

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If Balor had been called up instead of being booked to win that match over Tyler Breeze and eventually capture the title, this is the list of superstars who would have had to carry NXT, assuming Kevin Owens’ and Sami Zayn’s debuts also went as planned during the month of May: Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, and Samoa Joe. As far as talents fit to possibly be NXT champion, that is the end of the list. And at that point, the only guys that were even remotely comparable to Balor as far as all-around talent were Breeze and Joe. Not exactly a ton to work with.

But May of 2015 was a much different story than May of 2016. Even though the Raw after WrestleMania 32 featured a ton of call-ups, NXT has more than enough talent to compensate for Balor’s departure. If used correctly, there are a lot more championship-level talents than there were just a year ago.

Shinsuke Nakamura is a transcendent talent who is more than fit to be NXT champion in the near future. Austin Aries is one of the best superstars in TNA history, and once he’s given a bigger role, he can anchor a show as well. And assuming Eric Young and Bobby Roode end up signing contracts sooner than later, those are two more experienced, well-rounded talents who are capable of being major players in any wrestling company.

Then you have Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa as potential signings for the tag team division, along with the possible signing of Kota Ibushi who appeared on camera at NXT TakeOver: Dallas a little over a month ago. That’s an obscene amount of talented guys to be appearing on what is considered by many to be WWE’s “minor league show”.

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But that’s just a testament to what Triple H has done. He wanted to bring guys in to make NXT a better touring brand; to have big names that draw a crowd. For the latter part of last year, the only guys who provided that were Balor and the recently-signed Samoa Joe, and that’s why it wasn’t the right time for Balor to make the jump to the main roster.

Could NXT have survived with Breeze, Corbin, Crews and Joe leading the way? Sure they could have. But it’s understandable that they may not have been comfortable with that. Corbin was still a raw talent at that point and Crews was just learning what being a WWE superstar was all about, so relying on them to anchor shows with their charisma and in-ring prowess was a little too much to ask. But as it stands now, WWE has brought in several guys who are used to carrying a brand, used to performing in front of thousands of people, and have the experience necessary to potentially be the faces of NXT.

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Losing Finn Balor will hurt NXT to an extent, but that was never going to change. No matter how many guys they bring in, NXT will always be better with Finn Balor in it. But with Balor’s promotion seeming more imminent than ever before with his championship loss and the presence of former Bullet Club mates Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson on the main roster, NXT is primed for success in the post-Balor era. NXT will miss Balor, but the show must go on, and they’ve made sure the brand will be in good hands when their coveted former champion finally makes the jump.