6 Directions for Finn Bálor On His Way to WrestleMania

In an ideal world, Finn Bálor would be going into WrestleMania as the undefeated Universal Champion, all set for an epic clash against a worthy Royal Rumble winner like Samoa Joe or Cesaro. Instead, he’s walking around the back twiddling his thumbs, waiting to find out if he’ll even be on the card.

The ship for the Universal Title has well and truly sailed without Bálor on board, but there’s a plethora of other options for him at The Grandest Stage of Them All. There’s no way the iron man of this year’s Rumble is being left off the card at Mania; he’s too talented and popular with the crowd, and if you look closely, the plans for his match might already be underway.

Of course, some options may seem like nothing more than fantasy booking, but there’s a glimmer of hope in each one. No matter which road Bálor takes to Mania, one thing is for sure: he’ll definitely be on the card.

 

1. The André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Where do all the Superstars that Vince McMahon has nothing planned for end up at WrestleMania? Yep, that’s right: The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. For the past four years, we’ve been subjected to this filler match that has no meaning so everyone can get some time in front of the camera. While no winner has gone on to achieve mega stardom since lifting the trophy, Finn Bálor could be the one to change all that for the better by giving the match a purpose.

“The Demon King” proved that he can shine in over-the-top-rope matches at the Royal Rumble. In his very first Rumble appearance, Bálor started at No. 2 and made it to the final four. He lasted the longest at 57 minutes 38 seconds and tied with Roman Reigns for the most eliminations with four. With those credentials, it’s hard to argue he wouldn’t be a favourite if he entered the Memorial Battle Royal.

People are certain that Vince McMahon has no interest in Finn Bálor; the WWE could use this knowledge to troll the fans by giving him nothing to do until the announcement of the ATGMBR. From there, Bálor could go on to win the whole thing and declare that his victory makes him worthy of being the No. 1 contender for the Universal Title at Backlash the month after Mania.

 

2. The Cruiserweight Championship Tournament

Adding Finn Bálor to the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament could either be a nail in the coffin for “The Demon King”, or it could be the saving grace of 205 Live. The Cruiserweight Title is meant to be held by the best wrestler under 205 lbs, and there’s no arguing that Bálor fits the bill.

In an effort to make the tournament feel special, WWE drafted in two big names for the competition in the inaugural UK Champion Tyler Bate and NXT fan favourite Roderick Strong. With WWE bringing in talent from their other brands, it’s not out of the question that Bálor could soon be chasing after the purple belt too, advancing to the finals at WrestleMania. He meets the weight limit, he’s a hit with the crowd, and having a former Universal Champion on the hunt for the Cruiserweight Title adds an air of legitimacy to the championship.

WWE want to being anew after the embarrassment Enzo Amore caused them. They drafted in a General Manager for 205 Live in the form of the expert talker Drake Maverick (formerly known as Rockstar Spud), and now they need a champion to become the main ambassador for the brand. There are many wrestlers on 205 Live who could do the belt justice, but WWE need to add as much credibility to the division as possible. A ready-made star like Finn Bálor could be just what’s needed to pull the cruiserweights out from the dregs.

 

3. inserting him into the wwe championship match

Losing the Royal Rumble and failing to qualify for the No. 1 contender Elimination Chamber match means that Bálor is currently out of the world championship scene (assuming he fails to win the “last chance” fatal four-way next week on Raw). There’s one more way for Bálor to challenge for a main title, and that’s by throwing his hat into the ring against AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.

So far, it looks like WWE are having a face challenger square up to a face champion. There’s over two months to go before WrestleMania, and a heel turn for Styles would add an extra element to the match. The last time Styles was a heel champion, he drafted in Gallows & Anderson to help him beat the competition, but the former Raw Tag Team Title holders are currently running mates with another Bullet Club leader: Finn Bálor. Following an attempt to get Gallows & Anderson to join Styles on SmackDown Live to “beat up Nakamura”, Bálor could offer “The Phenomenal One” a proposition; add him to the title match at Mania, and if either of them wins, they become WWE Champion and leader of The Club.

For this scenario to work, Nakamura must come out as the winner. With neither Styles nor Bálor being the victor, they can continue to feud for the leadership of The Club, culminating at the Money in the Bank PPV. WWE plans on making the event part of the “Big Five”, and a match with such high stakes can help elevate it to that position, all while Nakamura reigns as WWE Champion.

 

4. A Six-Man Tag Match With bálor club

When Bálor walked out a few weeks ago to battle Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Jason Jordan, there was no hiding that massive grin on his face. Getting to team with his real-life friends in Gallows & Anderson obviously means a lot to Finn, and he may well do it again at WrestleMania. The only issue is finding another three-man team to take on The Bálor Club.

The Miztourage is an option, but Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel aren’t a credible threat. The Shield are another choice, but Roman Reigns will probably be busy doing something else that night, and Dean Ambrose is unlikely to be back from his injury. With The New Day competing on Smackdown Live, it might be time for a few NXT call-ups.
The Undisputed Era seem to be a main fixture going forward in NXT, so they’re unlikely to challenge Bálor Club, but there’s one more stable that’s definitely ready to join the main roster, and that’s Sanity.

Eric Young, Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe are a formidable force that thrive on chaos. There’s no doubt the crowd will be behind the debut of the stable if it’s done correctly, and immediately going after one of the biggest factions on Raw will cement Sanity’s status as a threat in WWE. As long as the preparations aren’t left to the last minute, this six-man tag match could definitely be worthy of a spot on the WrestleMania card.

5. An Intercontinental Title Match Against The Miz

For years at WrestleMania, the IC belt has been relegated to either the pre-show or to a multi-man ladder match. There is one bout the world wants that could finally see the strap get the WrestleMania moment it deserves though, Finn Bálor vs. The Miz.

The Miz has done an incredible job making the Intercontinental Championship a prestigious title again, but to push it back into the upper echelons, he needs to defend it on The Grandest Stage of Them All against a seriously good challenger.

When it became apparent that Bálor wasn’t going to be taking back the Universal Title that he never lost, fans were at least hoping to see him chase after the next best thing on Raw. Miz and Bálor don’t have any plans set in stone for Mania yet, and there’s plenty of time to hype the match up so it feels like a big deal.

While this would be a great use of two talented wrestlers, there’s one detail that needs to be taken into account – the due date of Miz’s child. By the looks of things, there’s a real possibility that the baby will be born on the day of WrestleMania. If so, Miz has already said he will not miss the birth, meaning we may not see the IC Title at all come Mania if the A-Lister is still champion.

 

6. A Match Against John Cena

If anyone on the roster should have beef with the leader of the Cenation, it’s Finn Bálor. Cena ruined Bálor’s chances of winning the Royal Rumble, and he stopped him from qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match. Surely, “The Demon King” won’t take that lying down.

The rumours that Cena will be challenging The Undertaker at WrestleMania don’t have any evidence to support them; there was no interaction between the two at Raw 25, and Taker didn’t make an appearance at the Rumble or on Raw the night after. Although there’s still time left for Cena and Taker to enter into a program, the 16-time world champion would definitely be used better in a big stage clash against an opponent who doesn’t need to be carried to the end. Not only would a fight with Bálor be more exciting, they already have a storyline to work with, given everything that’s happened between them lately.

Bálor could easily take the role of the heel in a feud with Cena. Angry at losing two opportunities to face Brock Lesnar at Mania, he could sneak into the Elimination Chamber as Shawn Michaels did before him and attack Cena – hopefully leading to Elias pinning the Fruity Pebble before Reigns goes on to inevitably win the whole thing.
There’s a lot that can be done with this feud, including reintroducing Cena to Gallows & Anderson, and if Bálor can come out as the victor, he will certainly find his way back into the Universal Title picture.

With WrestleMania still over 60 days away, a whole host of new opportunities could open up for Finn Bálor. Here’s hoping they make a good choice for the man’s debut at The Grandest Stage of Them All.