WWE: Finn Balor should make the jump to SmackDown next week

Finn Balor finally earned an impressive WWE WrestleMania moment on Sunday night, defeating Bobby Lashley to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

It’s been a tough road for Balor since he returned to WWE Raw on the Monday following WrestleMania 33. Since, fans have been waiting for him to do something that they can get behind, but the programs he has been working have left much to be desired. Hopefully, his second Intercontinental title win will propel him back up the card.

It’s definitely possible when you consider what Seth Rollin’s reign did for him last year. Still, it won’t matter if Finn is champion or not if WWE doesn’t give him some interesting feuds to sink his teeth into. The biggest hindrance to Balor’s momentum is that they kept putting him in never-ending programs, with opponents that just weren’t that interesting.

The storylines with Bray Wyatt and Baron Corbin were a real chore to sit through, and the stuff with Lashley wasn’t much better. Nonetheless, the Superstar Shake-up is next week, and Finn Balor could really benefit from the change of scenery and some new matchups. It may be time for him to leave Raw, and head to SmackDown.

Admittedly, it’s hard to accept that Balor never got another Universal Championship reign. Given the way he was forced to vacate the title, he deserved a meaningful run as champion. Recently, he got two shots at the title, but they both felt like matches he was destined to lose. But even so, it feels like WWE waited too long to address the fact that he never lost the title.

Despite the missed opportunities on Raw, moving Balor to SmackDown could reinvigorate his character. This could be the chance to finally put Finn and AJ Styles on the same brand. Fans have been clamoring to see the former Bullet Club figureheads do anything together since Balor came up to the main roster. There has been plenty of teases and their match at TLC in 2017 was enjoyable. Still, there’s so much untapped potential there.

Even if Styles goes to Raw, which honestly isn’t a bad idea either, there are still so many other opponents who Finn hasn’t faced yet on the main roster. Daniel Bryan, Andrade, Aleister Black, and Ali all immediately come to mind.

Even more, a program with Shinsuke Nakamura could be great for both of them. They have a history together going back to both NXT and New Japan. Nakamura’s heel character would be a good foil for Balor. In addition, he is debatably one of the most well known IWGP Intercontinental Champions. It would be fun to see him challenge for the WWE equivalent of the championship he helped to legitimize in New Japan.

This also feels like as good of a time as any for Balor to make a run at the WWE Championship. The last three champions were also smaller guys, proving WWE is more willing to make someone like Finn Balor the face of the company than they have in the past.

Heading to the blue brand could be just what Finn Balor needs. A change in direction and some new opponents could help everyone involved. He’s one of the most popular wrestlers with the company even with the material he’s given. Just think of what he could do with more.