Predicting Finn Balor's 2018 feuds and title reigns

With 2018 fast approaching, we will be taking a look at some of WWE’s most popular Superstars and predicting what may or may not happen in their careers over the next 12 months.

In this article, we focus on Finn Balor – a man who began 2017 on the treatment table and ended the year as one of WWE’s most popular Superstars, despite reports that Vince McMahon feels he is not ‘over’ enough to face Brock Lesnar.

Will he finally get a Universal Championship match in 2018? Maybe he’ll switch to SmackDown Live? Will he get a singles match at WrestleMania? And will he ever form his own 'Balor Club'?

From the obvious to the not-so-obvious, we predict who the Irishman will battle against in 2018 and take a look at what championships he could realistically win by the time the year is out.

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#5 Universal Championship challenge

Finn Balor relinquished the Universal title in August 2016

Looking back at 2017, Finn Balor’s only major long-term feud came against Bray Wyatt. The two fought on two pay-per-views – SummerSlam and No Mercy – but their third consecutive PPV battle at TLC was cancelled due to Bray having an illness.

You’d expect WWE to have bigger and better plans for “The Extraordinary Man Who Does Extra Ordinary Things” in 2018, and those plans simply have to include a one-on-one match for the Universal Championship.

The Irishman was forced to relinquish the title in August 2016 after suffering a shoulder injury against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam and, despite returning to action in April 2017, he still hasn’t been granted a rematch.

Whether or not he’s ‘over’ enough to face the title’s current holder, Brock Lesnar, is debatable, but it can’t be argued that he deserves a one-on-one match at some point in 2018 for the title he never lost.

#4 Kevin Owens feud

Finn Balor and Kevin Owens feuded in NXT

Admittedly, this is a risky prediction because both men are on separate brands right now, but there are enough persistent rumours around about Kevin Owens returning to Raw that it’s not totally impossible that we could see him face Finn Balor in 2018.

The two Superstars were involved in a rivalry during Balor’s early days in NXT, feuding over the NXT Championship at the Beast In The East event in July 2015 before main-eventing the first-ever TakeOver: Brooklyn a month later.

“The Demon King” is among WWE’s best babyfaces while Owens is one of the company’s top heels, so they’re destined to feud for the first time on the main roster if they end up on the same brand.

Besides, they’re close friends in real life and KO has repeatedly said in media interviews that Balor would be his dream WrestleMania opponent.

#3 Triple H feud

You only have to catch a glimpse of the real-life backstage moments between Finn Balor and Triple H to get an idea of the respect that the two men have for each other.

The Irishman was a key figure in HHH’s NXT between 2014 and 2016, holding the NXT Championship for a record 292 days, and he won the Universal title in his first pay-per-view match on the main roster at SummerSlam 2016.

However, he hasn’t had as much of an impact as many fans would have expected since he returned from injury in April 2017 and reports emerged in September that “The Game” was unhappy with the way Balor has been booked since his comeback.

Triple H’s days as an in-ring performer are coming to an end and he is seemingly on a mission to put over as many younger Superstars as possible before he hangs up his kick pads and boots.

If he fancies passing some more torches in 2018, he could do a lot worse than allow Balor to get a statement victory against him.

#2 Intercontinental Championship reign

Finn Balor is yet to hold the Intercontinental title

As nice as it would be to see Finn Balor have a reign as Universal champion in 2018, let’s face facts: Roman Reigns is the biggest star on Raw and is likely to receive his first extended run with the show’s main title if he defeats Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

Balor would make a great pay-per-view challenger for Reigns, as we previously suggested, but is he likely to win the title from “The Big Dog”? Probably not, which is why a run with the Intercontinental Championship is far more plausible.

Thanks to The Miz over the last 18 months and Reigns over the last few weeks, Raw’s secondary championship is a pretty big deal again and feels more important now than it has in decades.

Much like with Reigns at the moment, it wouldn’t be seen as a huge demotion if the Irishman were to chase the title at some point in 2018 despite previously being the Universal champion.

#1 Form the Balor Club

Finn Balor named his dream faction in November

You know when Finn Balor addresses the WWE Universe and shouts “This is Balor Club”? Well, isn’t it about time he formed an actual alliance in WWE rather than be the one-man member of a club that nobody knows anything about?

Ever since he debuted in NXT in 2014, the Irishman has worn ‘Balor Club’ logos on his jackets and shirts – an obvious reference to his past as the leader of Bullet Club – but he is yet to convince any fellow Superstars to sign up to said Club.

He could start by recruiting Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, appropriately already named The Club, and if the super-faction he fantasy booked a couple of months ago becomes a reality, he could even add former NXT Tag Team champions The Authors of Pain to his stable.

With The New Day as popular as ever and SAnitY expected to be called up to the main roster in 2018, there are plenty of possible opponents if WWE decides to give Balor his own faction. Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not. Should it happen? Without a shadow of a doubt!