What If Finn Balor Became a Paul Heyman Guy in WWE?

Finn Balor’s a big star on his own, but imagine if he was put with the legendary Paul Heyman instead.

Finn Balor’s WWE career has been mired in speculation ever since he debuted in WWE. He has been dogged by the same questions over and over again: How would he be presented? Would he come out with his body paint every week? Would he form his own stable? Would his mates from Bullet Club join him in a WWE version? When can we expect a heel turn from Balor?

Balor’s main roster career thus far has been strong, but it’s lacking that special ‘something’ to help Balor get over with a larger audience. Yes, his body paint is awesome, and his entrance music is fantastic. And yes, he has a great look and has a great move-set.

But for the average WWE fan that might not have watched NXT, they need something to latch onto. There needs to be a reason for them to care about Balor as much as the hardcore fans do.

So what better way than for Balor to become a Paul Heyman Guy?

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Heyman is more than just an excellent promo; he’s a master of selling and advertising. He can take the most foreign and unenjoyable object or product and make people not only buy it, but want to see it again and again. This is a man that manages to sell Brock Lesnar as a once-in-a-century monster on a regular basis. And, despite Lesnar’s relatively bland wrestling style, he’s still a massive draw. While a lot of that drawing power comes from Lesnar himself, Heyman’s influence and selling is also a major influence.

If Balor were to become a Paul Heyman Guy, it would benefit him greatly. Heyman could cut fantastic promos selling Balor as a superb athlete, a tremendous star, and as a dangerous threat. Heyman always gets a big response and is considered an important figure in WWE. Thus, Balor would get over by association; with very few exceptions, anyone managed or led to the ring by Heyman has been treated like a big star.

It would also make sense because Heyman’s biggest client right now appears only sporadically. With WWE in need of top stars that are convincing and believable, it would make sense to use Heyman as a vehicle to make someone like Balor more over.

Balor’s promos are okay, but they’re nowhere near the level of Heyman. Balor could do exactly what Lesnar does all the time: stand in the ring looking menacing while Heyman goes into entertaining hyperbole selling him as a top star.

This would help Balor a lot because WWE wants its top stars to cut promos as well as they can wrestle. Balor might not be the best at promos, so pairing him with Heyman while he improves would be a great way to conceal that weakness.

That, after all, is Heyman’s greatest ability, both as a speaker and as a booker: he knows how to promote a wrestler’s strengths while concealing their weaknesses. And Balor’s weaknesses are his short stature and his promos. Heyman could sell Balor’s abilities effortlessly, and would really hype up the whole ‘size doesn’t matter’ aspect of Balor’s style. Heyman’s so convincing in his promos that, even if he said something wildly hyperbolic, it would come across as believable.

Balor would also benefit as a Heyman guy because it would add a level of intrigue to a possible rivalry between Balor and Lesnar. If rumors are to be believed, Balor’s going to challenge Lesnar for the Universal Championship soon. If so, it would be interesting to see how this rivalry would play out between two of Heyman’s clients.

There’s also another interesting creative direction WWE can go in with this pairing. If WWE indeed does decide to create their own version of the Bullet Club with Balor as its leader (as it once was), they’d need a mouthpiece to cut their promos for them.

Balor cannot do this because his promos aren’t believable enough (even in NJPW, his actions spoke more than his words). Gallows & Anderson cannot do this because they lack credibility right now due to questionable booking.

Indeed, if WWE wanted this new stable to have legitimacy and be treated like a big deal by the fans, it would need a mouthpiece that actually has some credibility and is taken seriously whenever he speaks. That person is Heyman.

You don’t hear Heyman making corny bathroom jokes, nor does he waste his time with banal pop culture references (his references actually make sense). Heyman sells things as seriously as possible, and has the magical ability to make even the most insignificant detail be important. Remember the moment Brock Lesnar ended the Streak? The camera cut to Paul Heyman who was screaming as if Lesnar had legitimately killed someone.

Heyman is a one-of-a-kind personality in WWE right now; he’s rarely scripted and takes his clientele seriously. Because of this, people actually want to tune in to see Lesnar, or whomever else Heyman works with. Balor would benefit from this in many ways. In fact, there are no downsides of Balor becoming a Paul Heyman Guy. His career would only go up from there.

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