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4 ways in which Finn Balor could make his WWE return

Finn Balor has been absent from WWE programming since SummerSlam and will be taking around another month off, recharging his batteries after recently getting married. But after the nature of his last month in the ring, there is a lot to be desired for the former NXT Champion.

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Balor lost his Intercontinental Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura on the Extreme Rules kickoff show, before getting tormented by the Fiend. He was the first victim of Bray Wyatt's new alter-ego, perfectly transitioning into a two-month absence which he had requested in July. There are many possibilities for Balor, with a potentially open canvas in front of him to paint his picture.

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The creator of the Bullet Club will start afresh once he returns, with a couple of mouth-watering prospects which could become a reality. WWE should honestly begin to plan for the longer term and have stories ready for each Superstar, whether they are currently active or taking time off. The Irishman is no exception.

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So with that being said, here are four possible ways in which Finn Balor could make his WWE return.

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#4 Trying to regain the IC Title

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Unfinished business?
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You would be forgiven for forgetting that Finn Balor was the Intercontinental Champion from WrestleMania until Extreme Rules this year. This is because of the unmemorable nature of his reign that left a lot to be desired. Yes, there were some fun matches. However, they were few and far between, with the WildCard rule preventing SmackDown's midcard from getting a chance to shine.

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Balor had a couple of solid IC title defenses before dropping it to Shinsuke Nakamura in a short but entertaining match. The former NXT Champion could return on the Blue brand to challenge for the title he recently lost.

The Intercontinental Championship will be contested between Nakamura and The Miz at Clash Of Champions, but one would believe that the King of Strong Style will retain the belt, especially with his brand new alliance with Sami Zayn.

A feud with Nakamura and Zayn would certainly produce some really good matches while setting up for the future by playing the numbers game on Balor. But we will get to that later.

#3 A return to NXT

Will he return home?
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Finn Balor is arguably one of the biggest stars in NXT history. He had an excellent run at Full Sail, being at the top of the card during many historic moments during the evolution of the brand. Balor was the NXT Champion during the first Takeover show at the Barclays Center, as well as when NXT took over WrestleMania weekend in Dallas. He is still a beloved figure over there and would get a monster reaction at any time if he ever returned there.

Now, in the further evolution of the brand, NXT will begin airing live on the USA Network from next week. This is a pretty big deal and it opens up many possibilities for main roster Superstars to move to the WWE's "third brand", especially with the speculated Draft coming up. Triple H's brand will need some big names for a boost in the early weeks at least, with none being much better than one of the greatest champions in NXT history.

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With the ridiculously stop-start nature of his booking on the main roster, a temporary move back to NXT could serve to remind Vince McMahon why he decided to push Balor to the moon when he first joined Monday Night Raw in 2016.

#2 The Demon vs The Fiend

Should Balor unleash the Demon on the Fiend?
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The last time we saw Balor on WWE programming was at SummerSlam, when he got absolutely mauled by The Fiend. It was Bray Wyatt's first match back and it was booked to perfection.

Once Balor returns, there is a possibility that he could be out for revenge. The Extraordinary Man unleashed the Demon on Wyatt back at SummerSlam 2017, so this year's events proved to be payback for the former cult leader.

With each of their alter egos gaining victories over the other, the stage could be set for an epic blow-off. Balor could transfer over to Raw in the rumored upcoming WWE Draft and challenge the Fiend to a clash against the Demon at a place like Survivor Series. It could even be for the Universal Championship if the Fiend does have a Hell in a Cell match for the title next month. However, a match like this would mean that Balor's face painted alter-ego must lose.

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The logic of the Demon has been flawed for a while, with Balor using it against Bobby Lashley and Andrade, but not against Brock Lesnar. Perhaps, a first main roster defeat for the Demon could spark a rebirth of sorts and make Balor even stronger.

#1 Joining the OC

Matter of time, perhaps?
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This is easily the most likely and the most attractive way in which Balor could return to WWE. He has never turned heel ever since signing for NXT back in 2014. This is a pretty long time, especially for someone who invented the biggest heel stable ever in Japan.

The timing also feels right. AJ Styles finally turned heel himself in July, aligning with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. He won the United States Championship and the Good Brothers won the Raw Tag Team Championship.

While Gallows and Anderson did lose their titles, the newly christened OC is in a prominent position every week on Raw. Balor could return and instantly turn heel, or we could have a slow burn which ends with the Irishman joining his old buddies. It would certainly freshen up his act if nothing else.

WWE needs to begin utilizing multi-man stables to full effect again and the OC is perfect for it. Balor joining would instantly make the group a much bigger deal, while possibly improving Raw as a whole. It would benefit everybody.

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Out of every option on this list, this is the one that would rekindle Finn Balor's buzz the most. It's about time that WWE shakes things up. Let the OC run Monday nights for a while and see how they do.

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Edited by
Kevin Christopher Sullivan
 
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