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During his first run in NXT and portions of his main-roster career, the Demon King was a big part of Finn Balor's presentation. He brought it out to close out a feud or to help sell a huge match. He was supposed to use it against Bray Wyatt a few years ago, but an illness prevented that from happening.
When the new incarnation of Wyatt, The Fiend, confronted Finn Balor, it was thought that it would lead to a showdown between The Fiend and the Demon King. Instead, Balor was attacked by Wyatt and eventually moved back to NXT.
Once Finn Balor returned home to NXT, it seemed like perhaps the Demon King might appear anew. Instead, the first-ever Universal Champion has adopted a much more serious gimmick during his second stint in NXT.
However, the question still remains whether or not Finn Balor should utilize one of the biggest parts of his WWE character. Should he leave it in the past and continue to forge his new identity in NXT and WWE? Or should he dip back into the well at some point during this NXT run? Here are three reasons why Finn Balor should resurrect the Demon King and two reasons why he should not.
#3 Reason why Finn Balor should bring back Demon King gimmick in NXT - It would add something different to NXT
Up until the recent Xia Li/Boa storyline and the arrival of Karrion Kross, there really haven't been many supernatural or "out there" things in NXT. The last example that may come to mind is Sanity, but even that was almost three years ago.
There's something strange going on as Li and Boa both underwent training and rebirth under a mysterious new master. That new master made their presence felt at New Year's Evil. Karrion Kross and Scarlett preach "doomsday" and that the "end is near" but that's more about the end of everyone's cheery days in NXT.
The Demon King was always used as a last resort for Finn Balor but he was always the good guy in the feud whenever he brought it out. While it simply consisted of Balor wearing face and body paint, it usually meant that the Demon King was certainly going over.
With those other two gimmicks running at the same time in NXT, the Demon King wouldn't seem out of place. It allows some great creativity for the performers involved. If he does bring it back in NXT, he could even tweak it or completely change it to suit his new persona. It's a money-maker and a ratings grabber, so it would make sense to bring it back.
#2 Reason Finn Balor should not bring back Demon King in NXT - It's a special gimmick and should only be used sparingly
It would be great to see Finn Balor as the Demon King in NXT and WWE again. It's an example of a WWE star getting to be creative and new. Several current WWE and NXT stars could stand to try something similar.
The likes of Natalya, Jeff Hardy, Charlotte Flair and Sheamus are pretty much the same characters that they've always been with minimal changes. The heel or face turn is usually signified by who they are fighting when they turn. And for Hardy, someone who is immensely creative, he's played the same daredevil, never-say-die babyface during his entire run in WWE. That's likely a case of management not wanting him to change, but the point is still valid.
Trying something new can either be a huge hit or miss. It worked with The Fiend but things like that don't always work out. Just take a look Emmalina from a few years ago, for example. But now in IMPACT, Tenille Dashwood is basically doing the same thing.
Finn Balor's Demon King is like The Fiend - the persona is only used as an end-game in a feud or for a special occasion. While Wyatt uses the Fiend more than Finn Balor uses the Demon King, it's still a case of something that isn't used every time either performer shows up. For Finn Balor, this is how things should stay.
That's how gimmicks like this should be used - a few times a year or to signal the end or beginning of a feud. It's just like cinematic matches. They should only be used sparingly during a calendar year in NXT and WWE.
When something is overused - like certain moves in wrestling - things get too predictable and repetitive. If moves and personas are only brought out on special occasions, it signifies a last resort or that the stakes are much higher than usual. If Finn Balor breaks out the Demon King and starts to use it more and more during this run in NXT, it may lead to overexposure. That could be a problem in the middle of a ratings war on Wednesday nights.
#2 Reason why Finn Balor should bring back Demon King in NXT - It has been a while since he last used it
Fans wanting to see the return of Finn Balor's Demon King have been patient. The old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true for NXT and pro wrestling in general. In simpler terms, not having something for a while makes people want it more. That holds especially true in the time of COVID-19.
The last time that we saw the Demon King was at Super Showdown in 2019. Finn Balor retained his Intercontinental Championship against Andrade. Prior to that, he used the persona to win the Intercontinental Championship from Lashley and to essentially squash Baron Corbin at SummerSlam in 2018. In NXT, Finn Balor used it in ongoing feuds with stars like Samoa Joe.
That amounts to about once or twice a year, which is definitely the right amount of use for something special like Finn Balor's Demon King gimmick. Since The Fiend is a huge part of Bray Wyatt's persona and character, we see it much more than the Demon King.
There's also the use of special events. If the Royal Rumble took place three or four times a year, it would lessen the impact it has. For many in the NXT/WWE Universe, the Royal Rumble is one of the most exciting PPVs. Since Finn Balor hasn't used that persona in a while, it seems like something he could bust out at any time.
#1 Reason why Finn Balor should not bring back Demon King in NXT - It doesn't fit with his more serious gimmick
The main reason why Finn Balor shouldn't revert to using the Demon King facet of his character is simple - his new NXT character is much more serious. While he was serious in NXT in his first run and on the main roster, Finn Balor smiled a lot as a babyface. He got serious when he needed to, but for the most part, he was a typical face.
Once he got squashed by The Fiend at SummerSlam, it was clear that Finn Balor needed a change. That change happened when he returned to where he had his most success in WWE, NXT. Balor made a shocking return to the black-and-gold brand during NXT's debut on the USA Network. It was a huge moment and a shift in the balance of NXT.
While he's been back, he's displayed a much more serious and no-nonsense attitude as The Prince. It's given him an edge and a new lease of life after he was left in a heap by The Fiend. For Balor to break it out now would seem to work against his current character. This Finn Balor relies on himself, is extremely confident and expects the best. When he used to break out the Demon King, it was a sign that normal Balor couldn't get the job done.
If he brought the Demon King back during his second stint in NXT, it would somewhat signal the same. This version of Balor acts as tough as if he was 6 feet, 8 inches and 265 pounds. He hasn't needed to go to his usual last-resort character in NXT and he's even stated that he wants to do newer things with his character.
#1 Reason why Finn Balor should bring back Demon King in NXT - It would signal that the stakes for a match are much bigger than normal
NXT and WWE usually save the biggest matches for the biggest events of the year. Finn Balor has appeared in several of these high stakes events.
The anticipation is often why NXT TakeOvers are usually bangers and why WrestleMania and SummerSlam often utilize big names from the past.
We just saw Goldberg return for one of his contracted two matches this year at the Royal Rumble. The Rumble is one of the biggest and most important PPVs on the calendar and it's one of the reasons why management opted to use Goldberg.
Long-standing feuds often end in the Hell in a Cell structure. It happened with Bayley and Sasha Banks at this year's HIAC. Stakes are higher in bigger moments. Do fans remember more if a star won at WrestleMania or at a different PPV during the year like Backlash?
The TakeOver schedule has been very different in 2020 and early 2021 due to the global pandemic. TakeOvers usually took place the night before the big PPVs on WWE's schedule but have been spaced out differently. There isn't one schedueled the night before the 2021 Royal Rumble. Instead, it falls on Valentine's Day (February 14th).
Since most of the current challengers for Finn Balor are stars of similar size, he probably wouldn't need to break out the Demon King in order to beat them. The one person who he could need it to beat is Karrion Kross. Those two are certainly headed for a showdown for the NXT Championship some time soon. Kross is also much bigger than Finn Balor and it would almost be similar in terms of size difference to when Finn Balor fought Brock Lesnar.
If Balor brought back his Demon King persona, it would signal the high-stakes and importance of the encounter. The presentation is very different and he acts differently in the ring. When and if Finn Balor does decide to use the Demon King once more, it would have to be for a huge deal. A title feud with Kross would be just that.
