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Bobby Lashley defeated Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship on WWE RAW March 11, 2019. It caught the WWE viewers by surprise. Everyone expected Finn Balor to enter into WrestleMania 35 as the Intercontinental Champion.
The title was not defended on Fastlane so it was postponed to the night after the event. The unexpected title switch immediately following the pay-per-view just before WrestleMania 35 raised quite some eyebrows.
How and why did the creative team conceive such a thing is anyone's guess. Nevertheless, the former champion reclaimed his title with some help from Lio Rush distracting Balor. Like it or not, WWE has decided to end Balor's title reign just before WrestleMania. However, it comes with certain issues.
#4 An uninspiring title change before WrestleMania 35
Finn Balor just won the Intercontinental title at Elimination Chamber last month. The title changing hands too soon is not a step in the right direction. A champion unable to defend the title for even one whole month doesn't seem right. It makes them look weak.
Most importantly the Road to WrestleMania demands an unbeatable champion. If Lashley had been the champion for the whole while without losing, it would have been perfect. Now with Balor winning it only to lose it just before WrestleMania makes things a little uninteresting.
It is yet to be seen how the WWE creatives handles this situation and shows both the men as strong, resilient fighters despite the fact that both have lost it respectively due to the unnecessary involvement of Lio rush.
If they want to carry forward this angle for a WrestleMania title match between these two, then they would surely need to work hard on the build up. It would be difficult to show Finn Balor as a legible threat to Lashley. If someone else takes on Lashley then the short-lived title reign of Balor becomes absurd.
#3 The momentum sinks for Finn ahead of WrestleMania 35
Finn Balor had some momentum after fighting Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble 2019. Even though Balor did not win the match he showed himself as a strong technical wrestler. Balor capturing the Intercontinental title against Lashley and Lio rush at the Elimination Chamber further built his momentum.
However, now with Lashley winning it again, a considerable amount of momentum is lost for Finn Balor. Resilience in retaining the title is what a champion needs ahead of a big event like WrestleMania. Finn Balor losing the title doesn't show him as a resilient fighter. It instead makes him as someone vulnerable.
Such a fragile superstar entering WrestleMania to have a possible rematch for the title he lost needs some justifying. They might use Lio Rush's distraction to argue that Finn Balor has a chance to win in a clean contest. Still, that is not a credible explanation that Balor is, in fact, strong to win the title without distraction.
#2 A major stereotype looming in the horizon for Balor
Finn Balor won his first Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 using his alter ego the Demon King. The alternate personality is a convenient way to show him as a potential threat to Lashley's title reign at WrestleMania 35.
The Demon King never lost a match in the main roster. Whenever Balor portrays that gimmick he is displayed as a superhuman. He looks more strong and aggressive. Thus, WWE may likely have a contest between the Demon King and Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania. The Demon King is capable of defeating The Almighty Lashley.
However, there is a problem with that storytelling. Finn Balor utilizing the Demon King at WrestleMania would be like a move of desperation. It would appear that the normal Finn Balor is not strong enough to defeat Lashley.
Balor winning as the Demon King would attach a stereotype to him. It would make the normal Finn Balor as a superstar not good enough to win big matches. The Superhero/weakling kind of character would not suit Balor in the long run. Especially if he wishes to be a top guy.
#1 What is the direction for Lashley if he loses at WrestleMania?
If Finn Balor defeats Lashley using the Demon King, WWE has two directions for Lashley. They would either end the feud or continue it. Whatever route they take, it would result in a lack of sound direction for Lashley.
After an ultimate defeat to a supernatural force like the Demon King, Lashley should not go for the title again. If he decides to go for it then that would cost him more defeats. If Lashley wins, then it would feel like a monotonous narrative.
Either way, Lashley would end up stagnant. Such a powerhouse like him should be a dominating presence. Finn Balor won the championship from Lashley by pinning Lio Rush in a handicap match so it didn't hurt his momentum.
It would have been a great storyline if Lashley challenged the Demon King for an Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania and lost it after a big fight. It would have improved Balor's momentum without damaging Lashley.
