Finn Balor finally returned to action at a RAW Live Event last night. Balor has been out of action since the night after SummerSlam 2017 where he had to relinquish the WWE Universal Championship just a night after winning it, thanks to a shoulder injury he picked up during the match. The time of Balor’s return is perfect for WWE, with WrestleMania 33 around the corner. We don’t know for sure if Balor will be on the WrestleMania 33 card just yet but with a lacklustre card heading into the 33rd edition of the ‘Grandy Daddy of Them All’, WWE have to find a way to get Balor on the card.
With a roster as diverse and talent as WWE has, finding a worthy opponent for Balor shouldn’t a problem for WWE, even though a lot of WWE’s top talent are already in their WrestleMania programs. Taking the people who already have matches out of account, let’s take a look at some of the men Balor could possibly face at WrestleMania 33.
5: Braun Strowman
With the way Strowman has come along so far, this match should actually be fantastic, at least on paper. Strowman works best in a big man-little man situation and Balor could be the perfect opponent for him. Not only can Balor take bumps for the larger Strowman, his years of in-ring experience will definitely help carry the inexperienced Strowman in what would be his first singles match at WrestleMania.
On the other side of the arc, Balor’s range of offence would help him look like a credible threat to the ‘monster amongst men’ who has ploughed throw every opponent on RAW other than the indomitable Roman Reigns. WWE could even put a stipulation on this match – like making it a #1 contender’s match.
It’s a testament to how far Strowman has come from this time last year, that fans are actually excited to see a Strowman singles match at ‘Mania. WWE have built him up almost perfectly (other than having him lose clean to Reigns) and a match with Balor will only help to boost his profile as a top star.
4: Sami Zayn
Balor and Zayn have the ability to tear the house down if given the opportunity. WrestleMania is a spectacle-heavy card so far and adding a Zayn vs Balor match could give die-hards a true high-caliber in-ring display.
The only problem heading into this match would be for WWE to build-up Sami Zayn a little. Zayn is one of the most talented guys on the RAW roster but he’s been almost criminally overlooked since the 2016 brand split. Zayn and Owens had one of the matches of 2016 at WWE Battleground right before the brand split but since then, the loser of the match, Kevin Owens, has gone on to become WWE Universal Champion while Sami Zayn hasn’t been elevated in the card. Heading into WrestleMania 33 to face Finn Balor could help Sami Zayn finally reach the next level as he vie to reach the main event level.
This would also be the first time that Zayn and Balor have faced each other on WWE or NXT television. Who will win when the Helluva Kick meets the Coup de Grace? I certainly hope we find out at WrestleMania.
3: Shinsuke Nakamura
Let me just start off by saying that this is the most unlikely match from those on this list. With Nakamura facing Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: Orlando at WrestleMania weekend, there really isn’t much time to set up this match unless they announce a surprise opponent for Finn Balor at ‘Mania.
Nakamura and Balor have faced each other once on NXT television, in a #1 contender’s match, but that was on a random episode of NXT. The match itself was pretty incredible and having Balor face Nakamura on WrestleMania could bring that match to a much wider audience as well as introduce Shinsuke Nakamura to the main roster with a bang. Yes, it is very unlikely but I’m allowed to dream, right?
2: Samoa Joe
We’ve already seen Samoa Joe and Finn Balor in a prolonged feud in NXT. However, as die-hard fans of NXT will tell you, we can’t wait to see that rivalry again on the main roster. From their bloody battle in Dallas to the first ever Steel Cage match in NXT history, Joe and Balor pushed each other to the limit every time they met and each of their matches had something unique in it.
With Joe now on the main roster and without a WrestleMania opponent, he is one of the likeliest candidates to face the returning Finn Balor at WrestleMania. ‘The Destroyer’ vs ‘The Demon’ will be a hard-hitting affair and will definitely be one of the contender’s for match of the night. The rivalry between the two could continue over the rest of the year and could be one of WWE’s top programs for 2017.
And as we know, with Samoa Joe, he’s one of the most vindictive men on the RAW roster. This rivalry won’t need a belt to be important.
1: Triple H
Seth Rollins’ injury may spell good news for Balor. Balor is earmarked to be Triple H’s WrestleMania opponent if Seth Rollins isn’t fit in time. Balor facing Triple H at WrestleMania will be the biggest match of the former NXT Champion’s career and could be a launchpad for superstardom for the former leader of the Bullet Club.
Balor and Triple H’s styles are pretty different but should mesh well together unlike the Roman Reigns-Triple H match we saw last year. The only problem with this match will be the suspension of disbelief since we all know that Balor is a Triple H guy and of his favourite guys backstage. They will probably use the spurned protege-evil mentor dynamic for the storyline but I feel that they need to think more out of the box for this.
We already saw the protege angle with Rollins, before he picked up his injury, and it wasn’t the most electrifying storyline we’ve seen. I also feel that this storyline has been done to death by WWE. However, this is only a minor problem. The match itself will be really good. I just hope that Triple H lets Balor go over, unlike Sting.
