WWE: The Case Against Finn Balor’s Demon King

 The last time we saw Finn Balor’s Demon King was at WWE SummerSlam 2016. With no plans to return in the near future, we make the case maybe it should stay retired.

Last month, Finn Balor appeared on Sports Illustrated Now and answered that no, the Demon King will not make a return anytime soon. Right now, he said, he’s happy just going out there and popping his collar and handling things himself in WWE.

We shouldn’t expect to see Bray Wyatt vs. the Demon King at WWE SummerSlam, as the feud doesn’t require it. Sorry, Wyatt. Balor is right, he doesn’t need to use the Demon King and he certainly doesn’t need to use it right now.

The first time we saw the Demon King back in NXT, it was wild. It was so completely unlike anything we had ever seen before. A supernatural gimmick with an off button sounds like a brilliant idea. In theory, it keeps the gimmick from getting stale. The problem with that, however, is that while WWE tries to make a distinction between the two sides of Balor, nothing actually changes between them. Sure, sometimes we get the collar-popping, leather-jacket-wearing, too smart, too cool, and experienced veteran, and sometimes we get a literal demon who crawls on the floor. Unfortunately, it just feels like the first version of Balor spent seven hours in makeup that day.

Balor’s move set doesn’t change. He’s not more aggressive or reckless as the Demon King. If the purpose is to get inside the head of his opponent, the Ascension may very well be the last time anyone sold it. WWE spent weeks when Balor first debuted on Raw trying to explain to us what the Demon King was. Storytime with Fergal, as I like to call it, didn’t add drama as Balor, in his very nice suit, explained the legend of the Eye of Balor. It just made him look like a bit of a nerd.

The current WWE audience isn’t into the mystical supernatural storylines the way they once were. Still, this segment sucked out any suspension of disbelief they had.  It over explained the whole thing while also not really saying much of anything at all.

When Balor was doing the body paint New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was a creative expression. Balor, who is clearly a very creative person, designed elaborate paints based on his favorite supervillains. It was a way for him to show his mindset for this match, was he a Joker today, or a Venom? Since WWE picked up the gimmick, they’ve struggled to do anything nearly as interesting with it. WWE is probably a bit concerned with copyright infringements and definitely looking to make it as marketable as possible. As a result, Balor’s paints are consistent to the point that they blend together. We know what he’s going to look like when he comes out in the paint.

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There’s also no sense of what it means for Balor to be the Demon. What does becoming the Demon allow him to do that he can’t do without the body paint? If it changes something deep within him, why would he not do it all the time? Even if he didn’t need the Demon to beat Wyatt, he would use it unless it cost him something to do that. So then, what does it cost him? The fact that we have all these questions prove that the Demon King just doesn’t quite work. Other gimmicks don’t make a lot of sense but they embrace it. Wyatt isn’t just a dude 90% of the time, he’s all in. Unless Balor is going to go all in on the Demon King, why are we even bothering?

It’s true, Balor doesn’t need the Demon King to defeat Wyatt. He’s got the win-loss record of a high-level jobber and this feud has nothing behind it. There was no transgression, no spark to start the fire, we don’t even know why they’re fighting. But at the same time, even if Balor was going up against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, he wouldn’t need the Demon King. He doesn’t need it because Finn Balor is more interesting than the Demon King. His façade of nonchalant swag is at odds with his genuinely likable personality. If WWE wants duality, that’s the one they should be focusing on. Balor is the guy that is so very cool. He’s also the guy who’s afraid of being remembered for blowing his chance.

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He’s unattainably gifted and yet downright relatable. That is something special. The Demon King might sell merch but it doesn’t hold up. It feels like a distraction, not an asset. The gimmick is murky and somehow uninspired. We could have the Demon King at SummerSlam but why? It’s far more interesting to watch Balor make his incredibly cool entrance, pop his collar, throw out a too-sweet, but then look around at the crowd and smile like he can’t believe this is his life. Balor simply doesn’t need the Demon King.