WWE NXT: This is the best Finn Balor has ever been in the company
Although Finn Balor was once WWE NXT’s longest-reigning men’s champion and was the main roster’s first ever Universal Champion, the current iteration of Balor is the best he’s ever been in the company.
For years, WWE fans got their hopes up for Finn Balor. They prayed that Vince McMahon would unleash “Prince Devitt”, turning Balor heel and allowing the “REAL Rock’N’Rolla” to take control on Monday nights.
But instead of a character mirroring his successful, Demon-based babyface persona in NXT or his wildly popular character in NJPW, Finn kept on smiling…and losing.
Last year, he received a lifeline in the form of a move to NXT. Only a select few wrestlers will be moved from Raw and SmackDown to NXT going forward, and they will be wrestlers who fit the brand’s identity, as per reporting from Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue.
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Balor is clearly someone who has always fit the brand’s identity.
And since moving to NXT in October to give the USA Network’s newest wrestling show some added star power as a brand on equal footing with the others, Balor has flourished.
His heel work has been exactly what wrestling fans have been begging for over the years, and Triple H and NXT have finally given one of the company’s best all-around performers the platform to showcase himself fully.
Balor’s rivalry with Johnny Gargano sealed the fact that THIS is the best he’s ever been during his time in the company. And the argument can be made that, due to his added maturity as a performer, this is the best he’s ever been, period.
A seasoned performer at the age of 38, Balor remains in phenomenal shape athletically. Gargano is one of the best in-ring performers we have ever seen in the history of this business, setting the pace at TakeOver Specials every time, no matter the circumstances or opponents. On the highest quality shows that WWE has to offer, Gargano is consistently a stand out performer.
And Balor matched “Johnny Wrestling” at TakeOver: Portland, putting on yet another classic.
Balor’s had great matches in WWE with the likes of Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and AJ Styles. But this match with Gargano was his best in WWE. Point blank. Not even the matches with Reigns can be compared to the banger he and Gargano produced in Portland.
The story of the match settled around the 1916, which has always been an important part of Balor’s moveset. That he can use it regularly as a finisher is crucial to Balor, and its allowance on WWE NXT Television is a great example of how much the Black and Gold brand’s freedom aids Finn.
He can show remorselessness as a character, bringing a biting edge to his words in promos that he was unable to show on, say, Raw. The build to the Gargano/Balor match itself was fantastic, too, particularly the final war of words between two of WWE’s best in-ring talents.
Next. Matt Hardy is Unkillable. dark
It will be exciting to see how Balor ups his game throughout 2020, because he has been able to show wrestling fans exactly how damn good he is. From his promos to his brawls to his work in the ring, Balor is an advanced story-teller and performer who is only beginning to piece together what will potentially be the best year of his career.