5 possible contenders from SmackDown for Finn Bálor's Intercontinental Championship 

WrestleMania season is now officially over and we are now moving on to the Superstar Shake Up, which would provide an opportunity for the WWE to explore new feuds and give impetus to individuals who seem to stuck in their current brands. In the past, the Superstar Shake-Up has benefited the likes of John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy and even Jinder Mahal, with the branch switch even leading to World Championship glory for a number of superstars.

Although it may not be possible for all the superstars to be a part of the main event title scene, the Superstar Shake-Up does open up a plethora of avenues in the mid-card. Hence, the mid-card titles, the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship also become targets for a number of superstars.

At WrestleMania 35, 'The Demon' Finn Bálor decisively defeated Bobby Lashley to become the Intercontinental Champion for the second time in his career. With the rivalry with Lashley seemingly done and dusted, Bálor would certainly be looking forward to newer opponents vying for his championship.

After the Superstar Shake-Up, Bálor may remain a part of the Raw roster, or may switch to the blue brand, SmackDown. Nevertheless, SmackDown currently does provide certain options for the WWE to pit against Bálor.

Let us look at 5 possible contenders from SmackDown for Finn Bálor's Intercontinental Championship.

#5 Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio is one of the greatest competitors in the history of WWE and his full-time return to the WWE in October 2018 was certainly a moment to rejoice for the WWE Universe. At SmackDown Live, he already has had excellent matches against the likes of Andrade and Randy Orton.

His quest for Samoa Joe's United States Championship at WrestleMania 35 may have turned out to be underwhelming. However, 'The Master of the 619' still holds loads of credibility in the ring.

Finn Bálor may be the perfect foil for Rey Mysterio, with both of the wrestlers being extremely athletic and agile. Due to the inherent babyface qualities of Rey, a feud between the two may give the WWE an opportunity for a possible heel turn for Finn Bálor, which may then be used as a push for The Demon King.

#4 Shelton Benjamin

Shelton Benjamin has had a rather underwhelming return to the WWE since August 2017, with his tag team with Chad Gable not reaching the expected heights at SmackDown Live. When Chad Gable switched over to Monday Night Raw after the Superstar Shake-Up 2018, Shelton Benjamin was left high and dry and since then, he has made sporadic appearances as a singles performer.

However, there is no doubt about the in-ring abilities of the former 'Gold Standard' as he is still hailed one of the best athletes in the WWE. Considering the time he has spent in the WWE, it is very easy to forget that he is a former United States Champion, a 3-time Intercontinental Champion and 2-time Tag Team Champion.

A feud with Finn Bálor for the Intercontinental Championship may once again push start the singles career of Shelton Benjamin. Considering their in-ring abilities, they will most certainly deliver good quality matches on a consistent basis.

#3 Ali (formerly known as Mustafa Ali)

After building up his reputation at WWE 205 Live, Ali has had an impactful stint at SmackDown Live so far.Immediately upon his main-roster debut, he was inserted into the main event scene on SmackDown competing against the likes of Daniel Bryan. An unfortunate injury just before Elimination Chamber 2019 led him to be sidelined for the event, only to be replaced by Kofi Kingston, and rest as we say, is now history.

Ali did compete in the WWE Championship match at Fastlane 2019 against Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens and although his presence was initially poorly received by the fans, his performance in the match made the crowds cheer for him once again in a matter of minutes.

With the Superstar Shake-Up coming up, it may provide Ali the perfect opportunity to push his main roster career forward with being involved in feuds for the mid-card titles such as the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship. Finn Bálor and Ali may very well have a rivalry based upon determining who is the better wrestler and athlete out of the two.

#2 Andrade (formerly known as Andrade 'Cien' Almas)

Although Andrade has been a part of the main roster since April last year, the opportunities given to him at SmackDown Live have been few and far between. During much of his run so far, he has not been given the opportunity to fully sink his teeth into any feud or rivalry.

For a short while, it seemed that he may be set for a feud with Rey Mysterio. However, those plans were nixed as Mysterio squared off against Samoa Joe for the United States Championship, while Andrade was a part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Despite the limited opportunities given to the former NXT Champion, he has produced a number of high-quality matches against the likes of AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio. A big push has always seemed around the corner for Andrade. The Superstar Shake-Up may just have come at the perfect time for Andrade as a switch to the red brand may bolster his career.

Andrade and Bálor have the abilities to produce high quality matches and it would be interesting to see the synergy between the two former NXT Champions. It may provide a push for both the individuals involved.

#1 Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura's main roster career so far could be termed as one of the most underwhelming. His highly successful run in the NXT made a success in the main-roster seemingly inevitable. However, owing to terrible booking decisions for months, his credibility has been severely reduced. He won the 2018 Royal Rumble with much fanfare to build up a dream match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34.

Unfortunately, all those expectations could not be fulfilled as the match was not of the quality as was expected and more importantly, Nakamura was on the losing end. The loss did translate into a heel turn. However, multiple losses in the following months against AJ Styles derailed all of his momentum. His United States Championship reign was also extremely underwhelming and currently he is stuck in a tag team with Rusev.

On the recent episode of SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens attacked Rusev, which may indicate an end to this tag team. The Superstar Shake Up may just give an opportunity for the WWE to actually shake things up for The King of Strong Style.

Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura have already squared off against each other at NXT and a rivalry between the two may bolster Nakamura's credibility. A possible title win may also lead to return to the main event scene for the legendary Japanese wrestler.