What if Finn Balor retires The Undertaker for good at WrestleMania 35?

The rumour mill has suggested of late that Finn Balor may be in line for one of the very biggest opportunities of his WWE career—facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Sure, he was the centrepiece of NXT for a year and he won the Universal Championship promptly upon his call up, not to mention that he’s challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal title at the Royal Rumble. But facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania?

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There’s a sense in which The Phenom has lost some of his WrestleMania mystique on account of age catching up to him and his match quality trailing off accordingly. All the more so, there’s the matter of the streak, once one of wrestling’s most vaunted records, but now that he’s lost at ‘Mania twice, the accomplishment of beating him at WrestleMania and the intrigue attached no longer feel quite so special.

On the other hand, now that The Deadman has lost twice at the biggest show of the year, it does feel more feasible that any time he wrestles at the show, it is possible he’ll lose again.

This article considers what would happen if Balor not only faced The Undertaker, and not only beat him, but actually retired him once and for all at WrestleMania 35.

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#5. The Demon in full force

If Finn Balor gets a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker at all, we have to believe that we’ll see the WrestleMania debut of the Demon King—Balor’s alter-ego that approaches the ring at a crawl, adorned in body paint.

It has been established that this is his big match look and that he’s a greater threat in that persona. While that does raise some questions as to why he didn’t bust out the Demon for his WrestleMania debut last year, nonetheless, a match with The Undertaker certainly demands it, if only to counter The Phenom’s supernatural edge.

The Demon King would also be necessary to justify Balor beating The Undertaker. While there’s little question that Balor is in much better ring shape nowadays than The Dead Man (in his mid-fifties), in the WWE Universe, it’s still a stretch to buy Balor beating him, and he’ll need every advantage at his disposal.

#4. Finn Balor’s main event push isn’t a one off

Finn Balor's push into the world title picture may be more than an isolated angle.

Finn Balor challenging Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble came about abruptly enough for many fans to assume that WWE booked it on the fly due to Braun Strowman’s medical issues, to protect Strowman for a loss, or simply in the interest of putting on the better in-ring match. This logic would suggest Balor will lose and likely as not slink back to the upper mid-card going forward.

We’ll know Balor’s Royal Rumble fate soon enough, but if WWE books him opposite The Undertaker for WrestleMania, and all the more so if he were to actually win, it suggests that Balor main eventing isn’t a fluke at all.

On the contrary, even if Lesnar pins him decisively at the Rumble, there may very well be another Universal Championship program and even victory in Balor’s next few months. He could quite feasibly be positioned to challenge someone like Seth Rollins or Braun Strowman who might ultimately unseat Lesnar.

#3. A heel turn for Balor

Even though most hardcore fans would probably cop to more appreciating Finn Balor’s work in 2019 than that of The Undertaker, The Dead Man remains a special enough talent in WWE lore that hardly anyone really wants to see him lose at WrestleMania, let alone beaten into retirement. If Balor were to pull off that momentous feat, even with a clean victory, it would likely mean a heel turn for The Demon King.

That’s not a bad thing. Balor hasn’t worked heel since he started working for WWE. While does have an organic groundswell of support from hardcore fans, he also has a proven track record of playing a compelling heel from his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. A featured heel Balor could be a breath of fresh air for Raw or SmackDown as WWE transitions out of WrestleMania season and looks toward summer.

#2. The Undertaker in the Hall of Fame

The Undertaker is undoubtedly Hall of Fame-bound upon his retirement.

The Undertaker is going to wind up in the WWE Hall of Fame—there’s no real question about that. Given his level of accomplishment over his career, the fact that he remained loyal to WWE through so many eras, and given his relatively new willingness to break character from time to time while cameras are rolling, the only question now is when he will find himself at the podium, closing the show for an induction ceremony.

Most fans thought that when The Dead Man removed his signature garments at WrestleMania 33 he was signalling his retirement. If anything, 2018 saw a resurgence with him working more dates than he had in recent years, and raising questions as to if he’d hang up his boots anytime soon.

WWE has shown an increasing willingness to induct talents who aren’t fully retired in recent years. If The Phenom were to be more formally retired, though, we have to assume that there would be absolutely no obstacle left to induct him.

#1. Balor stays put in WWE

Finn Balor may have many a headlining match ahead of him in WWE.

As All Elite Wrestling gathers steam, one of the prevailing narratives that’s making the rounds is that disgruntled WWE talents may ask for their releases or choose not to sign new contracts in favour of the greater creative opportunities that might await them under Cody Rhodes and company.

Names like The Revival, Gallows and Anderson, and even AJ Styles have been bandied about for their connections to guys who have already signed with or are running AEW.

Finn Balor figures prominently in that discussion as a former leader of The Bullet Club, which gave way to The Elite, not to mention that he clearly fits the narrative of a top tier talent whom WWE has afforded limited chances on top.

Some have hypothesized that the choice to put Balor in the ring with Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble was rooted in demonstrating a commitment to pushing The Demon King. Allowing Balor to beat The Undertaker at ‘Mania would quite arguably be an even bigger commitment to him. It might be enough to reassure Balor that he really ought to stay put, or else WWE might even afford him that win on the condition of committing to a contract extension.