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What a difference a day can make.
On Friday, October 20th, 2017, we all thought that we would get possibly one of the most hilariously bad matches of the year in Finn Balor as the Demon, taking on Bray Wyatt as Sister Abigail. Instead, a curious case of the mumps intervened, and we wound up with something far better.
In what was easily the best match of the night, Finn Balor scored a victory over AJ Styles after a hard-fought, back-and-forth affair. It was exactly what Balor needed after the Bray Wyatt tar pit he's been trapped in since the summer.
It was a minor miracle. Finn narrowly avoided the catastrophe of being seen in the ring against Bray Wyatt in drag, which would have completed the cycle of turning him into a laughing stock along with him.
The Sister Abigail segment on the October 9th Raw elicited audible laughs from the audience, and the go-home segment with the Demon was also atrocious, with the "pumpkin demon" instantly becoming a meme.
Now that fate has intervened with nicer things, it's imperative that Finn Balor moves on from this feud with Bray Wyatt. Technically it would leave the story without an ending, but it's not one anyone wanted to see anyway.
Thanks to the fantastic clash with AJ Styles, Balor has gained back what respect he lost, and it's vital that he keeps it, especially since it's likely that he'll be Brock Lesnar's next opponent on the Road to WrestleMania.
Given the examples of Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, who cooled down somewhat after losing to Brock Lesnar, a loss for Finn Balor, after the ridiculousness of the Bray Wyatt feud, wouldn't have done wonders for his long-term career.
WWE needs to take the hint after TLC and move on from this program. Wyatt will probably return to action sooner rather than later, but few want to see him rekindle his feud with Balor.
With Survivor Series now around the corner, it would be the perfect excuse to break off the feud, which probably would have happened after TLC anyway (although it has been one that never ends when it should, so you never know). Survivor Series is going to be Raw vs. SmackDown, and Finn Balor will likely be put into one of the marquee matches to represent his brand.
With a second encounter with AJ Styles a possibility as part of that Survivor Series card, it would occupy Finn Balor's energy, and more importantly, the fans' attention.
AJ Styles came to TLC on short notice and took a long flight from South America. He probably wasn't well-rested and he certainly didn't have much time to put the match together with Finn Balor. Yet, it was still the best match of the night by no small measure.
Imagine what kind of a match they could put on together with proper preparation.
I'd love for the two of them to go at it again at Survivor Series, one on one, representing their brands. It would go a long way to blunting the impact of what's sure to be a lacklustre main event between Brock Lesnar and Jinder Mahal. It would also help to build both Finn Balor and AJ Styles as forces to be reckoned with against their brands' respective champions.
Though if it turns out that the two are part of different teams, that's OK too.
Whatever the plans are for Finn Balor's journey into Survivor Series, none of them should involve Bray Wyatt. WWE needs to pretend that this whole Sister Abigail thing never happened.
There's no saving the credibility of the Bray Wyatt character at this point, but Finn Balor has been granted a reprieve that needs to be made into a full-blown pardon. After all, he's still one of the most over guys on the roster, despite his meandering since returning from injury after WrestleMania.
Let him move on, finally!
As for Bray Wyatt? A face turn won't save him at this point. His horrible 2017 has been the final nail in the coffin of whatever kernel of credibility he had left. He sucks the heat out of everything with his ridiculousness, so he doesn't even serve as a good jobber to the stars anymore because he makes them look worse in the process of feuding with them.
Can anyone honestly say that Randy Orton or now Finn Balor have looked better after beating him in their feuds?
Bray Wyatt needs to be retired and Windham Rotunda needs to come back with an entirely new character. It's the only way.
