5 Problems with Finn Balor winning the Intercontinental title at Elimination Chamber

Why is Finn Balor Intercontinental champion?
Why is Finn Balor Intercontinental champion?

Balor club has the gold!

That was the call from Michael Cole after Finn Balor survived extraordinary odds and found a way to come out of it as Intercontinental champion. Of course he had to topple Bobby Lashley and Lio Roush to do this, which was no easy feat to accomplish at all, but Balor went into overdrive in the closing moments of the match to win it all.

The win was also the first Intercontinental title win of his career, his first title win since vacating The Universal title and could mark the first time that Balor heads into WrestleMania as champion. Now whether that happens or not remains to be seen and will be dependent on what the company wants, but this is definitely an interesting direction to go in.

With that being said and there being a lot to unpack in this two on one handicap match between Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, here are the five biggest problems with Finn Balor winning The IC title.


#5 Seemd like a way to shut fans up

Will The WWE Universe be satisfied with this victory?
Will The WWE Universe be satisfied with this victory?

Let's be honest here.

The WWE Universe has wanted to see Finn Balor win a title for a long time now and WWE finally delivered on it. Unfortunately for Balor, its not exactly where he deserves to be after two years of treading water in the midcard and could just be a way to hold fans over until they can get their attention on something else .

In the end, this was a pacifier of sorts for an angry fan base that believes Balor deserves more than what he has been given so far. Beyond that, it is at least something positive for Balor fans to get behind in the coming months and might even show the company how great Balor as champion could be.

#4 Bobby Lashley not being involved in the decision

Are Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush officially done?
Are Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush officially done?

Bobby Lashley lost his Intercontinental title without even being pinned and while that's a great way to protect Lashley going forward, it really minimizes Finn Balor's win quite a lot. Beyond that, it shows the lack of faith that WWE officials have in Balor and that when push comes to shove, they will choose Goliath over David

Of course none of this is anything new, but anyone trying to portray Balor's win as a feat of brilliance is sorely mistaken. If nothing else, it was a hand out after months and months of toiling away in the midcard and isn't exactly something to be proud of. Another thing that drives this point home is the fact that Lashley wasn't involved in the ending of the match.

Not only did that completely underscore everything Balor had done during this match, it also showed that The WWE still doesn't believe in him. Maybe that will change as time goes on and maybe WWE will realize that they have a legitimate contender holding their IC title, but it could just all be a set up to crown a new champion at WrestleMania 35.

#3 Lio Rush in the match

Would Finn Balor have won if Lio Rush wasn't in the match?
Would Finn Balor have won if Lio Rush wasn't in the match?

Believe it or not, Finn Balor probably wouldn't have been booked to win The Intercontinental title if it wasn't for Lio Rush being in the match. In fact, between WWE seemingly grooming Lashley to be a future contender for Brock Lesnar and the lackluster way they have already booked Balor, the title win seems impossible under any other circumstances.

Think about it! Would WWE have really given Finn Balor a clean win over Bobby Lashley? Beyond that, would it ever have been as decisive a victory as it was when Balor toppled Rush to win the match? Of course it wouldn't have and anyone trying to say otherwise, especially with Balor's record is diluting themselves.

In all honesty, the right things were at play for Balor to win that match and if they weren't in play, he probably never would have. Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, that likely means he won't be champion for long and is only holding onto it until WrestleMania 35.

#2 Consolation prize

Let's be honest here. Finn Balor needed this momentum!
Let's be honest here. Finn Balor needed this momentum!

Another thing the WWE Universe needs to be honest about is the fact that Balor has been in desperate need of momentum over the course of the last couple of weeks. Beyond that, if WWE kept booking Balor how they have been over the last couple of months, he would have only continued to fall down the card.

With that being said and Balor needing momentum heading in WrestleMania 35, this seems like more of a consolation prize than anything else. In fact, between the thrilling match that Balor put on at Elimination Chamber and how fans have continued to get behind him, it feels like Balor deserves so much more than this.

In the end, its not exactly known where all this will lead or whether Balor will hold onto the title or not, but this is the momentum that Balor has needed for quite a while. What makes this momentum even more valuable is that it is coming only months before WrestleMania 35, which could help put him in a high profile match.

#1 Possibility of losing it at WM 35

Could Baron Corbin beat Finn Balor for The IC Title
Could Baron Corbin beat Finn Balor for The IC Title

There's good news and bad news for the WWE Universe.

The good news is that Finn Balor was somehow able to overcome two men to win The Intercontinental title at Elimination Chamber, but the bad news is that who knows where WWE will go next with this. In fact, WWE could just be setting up Balor to drop the title to one of their pet projects at WM 35.

Another thing that makes this evident is the fact that Vince McMahon and his booking team have a giant propinquity for doing crowning moments at WrestleMania 35, which makes it even less likely that Blaor will walk out with the bet. Unfortunately for The WWE Universe , this means they need to enjoy the title run while they can and not be too hurt when its over.

As for who Balor will ultimately lose it to at WrestleMania 35, there are really a lot of options ot choose from. From Elias, to Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and maybe even EC3, these all would be great options and help elevate the career's of some pretty deserving superstars. Of course it might not be what everyone wants, but when has Vince McMahon given a damn about that.

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