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In a shocking turn of events, WWE booked Finn Balor to lose the Intercontinental Championship on Raw last week. The move wasn’t greatly appreciated by the WWE Universe who had already prepared to watch Finn Balor walk into WrestleMania 35 with the title around his waist.
Balor lost the title to arch-rival Bobby Lashley in a one-on-one match, but WWE did not let Lashley get a clean win as Lio Rush’s distraction at ringside was the reason behind his loss.
Even though the decision by WWE to take the title away from Balor seem like a bold yet bad move, it must have some reasons behind it.
WWE has now booked a tag team match between Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, and Finn Balor and a partner of his choosing.
As the choice is Finn Balor’s to make, quite a few names come to mind when we think of all the babyfaces Balor could pick to help him gain an upper hand against Lashley once again.
Take a look at 4 potential partners for Finn Balor to take on the heel team of Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush on Raw.
#4 Apollo Crews
While Apollo Crews has seen several ups and downs in the past one year, the highlight of his career has definitely got to be his match against Kurt Angle last week, even if it wasn’t the best of matches.
WWE has given Apollo several pushes in the past few months, but then stopped short whenever fans got used to him, his talent, and his athleticism.
Working as one of the biggest babyfaces on the brand, if WWE is actually going to give him a push, then he should pair up with Finn Balor for some time.
Apollo Crews is as strong and as athletic as any man in WWE today. This gives him a significant advantage over other competitors, and he could surely work with Finn Balor in matches in a supporting role.
Apollo will be a great tag team partner for someone like Finn Balor, and a tag team match against Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush can help him get in the mid-card title picture in the future.
#3 Ricochet
A pairing that worked extremely well a few weeks back could once again make an impact on Raw in the coming weeks.
While it seems like Ricochet is set for a few months partnering with Aleister Black in tag team matches and even getting in contention for the tag team titles so soon, there is still room to make more friends.
Ricochet is a world-class athlete and everything about him is gold standard. That is parallel to Finn Balor’s image, and both superstars have proven what they can do together in the past.
Balor could surely use the help of Ricochet in this clash as he is extremely talented and experienced.
There is no doubt that Balor would want to come out on top in this battle so that he can further his case to get a rematch for the Intercontinental title.
#2 Sami Zayn
Speaking of experience, who can be more experienced in mid-card clashes against bigger opponents than Sami Zayn?
Zayn was injured last year and has been out of competition since then. He has recovered since but has been waiting for the right time to make his return.
WWE told the story of Bobby Lashley injuring Sami Zayn, and kayfabe sold a rivalry between Bobby Lashley and Zayn’s friend Kevin Owens after things had already cooled down.
If WWE wants to make Zayn return on a high, then this clash could prove to be perfect. The match involves the man who kayfabe injured him, and Zayn’s reason for partnering with Balor could be told as revenge.
The time for his return will also be perfect, as WWE could also set up a very interesting match for WrestleMania 35 involving Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley, and Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship.
#1 The Demon King
Not really a partner, but an alter ego nonetheless. Fans choose to think of The Demon as another Finn Balor, and we could watch him unleash The Demon on Lashley.
Balor would not be happy with his loss and could come out as The Demon to take on Lashley and Lio Rush himself. This would allow him to bring back the character once again with a storyline.
We saw The Demon at SummerSlam 2018 last, and since then fans have been speculating when The Demon will return.
WWE has already used Finn Balor’s Demon persona for WrestleMania 35 promotional materials, and it could be a sign that Balor will indeed fight as The Demon at WrestleMania.
Hence, if WWE is going to have Balor bring back The Demon for WrestleMania 35, then it would be perfect if they give the fans a taste of what he can do against Lashley and Rush.
There is no reason to doubt that WWE is going to give the fans a surprise, and that’s why they haven’t revealed who Finn Balor’s partner would be.
