Finn Bálor
Flickr photo by Miguel Discart shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA 2.0) license.

Finn Bálor: The rise, the fall, and the comeback

Haris Gala·
WWE
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Finn Bálor, after his phenomenal success in NJPW and NXT, made his debut on the main roster of WWE RAW in July 2016…

The rise

With a marketable gimmick and a superstar-like entrance, Finn Bálor was destined to succeed in the company. Bálor is inarguably one of the rare gems NXT has produced, and he was lucky enough to win the brand’s most prestigious title during his debut PPV and first month.

After winning two matches on the same night, which included a hard-fought victory over Roman Reigns in singles competition, he went on to battle Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016. Bálor ultimately become the inaugural WWE Universal Champion – a bold move by the company which was highly appreciated by the entire WWE Universe.

The fall

Unfortunately, Bálor sustained a shoulder injury mid-match against Seth Rollins and his reign could not last beyond a day. He was forced to relinquish his championship the very next night on RAW.

It was a truly unfortunate event which highlighted the risks associated with constantly putting your body on the line. A monumental victory was doomed before Bálor even had the chance to defend his title.

Following the injury, many wrestling pundits suggested that Bálor would find it extremely difficult to regain the spotlight following his eventual return. They cited Vince McMahon’s reluctance to push people who’re unreliable and prone to injuries at inopportune times.

Given that Bálor had only just joined the roster before the setback, his career was expected to take a turn for the worse. He eventually made his return on RAW (the night after WrestleMania in 2017) and was greeted with a huge ovation. It was as if Bálor’s return breathed new life into the roster.

The comeback

Not long after, WWE began to reveal Bálor’s actual position on the roster. He was booked to tap out against Samoa Joe in a fatal five-way match on his first PPV match since his return and was later part of a largely forgettable feud against Bray Wyatt. Even after two consecutive victories by Bálor, the writers refused to end the feud until Bray Wyatt’s illness pushed them into a corner around TLC 2017.

This led to a last-minute dream match-up between Finn Bálor and AJ Styles. The match was nothing short of expectations as it gave fans a glimpse of what the two were capable of if a proper rivalry was established. Both men even acknowledged their shared history as part of NJPW‘s infamous ‘Bullet Club’.

Following this feud, Bálor was booked in a 50-50 fashion in terms of victories and defeats, leaving many to wonder what exactly was in store for him. He went on to become the Iron Man of the Royal Rumble match in 2018 and later suffered defeat against Seth Rollins in a triple threat match at WrestleMania. Mind you, it was a match in which he needed the victory and the Intercontinental Title more than Seth Rollins.

The pundits’ prediction eventually started to make sense. Bálor is a small guy and would seemingly always be considered a one-hit wonder, stagnating in the mid-card to upper mid-card level. The dream of Bálor regaining the Universal Title (which he never lost) began fading away. Even though he had the potential to become the most successful underdog in the company, Vince just refused to look beyond his size.

After months of mismanagement, WWE took the audience by surprise when Bálor started to regain his momentum with significant victories. It all started when he defeated Drew McIntyre at TLC 2018. Considering how carefully McIntyre was protected throughout the year, it felt like a big deal and provided some hope to the fans about WWE’s willingness to reinvest in Bálor.

Soon after, WWE did something that fans never saw coming. Bálor won a Fatal 4-Way match against John Cena, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin to win a shot at the WWE Universal Championship. It set up a much-anticipated encounter between Brock Lesnar and Finn Bálor – one that Lesnar had wanted for a year. Given how well Lesnar works against smaller guys (CM Punk, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan being prime examples), it was a match for everyone to really look forward to.

The post-match segment, in which John Cena voiced his admiration for Finn Bálor, rekindled some lost popularity. Only a few months ago, Bálor was lost in the shuffle – but now, seemingly out of nowhere, he has regained relevance and is fighting for the top prize against his toughest challenger till date.

There are no doubts that the match between Bálor and Lesnar will be great, but Bálor coming out victorious seems highly unlikely due to the lack of build for the feud.

However, this is only the start. Bálor winning a shot against Lesnar speaks volumes about the management’s new-found confidence in him.

If he manages to impress them again with his match against Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon might be willing to cave in to the fans’ demands and give Bálor another run with the title.

Brock Lesnar retaining the title seems inevitable because the booking suggests that the writers are heading towards Lesnar vs. Rollins at WrestleMania. Regardless of that, I’ll be supporting Finn Bálor simply because I’m a huge fan of the guy and his ‘Demon’.

He absolutely deserves a spot at the top for being such a workhorse for the company. Bálor has patiently waited for his share of success – and it’s seemingly on its way. The Demon will unleash its destruction very soon, even if not at the Royal Rumble.