WWE Royal Rumble: The Demon Is The One To Defeat Brock Lesnar

Finn the man may not be the one to defeat Brock Lesnar, but if things are truly “different”, then The Demon should be the one to get the job done at WWE Royal Rumble.

The WWE Universe got a major surprise when Finn Balor played a major roll on this week’s Monday Night Raw. The Irish-born wrestler stood front and center as he became the number one contender to long-reigning champion, Brock Lesnar, with a match set for WWE Royal Rumble. Lesnar has been a force in the WWE, dominating every contender not named Roman Reigns.

However, if the WWE is committed to “shake things up” as they’ve been saying in recent weeks, one must wonder if we want Finn to defeat Brock when there’s a “Demon” waiting to emerge again.

When Finn confronted Vince McMahon during their segment, the seeds were planted that would lead to Balor having his hand raised after pinning John Cena. WWE Creative did an effective job not only getting Balor over, but they got him over a big-name wrestler in Cena without hurting two of the main heels on the brand in Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin.

McMahon knocked Balor for his size and stature and questioned whether he could come out on top. When overlaid with the fact that he had to overcome Jinder Mahal that evening, too; it’s clear that the goal was to present Balor as the underdog.

Now, he’s set to face the end boss in Lesnar at Royal Rumble. Lesnar, whose booking has led some to complain about his presence – or lack thereof, is in a precarious situation of his own. He’s rumored for multiple big fights in the UFC with either Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier. In the past, he’s been able to work for both companies, fighting on UFC 200 in July of 2016 then facing Randy Orton a month later at SummerSlam.

More from Daily DDT

• It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
• Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
• Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
• Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
• Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline

It’s well-known that the WWE has suffered dwindling ratings the last few months. While much of that is attributed to be the height of the NFL season. Without any games this past Monday, ratings were up 17 percent. But there’s also some room to place the blame on WWE Creative and WWE leadership for allowing Lesnar to be an absent champion. Excitement was prevalent when Reigns had the belt and that was immediately halted when the title was put back on The Beast.

This is where The Demon comes into play, and the booking is clear as day. With one Raw left before the Rumble, there should be a segment where both McMahon and Paul Heyman meet Balor in the ring. During the conversation, they remind Balor of the multiple times he’s failed in recent years facing off against bigger men on the main roster.

All the while, Lesnar (if he’s scheduled to be present) is leaning lackadaisically in the corner, laughing at this “little man” as his next challenger. The result if a fight starting, but Lesnar decimates Balor – leaving him laying in the ring. As he picks himself up and drags himself out of the ring, he’s stopped backstage and asked how he’s going to overcome Lesnar on Sunday. Without a word, Balor walks away and the segment ends.

There should be no announcement or lead in to letting fans know that the Demon has returned. He’s like a special character in a video game that players stumble upon. The surprise would create immediate intrigue as to whether or not Balor is booked to get the win. The Demon is undefeated on the main roster and this would add an element to a Lesnar match that has the potential to be cookie-cutter and boring without the change.

Even though everything possible has been done to attempt to throw water on Balor’s flame; he’s continued to be a star in the eyes of the fans. There was no mention of his surprise match against Jordan Devlin at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool; where he got the loudest pop of the evening and stole the show with his protégé – missing an opportunity to drive viewers to that great content. Every time Balor’s music hits there’s cheers and performing his entrance.

Balor has the look and abilities to be a central character that the WWE can build around. It was supposed to be “his time” when he won clean over both Reigns and Seth Rollins to become the Universal champion. An injury set him back in a way that he still hasn’t gotten over today. The only way to set things right would be to put the title back on him for another, longer term run.

Will it happen? Many are leaning toward the answer of “no” as he must defeat the WWE’s cash cow in Lesnar. While Finn the man may not be the one to get over on the former UFC champion, booking the Demon to do so would be a step in the right direction.