Finn Balor has found himself in sticky situation on WWE Raw with a Bray Wyatt feud that has confused fans.
Since Finn Balor returned to television right after WrestleMania things just haven’t worked out for the Irishman like fans had hoped for. Balor has found himself in a couple feuds that haven’t gone anywhere. With this current feud with Bray Wyatt, it has seemed to have done more harm than good for both men. Balor’s current placement on WWE Raw raises the question, what can be next for him?
With this whole Sister Abigail ordeal, it’s really hard to say what the company is trying to put forth with this ongoing storyline. A feud featuring these two Superstars has suffered from carelessness because the potential could have been huge for this feud to have a great outcome. Both Balor and Wyatt have complex characters that are great in their own sense that embraces the dark side.
Furthermore, with ties to their respective stables, fans can only hope for the opportunity to present itself considering Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are already on Raw. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are back together as a tag team on the blue brand. It seems like a good idea for both men on the idea of a possible return to Raw. The scenario is there however it doesn’t look promising for fans that are hoping the feud is salvageable.
There just hasn’t been any TLC (pun intended) put into this and it greatly shows. Balor is in great need of redemption considering that his comeback hasn’t been what anyone has hoped for. This comes to a point here, and that is perhaps a change of attitude will do Balor some good. Meaning, should he turn heel?
Considering that amongst the feuds Balor hasn’t even been granted the chance to regain the Universal Championship. Technically his rematch clause could still be valid (if they were able to do this with Randy Orton a couple years ago, then a case could be figured out with Balor) which right there can properly start his progress to redemption. It was apparent last summer that there were big plans for Balor before the untimely shoulder injury that happened at SummerSlam. What I am saying is that instead of patiently waiting, Balor can just take his chance with a newfound attitude to go with it.
Or perhaps that could take a detour to put an end to Wyatt once and for all with a Club reunion? Maybe a possible Club vs. The Shield could happen sooner rather than later? So many ideas, but what plans are and how it plays out are a different story.
Either way, turning heel can do wonders for the former Universal Champion. The reasons why are really no surprise however, it presents a bigger picture.
Source: WWE.com via Twitter
1. Revives Balor’s Character
While I touched on every reason in the introduction, the biggest thing here is that a heel turn may propel Balor into a new direction. It’s as if Balor is going nowhere with the current state of his feud with Wyatt. Turning heel changes the game, and from there Balor would be able to do so much more than what he is presently doing.
A new attitude brings intrigue and investment in a Superstar such as Balor. Fans love Balor, especially kids. While this is a huge selling point for Balor, interchanging between good and evil is necessary in his case. He is too big of a star to waste away in midcard feuds. Giving Balor’s character new life presents the chance to create new and hopefully better stories for the former NXT Champion.
With losses to both Wyatt and Elias Samson in addition to coming up short at Extreme Rules during the summer, Balor could use this to justify his newfound behavior should he go there with it. His character could have all this pent-up frustration with not being able to make a mark on the main roster. Snapping and taking it out on others tells the story that he’s not playing games anymore and he’s going to take care of business.
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2. Regaining Universal Championship
Fans are pulling for bigger things to happen with Balor. They might not like if he turns heel, but smart fans could appreciate what Balor can do as heel given his past work. He has yet to be heel in WWE, and perhaps there’s no better time than now to start. Taking that brass ring and pursue the Universal Championship is something that hasn’t been addressed on programming.
Pursuing the Championship won’t happen overnight, especially when the Champion is Brock Lesnar. I wrote a story on this site during the summer of the possibility of a Balor Club being the perfect foil for Lesnar’s dethroning. The idea of that story could have been really huge if the company ever went for it. It did not happen, and with rumors of Lesnar’s schedule and storyline plans it looks more of a wasted opportunity.
Let’s say if Balor is heel and he’s coming for the Championship. While it could take months, Balor’s pursuit of the gold has to be consistent. His moments would need to count in the biggest way possible. The focus on Balor has to be primary every week on Raw. Commitment to Balor and consistency to promote him as the top heel (because let’s face it, the potential is there) is a must. Winning the Championship completes his story from 2016 and he can move on past that.
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3. Reuniting with The Club
With The Club looking to be lost in the shuffle in the Tag Team Division, having Balor reunite with his Good Brothers would kill two birds with one stone in this case.
There are so many good possibilities with this – it is already there, but when does the situation present itself? The Shield just reunited this past Monday on Raw, it has to be a matter of time before Balor, Gallows and Anderson bury the hatchet themselves. If Balor and Wyatt’s feud brought the two stables together, perhaps fans can forgive creative a little bit depending on how it played out.
But even past that, going back to The Shield – The Bullet Club and The Shield were the two top stables of pro wrestling five years ago. That is a feud WAITING to happen. Having the prime opportunity just there on Raw every week is mindblowing. It took almost two decades for NWO and DX to duke it out in the ring for an epic moment at WrestleMania 31. It would be a crime if that happened with The Club and The Shield. That is WrestleMania material there just waiting to present itself. With how fans receive the rumors of the WrestleMania 34 main event, this would be a much better way to go.
Next: WWE Raw: 3 Things The Shield Could Do
But sometimes it just makes out to where we can’t have it all, but it’s a matter of what the plans are and what can really be done.