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Is Brock Lesnar versus Finn Balor a bad idea?
Although a lot of fans see it as the dream match of the year, especially with The Universal Title on the line, fans seem to forget all that can go wrong in a situation like this. In fact, fans are seemingly so distracted by Balor's heroism and underdog persona, that they don't realize that the end goal might not be what they want it to be.
Whether WWE gives the fans want they want remains to be seen and will be highly dependent on what they find to be best for business, but what happens if Balor loses? Furthermore, what does that loss mean for chances of a blockbuster match at WrestleMania, which is only a few months away?
With that being said and the showdown between Balor and Lesnar only a few weeks away, here are 5 reasons why the monumental showdown could be a bad idea. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and tell us who you think will win The Universal championship at The Royal Rumble.
#5 Balor is injury prone
If The WWE Universe was worried that Brock Lesnar would injure Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series during their dream match then one can only imagine how terrified they are of the same happening to Balor. Beyond that, one could only imagine what another injury to Balor would mean for his main roster career and his chances of re-entering the title picture.
Unfortunately for Balor, Lesnar has a history of getting a little rough in the ring with his opponents, which could result in the former Universal Champion getting injured again. Of course, Lesnar got through the match with Bryan without injuring the WWE Champion, but one has to wonder if Balor will be as lucky.
One also has to wonder if Balor's own high-risk move set will be his undoing and end up getting him injured. In the end, another injury would be a huge blow to Balor's career, ruin whatever plans they have for him at WrestleMania 35 and might even guarantee that he never sees another title shot.
#4 No rematch clause
Another potential problem with this dream match is the no rematch clause, which could result in either WWE changing the rules again or removing a superstar from the title picture. With that being said and the likelihood of Balor defeating Lesnar in mind, it makes sense that Balor would lose and then not get a contractually obligated rematch.
Maybe WWE could break the rule for the special occasion, but it seems beyond pointless to do so only months after creating the original rule. It would also serve as a slap in the face to every superstar that hasn't received their rematch yet, which would be another difficult problem for WWE to deal with.
In the end, WWE is really painting themselves in a corner with this one and need to be very careful with how they proceed. WWE also needs to be careful with what they do with the losing superstar after the match at the Royal Rumble, which could either make their career or severely hurt it.
#3 Balor promo skills
It's no secret that Finn Balor isn't exactly money on the microphone, and while he does a serviceable job most of the time, he is usually overshadowed by everyone else in the ring. Beyond that, the man doesn't seem to have a personality past being an underdog, which is extremely one dimensional for a superstar that's supposed to be in the title picture.
With that being said and Braun Strowman already getting negative reactions for his subpar promo skills, it's hard to see how Balor is any kind of improvement over that. Its also going to force WWE to do most of their storytelling in the ring and through the people around Balor, which could get him lost in the shuffle.
In the end, WWE has Balor painted as a one-dimensional underdog with no other real distinctive qualities to speak of. Of course, that doesn't mean Balor isn't fantastic to watch in the ring and capable of telling a true underdog story during every match, he just doesn't seem to be able to do the same on the microphone.
#2 Not enough time to tell a story
One week
That's all the time WWE has to bring together the thrown together dream match between Finn Balor and Brock Lesnar, and while fans already excited about it, one has to wonder if they are going to be once its all over. Furthermore, one has to wonder if WWE is even capable of creating enough doubt in fans mind and getting them to believe Balor can win.
Not only will that be extremely difficult due to the fact that there is only one episode of Raw to go before the Royal Rumble pay per view, but also by how many story points WWE will have to up in that time. If nothing else, WWE sent a lot of parts into motion last week on Raw and have a lot of work to do if they want everything to make sense.
In the end, maybe the dream match on its own will be enough to sell this pay per view, but it still feels like too many fans are sceptical about how this match will play out and are staying away from it for this reason. Unfortunately for WWE, they don't have a lot of time to change that thinking and will have to come out with a haymaker on the next episode of Raw.
#1 Fans outrage if Balor loses
Let's be honest here.
Anything less that Finn Balor getting Brock Lesnar in the drop zone and nailing the Coupe De Grace is going to leave The WWE Universe with a bad taste in their mouth. Furthermore, it could lead to a lot of fan outcry, especially with how popular Balor is right now, which could end up hurting the rest of the show.
In all honesty, WWE probably would have been better off with leaving Balor out of the title picture during the Royal Rumble. Not only is that evident by the no automatic rematch clause, which will virtually guarantee the loser Is removed from the title picture, but also how fans reacted in the past to bad decisions made at The Royal Rumble pay per view.
In the end, WWE is playing with fire by doing this and they should be extremely careful no matter what decision they ultimately make. With that being said and the likelihood of Balor coming out the winner almost non-existent, WWE needs to find a way to mitigate the loss somehow and put Balor in a decent spot for WrestleMania 35.
