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Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley (w/Lio Rush) and Jinder Mahal (w/The Singh Brothers) in a 2-on-1 handicap match on the March 25 episode of WWE Raw to earn a one-on-one opportunity at Lashley’s Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 35.
Although fans were supportive of the Irishman’s against-the-odds victory on Monday, the general consensus is that Lashley vs. Balor does not feel WrestleMania-worthy, regardless of whether or not “The Demon” is unleashed at MetLife Stadium on April 7.
Why? Well, the two men have already been involved in seven televised matches against each other over the last seven weeks, so yet another encounter between the Intercontinental Championship rivals will largely be forgotten about compared to the much-anticipated matches that will take place elsewhere on the WrestleMania card.
With that in mind, and with one more Raw episode of possible twists and turns to go before WrestleMania, is it too far-fetched to think that WWE might swerve fans again and add several Superstars into the IC title mix in time for 'Mania, potentially turning Lashley vs. Balor into a multi-man ladder match?
The concept worked nicely for the IC title matches at WrestleMania 31 and WrestleMania 32, and it would definitely make sense, both from a storyline perspective and an entertainment viewpoint, if they went down the same route at this year’s event.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at five Superstars who WWE should seriously consider adding to the Lashley vs. Balor match before “The Show of Shows”.
#5 Dean Ambrose
WWE confirmed the surprising news in late January that Dean Ambrose will leave the company when his contract expires after WrestleMania 35 in April.
Since the announcement, the Shield member has lost singles matches against Drew McIntyre and Elias, while he traded victories with EC3 and reunited with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to win a six-man tag match against Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and McIntyre in the main event of the Fastlane pay-per-view.
Now, following yet another defeat against McIntyre on the latest episode of Raw, Ambrose is in a position where he has been standing up for his fellow Shield members in recent weeks on Raw, but he has done nothing to earn himself a spot on the WrestleMania card.
Granted, his place in a multi-man match for a title he obviously is not going to win might seem like a waste, but would it not be better for him to at least bow out in a somewhat important match rather than a Battle Royal?
#4 Lio Rush
The seeds were planted for Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush to split up when Lashley attacked his hype man after they lost the Intercontinental Championship in a 2-on-1 handicap match against Finn Balor at Elimination Chamber in February.
To the surprise of the WWE Universe, the apparent split was forgotten about the following night on Raw when the dysfunctional duo teamed together in a losing effort against main-roster newcomers Aleister Black & Ricochet.
Since then, the two men have had back-and-forth disagreements, with Lashley often questioning whether Rush is really by his side or whether he is looking to gain glory for himself (e.g. when he accepted an IC title match against Balor on Raw).
With “The All Mighty” now the champion again, he looks to be back on the same page with Rush ahead of WrestleMania. But even so, the alliance does not look like it will last much longer, so it would not be at all surprising if the 205 Live Superstar entered the IC title picture again soon.
#3 Apollo Crews
WWE has been very stop-start with Apollo Crews over the last few months. Ever since his split from Titus O’Neil and Dana Brooke, the former Titus Worldwide member has appeared more frequently on Raw, yet it always feels like there is something preventing him from reaching that next level.
In December 2018, for example, he eliminated eight men from a single Battle Royal – a feat that is usually only reserved for giants like The Big Show or Braun Strowman – to become the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship, which was held at the time by Dean Ambrose.
Following a brief rivalry with Bobby Lashley, Crews has fallen back into WWE’s mid-card wilderness, facing Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin recently in matches which had little-to-no meaning, and he has no storyline direction heading into WrestleMania.
Still, he remains one of the most impressive in-ring talents on Raw, and a multi-man title match on WWE’s biggest stage would be the perfect platform to showcase his ability.
#2 Dolph Ziggler
For the last two years, a new report has emerged every couple of months suggesting that Dolph Ziggler is officially done with WWE and his contract is set to come to an end. Yet, somehow, regardless of the amount of time off he takes or appearances he does or does not make, “The Show-Off” keeps showing up on our screens.
The six-time Intercontinental champion last competed on Raw on the pre-recorded New Year’s Eve 2018 episode, where he lost a Steel Cage match against former tag partner Drew McIntyre. Four weeks later, despite insisting in media interviews that he would not appear, he participated in the men’s Royal Rumble match, entering at #28 and lasting 11 minutes before being eliminated by Braun Strowman.
Once again before a big WWE event, Ziggler is without a storyline and it is unclear when he will return to television. As someone who has competed in the best IC title matches of the last year, alongside Seth Rollins, he would be a more than worthy opponent if Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor were to become a multi-man match.
#1 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman’s WrestleMania history does not make for great reading. His first year, as a member of the Wyatt Family, was impressive – he took part in an in-ring segment with The Rock and John Cena – but his two WrestleManias as a monstrous singles competitor have left a lot to be desired.
In 2017, following a breakout year on Raw, he was eliminated early on from the kickoff show Battle Royal. Then, in a WrestleMania moment that was less about him and more about his tag partner, he teamed with 10-year-old Nicholas in 2018 to win the Raw Tag Team titles from The Bar.
This year, he has another unique role, to say the least, as he will compete in the Battle Royal again, this time with SNL’s Colin Jost and Michael Che being his main rivals. Win or lose on April 7, it feels like a demotion for “The Monster Among Men” to be involved in a match which is usually used as a way to get mid-carders a spot on the WrestleMania card.
Maybe, just maybe, Strowman could pull double-duty and attempt to win his first singles title on the same night that he battles it out with WrestleMania’s ‘special correspondents’.
