Every former NXT Champion is on the WWE main roster right now, except for one man – ‘The Demon’ himself, Finn Balor. Rumours have been circulating that Balor would soon make his main roster debut.
It is only fitting that since guys like Enzo & Cass, The Vaudevillains and Apollo Crews have already gone on to make their main roster debuts, Balor should follow suit.
But where will his debut take place? On a random episode of Raw or SmackDown ? Or somewhere more prestigious – a PPV like WWE Battleground?
This list takes a look at five reasons why the latter needs to happen
1. The ‘Thank You Finn’ chants
On the July 13 episode of NXT, Balor took on Shinsuke Nakamura in yet another losing effort. The match received a standing ovation from the fans and there were chants of ‘Thank You Finn’ in the arena.
Rumour has already spread that Balor would be pushed up to the main card and the live crowd seem to be expecting it as well. WWE made no efforts to deviate attention from the chants on T.V which signal that Balor’s NXT departure is imminent.
What better way to make your debut than at a PPV?
2. Balor is not booked for NXT TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn
Six matches have already been booked for the next NXT TakeOver show and Balor doesn’t find a place on the card. The two Superstars with whom he has been feuding recently – NXT Champion Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura will face each other for the title and there is no story line involving Balor.
Balor is the biggest draw on the roster and it is improbable that Balor would still be in NXT and not get a place on the card.
It is imperative that the Demon is coming over to the main roster and an appearance at WWE Battleground might just be the way to surprise the fans expecting his arrival on an episode of Raw
3. He has done all that is to be done in NXT
The main reason that Balor is rumoured to make a move to either Raw or SmackDown is because he has quite simply ‘done it all’ in NXT.
Balor beat Kevin Owens to win the NXT World title and held it for nearly 300 days in what became the longest title reign in the promotion’s history. Also, no one has held the NXT title more than once, precisely because the WWE has elevated all the former champions to the main roster quite soon after losing the belt.
Balor has also ‘done the business’ after his title reign, putting over more recent talent like Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura.
4. His ties to The Club
Finn Balor was the original foreign leader of the Bullet Club in Japan before AJ Styles came in and it is a piece of history the WWE will want to use some time or the other.
WWE Battleground has the Club taking on John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass and it might be a possibility that Balor would make his presence known in that match. WWE has been quite happy with playing the ‘Enzo injury’ angle and if they show that card at Battleground, Balor can be the substitute for Enzo in a shock to the Club.
Else, he can make his debut after the match to save John Cena from another Club beatdown.
5. The brand extension
WWE is going for the brand extension next week and it requires a number of big names to make the concept work. At a time when the 3-hour Raw has become diluted, the company needs new stars to make SmackDown interesting.
Balor showing up at Raw or SmackDown will kill the element of surprise as to where he will end up. But a debut on the PPV will take the anticipation over for the next few weeks.
Balor vs AJ Styles just needs to happen and it will be great if they end up on the same show after some deliberations.
