Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley are on a collision course this WrestleMania season, and while Lashley should have a long reign with the Intercontinental Championship, Finn should get the upper-hand on “The All Mighty” this week on WWE Raw.
Though he couldn’t quite conquer The Beast Incarnate, falling to the Kimura Lock after it looked like he’d be able to pull off a monumental upset at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View, Finn Balor’s spot as one of the top stars on WWE Raw has clearly been cemented. Now, Seth Rollins appears to be poised to become Raw’s top male star when he takes on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35, but Balor is very much the 1B to Rollins’s 1A right now.
Recently, WWE announced that Balor will take on Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley on Raw next week. This match comes on the heels of Lashley’s savage beatdown of Finn, just one night after Balor submitted to Lesnar.
As per usual, Lashley’s beatdown of Balor was merciless, as were Lio Rush’s biting words. Lashley and Rush have chosen to pick a fight with a dangerous man, but their reason for confidence is two-fold. Firstly, Lashley is incredibly dominant and likely sees the much smaller Balor – something Rush hypocritically used in his promo –as not being in his league. Secondly, despite all of Balor’s talents, he’s lost several Intercontinental Championship matches, including a Triple Threat at WrestleMania 34.
Balor and Lashley’s post-Royal Rumble rivalry could create an Intercontinental Championship match for WrestleMania 35, but that remains to be seen. Both because it’s too early to truly predict the championship matches, and because the Intercontinental Championship is generally known for having all-out multi-man matches at ‘Mania that showcase several members of a show’s mid-card scene.
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To help set up that rivalry – or at least strongly tease it – Balor should win on Raw. It’s a non-title match, so no harm is done to Lashley, who would ideally hold the title until at least WrestleMania; he and Rush are absolute gold together.
Plus, Finn needs to get a win and some more momentum on his side after a tough loss to Lesnar. Though Balor looked strong in defeat, as all of Lesnar’s smaller opponents have, he’s being primed for another championship win in 2019. While it would feel weird for Finn to win the IC Title before regaining the Universal Title, it seems like he may be going that route. If so, a win over Lashley on Raw in a non-title match is one way of setting that up.
WWE has been criticized for not having any strong babyfaces, but that’s honestly changed over the past several months – and Finn Balor has become one of those strong faces on WWE Raw, along with the likes of The Boss’N’Hug Connection and Seth Rollins. Having Balor make a statement following a loss to Lesnar and a vicious beatdown at Lashley’s hands would be wise, and, again, it wouldn’t hurt Lashley in any way.
With his size, strength, experience, and manager, Lashley is a made man with the Intercontinental Championship around his waist. But it seems like Balor is coming after the prized title after Lashley’s attack last week, and Balor needs to show that he can hold his own against “The All Mighty”.