Should Finn Balor move to SmackDown and win the WWE Championship?

Finn Balor is one of WWE’s best all-around performers. His athleticism, intensity, and ability to capture fans’ imagination with his cool face persona, only enhanced by his Demon King alter-ego, all make him a unique attraction and a steady star who can succeed in a variety of situations.

WWE seemed to recognize Balor’s potential early on. He spent the majority of his NXT run either reigning as champion or in hot pursuit of the developmental brand’s top title. From there, he got a huge push upon his main roster debut, beating Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins each cleanly to be crowned the first Universal Champion.

Sadly, Balor got injured in his title-winning match. It has now been a year and a half since he returned to action, and WWE hasn’t given him a solid push or opportunity to run with a title since.

So what if WWE switched courses and moved Balor over to SmackDown—potentially to reign as WWE Champion? This article takes a look at whether that move would be in Balor and WWE’s best interests.

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#5 Point: Balor Fits SmackDown style

Finn Balor's style might be used to its fullest potential on the blue brand.

Whether it WWE intended it or not, a familiar dynamic has emerged from the original brand split, wherein SmackDown comes across as the worker’s brand with stars like AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and Samoa Joe featured, as compared to Raw having the bigger stars who aren’t necessarily as polished or exciting to watch in the ring, like Braun Strowman and Ronda Rousey.

Finn Balor has been on Raw since the start of the new brand split, but his technical and aerial expertise lend themselves better to SmackDown’s style. On the blue brand, he could revisit great matches with the likes of Styles, Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura, besides having dream matches await him like a clash with Bryan or Andrade Almas.

There is some merit to a talent like Balor getting to standout relative to his Raw peers—and there certainly are some guys on the red brand who can hang with him. Just the same, WWE can probably get the most mileage out of him if he were to move to Tuesday nights.

#4 Counterpoint: The upper card is already crowded

The top of the card on SmackDown is already stacked.

While Finn Balor could probably have less of a glass ceiling on SmackDown, where he wouldn’t automatically be cast behind Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, and the Shield alumni, it’s still not entirely clear if he would, or even should get to shine on top of SmackDown. On the face side of things, one could reasonably argue that AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan are at least as worthy of being on top. On the heel side of things, Samoa Joe is probably winding up his time in the main event, but there are still figures like Randy Orton, The Miz, and Shinsuke Nakamura it’s not totally clear Balor should be booked ahead of. That’s not to mention guys like Andrade Almas on the rise, and perennial main event threats like The Big Show waiting to be deployed on top again.

It's a credit to SmackDown that the brand is so stacked with talents who could reasonably be slotted as the WWE Champion. It also, however, makes it more difficult to factor in adding a guy like Finn Balor to the mix, and especially shooting him straight to the top of the brand.

#3 Point: The potential for a Club reunion

Could Balor Club finally be a real faction?

WWE has on numerous occasions hinted at The Club or The Balor Club as a faction. The different approximations have seen either AJ Styles or Finn Balor teaming up with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to reprise their Bullet Club partnership from New Japan.

Styles and Balor have never been on the same brand, but having them on the same show, in addition to the potential for current Bullet Club members to sign with WWE (far from a done deal, but it’s rumored WWE is courting them) could give SmackDown all the ammunition to run this stable. With this group behind him, Balor could make an especially intriguing WWE Champion, especially if WWE were to go so far as to book Balor as a heel for the first time in their promotion. Of course, The Club could also work as faces given the popularity of Styles and Balor, and have them feud with the likes of Sanity, The Big Show’s alliance with The Bar, or a new heel group on the rise.

#2 Counterpoint: Balor’s title history

The last time WWE trusted Balor with a world title, it didn't end up so well.

When Finn Balor first got called up to the main roster, he got an uncommonly big push. Perhaps as a testament to the NXT system and WWE’s confidence in it, WWE didn’t wait to slowly build him up and make him a star, but rather went the route of getting him over with convincing wins over top talent. Balor peaked when he pinned former world champion Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to win a tournament final that crowned him the original Universal Champion.

Balor got injured in that match and had to relinquish the title the next night.

No, Balor wasn’t responsible for this injury—by all indications, it was the kind of accident that could have happened to anyone. However, given how modest WWE’s been about pushing him since, it does seem that WWE is a bit trigger shy about going all the way with him again.

The stakes, for now, seem a little lower on SmackDown as a less marque brand for WWE. That may change quickly, though, given WWE’s new deal with FOX which is rumored to lead to WWE taking the blue brand more seriously. It’s not clear Balor is the guy to put at the forefront of that movement.

#1 Conclusion: Balor should be WWE Champion

Finn Balor's talent and work ethic should earn him a big opportunity.

Finn Balor isn’t necessarily a sure thing in terms of drawing power, staying healthy, or thriving in main event level matches on a consistent basis for WWE. He is, however, a polished athlete who proved himself in not only his run as the face of NXT, but thriving, mostly as a heel, in New Japan. Moreover, from the perspective of the WWE main roster, Balor feels fresh. While AJ Styles is one of the most respected talents in WWE, Daniel Bryan is super popular among hardcore fans in particular, Balor feels like a more exciting guy to lead brand for not having been seen in that spot for an extended stretch yet.

Balor feels squandered in his role on Raw right now. Even WWE seems to recognize something in him, in giving him occasional pushes like squashing Baron Corbin at SummerSlam. Still, in never quite broaching main event status since his injury, it feels like he could be doing more. A move to SmackDown, and especially a WWE Championship run, would let WWE really see what it has in Balor.