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Finn Balor is now in his second reign as Intercontinental Champion. He won the title again after calling upon his alter ego The Demon King and laying waste to The Almighty Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 35.
After moving from Raw to SmackDown Live, Balor will be looking for new competition to defend his title against. He recently beat familiar foe Andrade and will be on the hunt to defend his title regularly on his way to establish himself as a workhorse champion.
With the next pay-per-view event Money in the Bank only about three weeks away, we take a look at three men Balor hasn’t really had main roster feuds with, against whom he can defend his Intercontinental Championship and make this reign memorable.
#3 Buddy Murphy
Buddy Murphy has been all over WWE's various brands, and has competed on 205 Live and NXT in the past. As part of the Superstar Shake-up, he has now been made a member of the SmackDown roster which is a major boost for the extremely talented superstar.
Murphy was the Cruiserweight Champion heading into WrestleMania 35 and was a worthy champion for almost six months before losing it to Tony Nese at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Finn Balor is not a heavyweight, and has a great aerial fighting style which can result in great matches with one of the best high-flyers Buddy Murphy. The two would complement each other well inside the ring.
We’ve watched Balor compete with Ali and give us a stellar match, and Buddy Murphy has the potential of doing even better with the Intercontinental Championship on the line.
Murphy has a tendency to play a really good heel character, and their feud will surely go a long way in forming Murphy's first impression for the fans.
#2 Randy Orton
The Viper is a one-time Intercontinental Champion, but has been without a championship for some time now.
Randy Orton has been one of the faces of WWE for over a decade, and the veteran somehow manages to find relevance and bring much-needed prestige to his rivalries due to his reputation.
Randy Orton and Finn Balor haven’t had a rivalry in the past, and a program between these two men will surely increase the viewership, and bring more attention to the Intercontinental Championship.
Since Randy Orton is one of the biggest villains on SmackDown, and Finn Balor is the newly drafted babyface, it has all the makings of a classic feud - even their styles mesh together, with Orton being the calculating, hard-hitting veteran and Balor the high-flying champion.
One way to spice things up will be if Balor assumes his Demon King alter ego, and we get The Demon vs. The Viper for the Intercontinental Championship at a pay-per-view.
#1 Aleister Black
Another man who knows how to carry a championship title well is Aleister Black. The superstar has been a great addition to the main roster after an excellent run as the NXT Champion.
Black is one of the most diverse wrestlers WWE has in their locker room today, and he has a tendency of matching each superstar with a different style and skill, which has made him a stand-out performer since the past year or so.
After moving to the main roster, Black was paired with Ricochet in a tag team and both performers competed as babyfaces.
However, a move to SmackDown and parting with Ricochet could see the former NXT Champion turn heel and go after a title on the main roster.
A match between Finn Balor and Aleister Black will surely be an excellent one, and if the Intercontinental Championship is on the line, we will get even better performance from both men. This also presents WWE with the opportunity to inculcate supernatural elements into the feud due to the gimmicks of the two performers.
