5 Things that prove WWE wants Finn Balor to be the next Universal Champion

Is WWE actually willing to do it?

While the idea of Finn Balor being anywhere near The Universal Title picture during WrestleMania season sounded preposterous months ago, it doesn't seem that far fetched anymore. In fact, with the things WWE has been doing with him the last couple of weeks, it seems like they might actually be willing to pull the trigger on this.

Whether it happens at the Royal Rumble or not remains to be seen and will probably depend on what WWE's actual plan is here, but there are definitely a lot of signs pointing to Finn Balor being the next Universal champion. With that being said and the Royal Rumble dream match only weeks away, here are five of the signs fans should be most interested in.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Balor will be the next Universal champion or does WWE just want to excite the fan base and then do something else at WrestleMania 34? Let us know in the comments below!

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#5 Lack of better options

WWE doesn't really have a lot of options when it comes to a top guy on Raw

One of the biggest signs that WWE wants Finn Balor to be the next Universal champion is the fact that there aren't many other options right now. Braun Strowman was removed from the title picture due to unknown reasons, Seth Rollins is still finishing up his program with Dean Ambrose, and Drew McIntyre isn't exactly ready yet either, which only leaves Balor.

In all honesty, the only person that would be better for the job than Balor is Seth Rollins, but it seems like WWE wants to save him for the Royal Rumble match and have him get to WrestleMania 35 that way. Whether all these moving parts will result in Rollins versus Balor for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 35 remains to be seen, but it seems like that's where things are going.

#4 Mixing storyline with reality

It was cool to see Vince McMahon admit he didn't see Finn Balor as a top guy

Don't you just love it when WWE mixes storylines with reality?

While sometimes these concoctions can have disastrous results, there are other occasions where the company is able to hit the nail on the head and deliver something special. Interestingly enough, WWE was able to do that on the January 14th edition of Monday Night Raw, where they mixed Balor's real-life struggle to prove himself as a top guy into a storyline.

Of course its obvious that this is just a rehash of what WWE did with Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30, but one could argue that the conditions are perfect for WWE to do this. In fact, Balor has been held down for so long after losing the Universal title a couple of years ago, that this could be the start of something as big as The Yes Movement was years ago.

In all honesty, WWE pointing out Balor's shortcomings is only going to get the crowd behind the young Irishman even more and its also going to continue to sell him as an underdog in the process. Furthermore, his interactions with Vince McMahon and his preference for bigger men in the title scene only serves to make this storyline even more perfect!

#3 Building him up as the underdog

WWE seems to be building up Finn Balor as the ultimate underdog!

From being doubted by Vince McMahon himself, to having his spot in the fatal four-way match challenged by Jinder Mahal, WWE is doing everything they can to make Finn Balor look like an underdog. Beyond that, they are making it extremely clear that they don't believe in him as a top guy, which is a nice blend of storyline and reality.

Even the storytelling during the fatal four-way match told us that everyone in that ring was underestimating Finn Balor's ability and taking him out of the equation every chance they got. If nothing else, it's nice to see Balor work against the Authority in an indirect way and prove to everyone why he deserves to be the top guy in WWE.

In the end, look for this kind of underdog booking to continue throughout the next couple of weeks and even for WWE to make his chances against Brock Lesnar into a storyline as well. Not only will that work to raise the stakes for the eventual match, but also to create a big moment when he finally does win The Universal championship.

#2 Beating John Cena clean

Finn Balor beat John Cena clean as a whistle to earn a shot at Brock Lesnar's Universal title.

Let's be honest here for a moment.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to pinning John Cena clean in a match and believe it or not, that is exactly what Balor accomplished on Monday Night Raw. Furthermore, he did so after surviving a pre-match attack by The Singh Brothers, a match with Jinder Mahal for his spot in the fatal four way and a few relentless beatings from Cena, McIntyre and Corbin.

Not only is that a glowing statement from the WWE that now is the time to get behind Finn Balor, but it was also a lot of needed build up in order to make Balor look like a believable opponent for The Beast at The Royal Rumble. Of course, the company still might have some work to do in order to make Balor look like a threat, but it's seriously in reach at this point in time.

#1 Passing of the torch moment

John Cena passing the torch to Finn Balor was a cool moment to see!

Finn Balor winning The Fatal four-way match by pinning John Cena was a great touch, but it was nothing compared to Cena's glowing endorsement after the bout ended. If nothing else, it was a huge passing of the torch moment from Cena to Balor and might have even tipped WWE's hand about how serious they are about Balor as Universal champion.

Think about it! Very few superstars get a glowing endorsement from John Cena. In fact, even Drew McIntyre, who has been on an absolute tear throughout Monday night Raw lately didn't get endorsed by Cena. Unfortunately for McIntyre, he got ragged on for repetitiveness in a promo with Cena and really hasn't been the same since.

Getting back on topic, Cena endorsing Balor is a big deal and will likely signal to fans that now is the time to get behind Balor. Whether the WWE Universe heeds that call or not and rallies behind Balor for his bout with The Beast remains to be seen, but now is the time in which fans need to do so.