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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his Universal Championship against Finn Balor in the main event of last week's episode of SmackDown on FOX.
However, after the match there was a huge tease of what could be in store for The Tribal Chief's immediate future.
As Roman Reigns was leaving the ring, the lights turned red and a heartbeat sound began to play. Although the moment was very brief, many have speculated that WWE was teasing the return of Finn Balor's "The Demon King" persona.
The Demon King is Finn Balor's supernatural character. Balor usually covers the majority of his body with incredible body paint and enters the ring to a darker, unique and gothic entrance.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion has not competed under his Demon King persona since 2019. Balor also didn't compete as the character throughout his recent run with NXT.
With the return of the supernatural persona seemingly on the horizon, let's take a closer look at the five best Finn Balor 'Demon King' WWE matches.
#5 Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens - NXT Championship Ladder Match (WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn was historic for a variety of reasons. The event marked the first time an NXT event had taken place from a large, sold out arena such as The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The show is also arguably best remembered for the all-time classic match between Sasha Banks and Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship.
The Demon King and Kevin Owens had the difficult task of following the NXT Women's Championship contest with a ladder match main event.
Balor had recently captured the NXT Championship for the first time in his career, defeating Owens during 'The Beast In The East' WWE Network special.
After an incredibly physical match, the closing moments of the bout saw Finn Balor smash his opponent's face into a ladder causing Kevin Owens to fall onto another ladder below.
Finn Balor followed this with a Coup de Grâce from the top of the ladder onto Kevin Owens. This gave Balor the opportunity to retrieve the hanging title and retain the NXT Championship.
#4 Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins - Universal Championship (WWE SummerSlam 2016)
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to SmackDown Live during the 2016 WWE Draft. This meant Monday Night RAW had to develop their own world title. This led to the creation of the WWE Universal Championship.
After winning their respective matches on RAW, it was announced that Seth Rollins would face off against Finn Balor at SummerSlam to determine the first-ever Universal Champion.
An excellent match saw Finn Balor eventually hit his Coup de Grâce finisher on Rollins to become the first man in history to win the WWE Universal Championship.
However, the match would be bittersweet for The Demon King. During the match, Rollins hit Balor with a powerbomb onto the barricade surrounding the ring. This caused Balor to suffer a serious shoulder injury.
Despite finishing the match, the severity of the injury quickly became apparent. The following night on RAW, Finn Balor was forced to vacate the Universal Championship just 24 hours after winning the title.
#3 Finn Balor vs AJ Styles (WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2017)
The Demon King meeting The Phenomenal One at the Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view in 2017 was never meant to happen.
At the time, Finn Balor was engaged in a feud with Bray Wyatt on Monday Night RAW. Heading into TLC, Wyatt revealed his new "Sister Abigail" persona, setting up a match between "Sister Abigail" and The Demon King for the big pay-per-view.
However, prior to the event, it was announced that Bray Wyatt would not be able to compete at TLC due to an undisclosed medical issue.
Monday Night RAW's General Manager Kurt Angle announced that he had contacted SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan and arranged for AJ Styles to be Wyatt's replacement for the match against The Demon King.
The match between the two WWE Superstars was a spectacle and one of the best matches of the calendar year. The closing moments saw Balor hit the Coup de Grâce on Styles for the victory.
After the match, both former Bullet Club members gestured the "Too Sweet" hand symbol, much to the delight of the WWE Universe.
#2 Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe - NXT Championship (WWE NXT TakeOver: London)
WWE NXT TakeOver: London in 2015 was the first-ever NXT event to be held outside the United States of America.
The event was held at the SSE Arena in London, England, to a capacity crowd of over 10,000 fans.
In the main event, Finn Balor defended his NXT Championship against long-time rival and former tag team partner Samoa Joe. The match is perhaps best remembered for Finn Balor's spectacular entrance as The Demon King.
Balor entered with a Jack the Ripper inspired attire, with an incredible production design of smoke, lights and music.
Samoa Joe dominated for large parts of the match, looking to execute his trademark muscle buster and Coquina Clutch submission. However, Balor was able to fight out of both moves.
The closing moments of the match saw Finn Balor hit the Coup de Grace on his opponent and successfully retain the NXT Championship.
#1 Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens - NXT Championship (WWE Beast in the East 2015)
WWE's tour of Japan saw Finn Balor return to the country where he rose to prominence during his professional wrestling career.
The tour also marked the moment that Finn Balor captured the NXT Championship for the first time as "The Demon King." The event emanated from Sumida, Tokyo, Japan from inside Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Several weeks prior, then-NXT Champion Kevin Owens had debuted on Monday Night RAW, attacking then-United States Champion John Cena. This meant that Owens was splitting his time between both RAW and NXT.
Therefore, during his match with Balor, Owens mocked John Cena on several occasions. This included hitting Balor with Cena's trademark Five Knuckle Shuffle move.
Finn Balor looked to have won the match when he hit the Coup de Grâce on Kevin Owens. However, the Prizefighter became one of the rare people to kick out of Balor's finisher when he got his shoulder up at two.
Despite Owens' resilience, Finn Balor hit a second Coup de Grâce and captured the NXT Championship for the first time in his WWE career.
