John Cena Reportedly Asked WWE For Finn Balor To Pin Him For A Star-Making Moment
Finn Balor looked like an absolute star on the most recent episode of Raw, defeating Jinder Mahal in a grueling singles match before pinning John Cena in an electric Fatal Four-Way to earn an opportunity at The Beast Incarnate.
WWE‘s first-ever Universal Champion, Finn Balor is among the most popular wrestlers in the world but hadn’t quite been able to register as a big star on the main roster over the past couple of years. Aside from tearing down the house on the Raw after SummerSlam with Roman Reigns in an impromptu Universal Championship match, Balor hasn’t been given any real opportunities at the title since relinquishing the belt just days after he won it at SummerSlam 2016.
But Balor is back on top now, having pinned John Cena himself in the main event of Raw this week. Not only did Balor have to defeat Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Cena in a Fatal Four-Way match that, as Vince McMahon noted in a segment earlier that night, made him an underdog due to his perceived size disadvantage, but he also had to defeat Jinder Mahal earlier in the show.
When Balor hit Cena with Coup de Grace and held the 16-time champion’s legs tightly for a heartfelt 1-2-3, Balor had a star-making moment. And after the match was over, Cena raised his hand and gave Balor the kindest of words, stating that the man he beat with an Avalanche AA last year had made him one more believer.
Of course, since Balor helped build the NXT brand to what it is today, won the first Universal Title, and was booked to win in this manner, WWE has always believed in the “Extraordinary Man”. In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso wrote that Cena asked WWE for him to take the pinfall on Raw in order to make Finn a bigger star.
That’s awesome, but it isn’t uncharacteristic of Cena, who has done everything in his power, contrary to what some believe, to push younger stars in WWE. He was Seth Rollins’s hot tag on a recent episode of Raw and did the same for Becky Lynch, putting over WWE’s next big star big-time during their segment and match, as well as in a web-exclusive segment.
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Balor’s pinfall victory over Cena was immense, and it seems like WWE is ready to make him look like a star against Brock Lesnar at the Rumble, even if Finn is the heavy underdog. Though nobody expects him to win, the WWE Universe seems ready to cheer their lungs out for Balor, who is finally headed for a top spot again.