What’s the story?
Finn Bálor is currently in Japan visiting old friends in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and The Demon King has posted a number of pictures on his social media throughout the trip. Bálor has posted a picture with none other than current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for fans wanting to see the former rivals square off once more.
In case you didn’t know...
Finn Bálor’s career was made in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Billed as Prince Devitt, Bálor won multiple championships in the junior division before making the jump to heavyweight in 2013. Devitt established Bullet Club at that very same time, and marquee feuds with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi followed. Devitt was arguably the most fascinating major wrestling character in the world at the time, and it was no surprise that WWE had him on their radar.
Devitt signed with WWE in May 2014 and soon became a mainstay on NXT, winning the NXT Championship in Tokyo. After a lengthy run as champion, the newly-christened Finn Bálor jumped to the main roster, where he became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion.
Also read: 5 things we learned from Finn Balor’s WWE 24 special
The heart of the matter
Bálor’s Bullet Club faction was consistently at odds with Kazuchika Okada and his buddies in CHAOS, but it seems as though the former foes have buried the hatchet. Bálor posted a couple of photos with the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, including a rather delightful one of The Rainmaker giving his own take on the famous Finn Freeze pose.
Okada had earlier posted a picture of him with Bálor along a post welcoming the former WWE Universal and NXT Champion back to Japan. Elsewhere, photos with KUSHIDA, Gedo, Jado and others. It is unclear how long Bálor will be in the Land of the Rising Sun, but the Irishman seems to be having a whale of time back in the land he used to call home.
Impact
The pictures with Okada are almost certainly guaranteed to get tongues wagging, as wrestling fans worldwide ponder the possibility of Okada vs. Bálor in the modern age. Both men are very different performers in 2017 to when they last met in 2013, and Bálor never received the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match he earned by defeating Okada in the 2013 G1 Climax. Such dreams will stay only dreams, however.
Author’s take
It is always a joy to see wrestlers getting time off to catch up with old friends and enjoy themselves. The idea of Bálor vs. Okada in 2017 is mouth-watering, to say the least, but it isn’t going to happen. Okada has stated his lack of interest in WWE on a number of occasions, and Bálor may well be in WWE for the rest of his career.
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