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Former WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor was unsuccessful in reclaiming his title this past week during the newest episode NXT on the USA Network.
Balor squared off against current Karrion Kross in an NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night Two rematch in the main event of this week's show. But Balor lost the match when he passed out in a rear naked choke.
Balor's second consecutive NXT Championship defeat on the black-and-gold brand has led many within the WWE Universe to wonder whether Balor could be set to rejoin the WWE main roster. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion could either move back to Monday Night RAW or Friday Night SmackDown.
Finn Balor had previously become a staple of the main roster after his call-up in 2016. During his previous stint on the main roster, Balor was the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, and he also won the Intercontinental Championship twice.
Since his return to NXT in 2019 and his second NXT Championship run, it would appear that there is little left for Balor to accomplish on the black-and-gold brand.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at five potential opponents Balor could face if he jumps to the WWE main roster.
#5 WWE United States Champion Sheamus
Monday Night RAW Superstar Sheamus has arguably been one of the most consistent performers during the pandemic era in WWE. "The Celtic Warrior" has competed in excellent feuds against the likes of Jeff Hardy, Drew McIntyre and Riddle on both Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
Sheamus recently converted this in-ring success into championship gold when he captured the WWE United States Championship for the third time in his career at WrestleMania 37.
Since this victory, Sheamus has faced off against younger, less established WWE Superstars on Monday Night RAW, like Humberto Carrillo and Ricochet. But could Balor be the perfect opponent to challenge for Sheamus' United States Championship?
A storyline between the two irish WWE Superstars would certainly make for both compelling television and tremendous in-ring contests. Plus, Balor hasn't held the United States Championship yet. For this reason, what better way to announce his return to the main roster than by giving him a run with the prestigious United States Championship?
#4 WWE Hall of Famer Edge
WWE Hall of Famer Edge hasn't been seen on WWE television since WrestleMania 37 Night Two.
"The Rated-R Superstar" faced Daniel Bryan and Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event on the grandest stage of them all. Unfortunately for Edge, "The Tribal Chief" was able to pin both the Hall of Famer and Daniel Bryan to retain his WWE Universal Championship.
In subsequent weeks, Edge has remained largely quiet on social media and absent from WWE programming. Of course, Edge's contract limits him to a certain number of television appearances and matches per year, so WWE has to pick his spots wisely. With the return to touring on WWE's horizon in July, one can expect the former 11-time world champion to return to TV very soon.
Could Edge enter a feud with Finn Balor upon his return? One of the major points of excitement after Edge's comeback was the plethora of exciting potential matches against new talent that he has never faced before.
Names such as former NXT Champion Balor could only be seen as dream opponents for Edge when he was in the middl of his forced retirement. Now that "The Rated R-Superstar" has returned, matches and feuds against names such as Balor would both keep Edge in the spotlight and help solidify young stars as major names in the current generation.
#3 Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has certainly had an interesting 2021 up to this point.
"The Scottish Warrior" defeated WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg to retain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January. However, the following month, McIntyre lost the WWE Championship after The Miz successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
After Lashley defeated The Miz to win the WWE Championship on RAW two weeks later, McIntyre challenged "The All Mighty" WWE Champion for the title at WrestleMania 37 Night One.
Bobby Lashley successfully defeated McIntyre on the grandest stage of them all by causing the challenger to pass out in The Hurt Lock. Lashley went on to defeat both Braun Strowman and McIntyre to retain the WWE Championship once again at WrestleMania Backlash in May.
At this point, it looks like McIntyre will once again challenge Lashley for the WWE Championship at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in June. But many fans are already wondering what's next for the former WWE Champion.
Should McIntyre lose against Lashley for a third consecutive time, it would almost certainly remove "The Scottish Warrior" from the WWE Championship picture for the foreseeable future.
As one of the top babyfaces on Monday Night RAW, McIntyre needs to be involved in high-profile storylines against major opponents. A perfect post-Hell in a Cell feud for McIntyre could be a compelling clash against a returning Finn Balor on Monday Nights. Balor has portrayed a heel during his time in NXT, so the former NXT Champion could do the same on RAW and feud with the red brand's top babyface.
#2 Current WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is without question the best thing going on WWE television right now.
Since his return at SummerSlam in August 2020, Reigns has turned heel, aligned with Paul Heyman, captured the Universal Championship and made his cousin Jey Uso his "right hand man." All the while, he has enjoyed an impressive stretch of dominance atop the blue brand.
"The Tribal Chief" has already defeated noteworthy WWE Superstars such as Edge, Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman throughout this run.
"The Head of The Table" regularly turns in performances that draw universal acclaim from fans and critics alike. His character work has been called some of the best content WWE has produced in quite some time.
Still, as a heel champion, Reigns needs a steady stream of top babyface talents to defend his Universal Championship against. Because he has already defeated some of the biggest names on the SmackDown roster, it's fair to ask which star will step up and challenge Reigns for his prestigious Universal Championship gold.
Finn Balor could be the answer. He became the inaugural Universal Champion after he defeated Seth Rollins to capture the gold at SummerSlam 2016. But Balor infamously injured his shoulder during this title victory, so he had to vacate the championship just 24 hours after he won it.
Perhaps WWE could tell the story of Balor returning to the main roster to chase the championship that he never technically lost in 2016. This program could nicely set up a mouth-watering feud between "The Tribal Chief" and "The Prince."
#1 Current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley has dominated Monday Night RAW in recent months.
The "All Mighty" WWE Champion captured the gold for the first time in his career on an episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in March.
As the champion, Lashley has successfully defended the title against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 37 Night One and against Braun Strowman and McIntyre again in a triple threat match the next month.
At this point, it's become increasingly apparent that RAW significantly lacks top babyfaces (excluding McIntyre) to challenge Lashley for his gold.
Should Lashley defeat Drew McIntyre or Kofi Kingston at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in June, it's difficult to see which WWE Superstar could be next to step up to "The All Mighty." With fresh babyfaces in demand on RAW, it would make perfect sense for Finn Balor to move from NXT and once again make his home on Monday nights.
Balor and Lashley also have significant history in WWE. It's easy to forget now, but Balor and Lashley feuded over the Intercontinental Championship in 2019 heading into WrestleMania 35.
At the event, "The Demon King" defeated Bobby Lashley in just over four minutes to capture the gold. This victory could certainly be a storyline point in a potential feud between the two stars. Balor could instantly note that he has beaten Lashley once, so he could do it again.
Which WWE Superstars do you want to see Finn Balor face? Sound off in the comments below.
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