WWE TLC 2018: Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre can tease a future title feud
Over the weekend, a few more matches were announced for WWE TLC 2018, and recent rivals Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre will settle their differences in one-on-one action, barring any changes to the card. While entertaining, this is one of those matches where the fans would prefer to see neither man lose.
Since joining the WWE main roster during the Superstar Shakeup, former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre has laid waste to the Raw roster alongside Dolph Ziggler. At WWE TLC 2018, McIntyre will focus his attention on Finn Balor, who has tried to stand up to Raw’s resident psychopath, albeit with disastrous consequences.
McIntyre is an undefeatable machine on Monday nights, and he’s seemingly shaped the direction of Raw with his bare fists. Though he hasn’t captured the Universal Championship yet, he’s never been in the picture, instead winning the Raw Tag Team Titles with Ziggler and helping his partner secure Intercontinental Championship gold.
To this point, McIntyre hasn’t been pinned, and the buzz around his impending push is growing. Brock Lesnar is holding the Universal Title captive again, but his days are numbered, whether his loss comes at the hands of McIntyre or current rival Braun Strowman.
It looks like McIntyre will be on a fast-track to the Universal Championship in a few months, but his TLC opponent, Finn Balor, is brought into the conversation any time the red title is mentioned. Balor, of course, became the first Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016, defeating Seth Rollins. Since then, he’s had just one opportunity at the title, taking Roman Reigns to the limit in an incredible Raw after SummerSlam match.
While McIntyre is arguably the most protected wrestler on Raw, aside from perhaps Brock “I like my steaks medium well” Lesnar, Balor has also been protected…on Pay Per View.
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Balor isn’t really a threat to win the Universal Title in the near future, as he’s unlikely to get into the ring with Lesnar. And when it comes to Raw matches, WWE has no qualms with having Balor on the losing side. He’s often pinned by the main event heels, and he’s lost several excellent Intercontinental Championship matches to Seth Rollins on television.
But on Pay Per View, Balor rarely loses. In fact, he only loses in big multi-man matches, and even in those, WWE tends to give him some rub. Recall that Balor lasted longer than any other man in the Royal Rumble, and he also got some offense in against Strowman at Elimination Chamber.
Of course, what helps Balor’s Pay Per View record so much is “The Demon”. He beat AJ Styles, squashed Baron Corbin, and had his way with Bray Wyatt in this attire. When Balor doesn’t show up as “The Demon”, it’s usually in a multi-man match, where he’s no threat to win. Fans can count Money in the Bank and the Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat at WrestleMania 34 as other examples of multi-man losses for Balor on PPV.
But when he’s on his own, Balor wins on PPV, even when he isn’t in “The Demon” attire. Just ask Wyatt and Corbin, who found defeating Balor on PPV much more difficult than defeating the Monday Night Raw workhorse on the weekly show itself.
There’s a minuscule chance of McIntyre getting pinned by Balor at TLC, but the chance does exist that WWE decides to sacrifice McIntyre’s streak to plant a seed for Finn. McIntyre vs. Balor looks like an excellent Universal Championship program down the road, so the key for WWE is to tease this as a future rivalry without hurting either man.
There’s no harm in McIntyre losing to Balor, even if it’s a significant defeat. Losses can set off wrestlers’ characters, unless if it’s someone WWE doesn’t care about writing for (which isn’t the case for McIntyre), so that’s one layer here to consider as well.
And there’s no harm in Balor losing to McIntyre. He probably won’t show up as “The Demon” for a match with nothing on the line, and a rare Pay Per View loss as himself, particularly against a wrestler who is practically invincible, isn’t a big deal.
But these are aspects of this match to consider as we head into TLC. Both of these men are immensely popular, with McIntyre positioned as a future champion and Balor likely to win a world title again one day. Fans don’t want to see either man lose, which is why a bizarre finish, a branching point in plot, or even a chance to the card could all be in play for a match that was suddenly announced about two weeks before the Pay Per View.
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McIntyre and Balor have a reason to want to tear each other apart, but that animosity will only grow in the future with something more meaningful on the line, especially if WWE plays their cards right at TLC.