Is Anyone Excited For Finn Balor's Return?

[Hard Hit Prince]

He's been out for quite sometime now and apparently he's on schedule to return for WrestleMania Season. He had to vacate the Universal Championship, which in turn pretty much ruined Raw's main event. HHH started a feud with Seth Rollins only to disappear into oblivion. Current Universal Champ Kevin Owens has been having an infinite amount of fights against Rollins and Reigns.

Therefore Finn's return should pump some new blood onto the main event, but I have to admit – I'm not really excited for it.

He's been booked as a bland babyface who happens to paint himself for PPV matches. What is he going to do? Return for his Universal Championship and feud with Kevin Owens? I'm not feeling the heat. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho looks to be a bigger match for WrestleMania and I'm pretty sure everyone wants that payoff. If it weren't for those two Raw would've actually been worse than it is now.

I would care a lot more for a Balor vs. Rollins feud. Balor could return with an edge, kinda heelish just to get revenge on the guy who injured him. They could eventually be friends again, but there's something between those two that should be resolved. However, that's not gonna happen. WWE seems to think that HHH vs. Rollins is a bigger story.

For that reason, I'm not excited for Balor's return. I don't see any interest in him feuding with Rusev or Reigns, nor with him winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

 

[#hamler]

Saying Bálor or any other injured WWE superstar should return as a heel is so cliche. And I hate it. But Bálor should return as a heel.

Gallows and Anderson are floating around doing close to nothing. They're obviously on Raw nearly every week but their wheels are stuck in the mud and they aren't going anywhere. Pairing Bálor up with Gallows and Anderson solves that problem and the problem that Bálor doesn't have much character to him other than the face paint. He was mildly over when he won the title but I'm betting that reaction would've faded. Bálor needs something that can make his actual character stand out. And painting your face can only be cool so many times before the fans start to turn away. Gallows and Anderson are your problem solvers here.

Being that Rollins is a face (an awkward one), I don't see Bálor returning to feud with him. If the rumours are indeed true and Styles is losing the title at Rumble, pair the two together at 'Mania for a phenomenal interpromotional match up. Throw Anderson/Gallows in there and have them turn on Styles to join Bálor.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

In a different thread, one of my predictions for 2017 was for Triple H to try to relive his DX glory days through the Balor club. I would love to see HHH be the "Ric Flair/mentor" roll to the (Balor) Club. Get in Balor's ear and have Balor destroy Seth Rollins on his return. Let fans be confused on who to cheer for until it is revealed (3-4 week wait, max) that HHH is behind the attacks on Rollins.

To answer the OP though, I wouldn't say I'm excited for his return, more so that I'm excited for the potential storylines/matches. I think a Balor club w/Triple H could be money.
With that said, I will not be jumping for joy to watch him wrestle. Outside of the ring, he's pretty charismatic. Inside the ring, he's far from interesting. I mean he can put on a great match but he's so generic that I tend to lose intrigue. No flashy moves, generic ring gear, and no unigue body features. NOTHING about him stands out, when he's not in body paint.

 

[JoeMallard]

Only if he's paired with the guys he should've been with since his call up to the main roster, a heel Balor will be absolutely fantastic!

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

Can't wait for Balor's return.

Balor has instant feuds w/ Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens lined up already.

Rollins for injuring Balor's shoulder.

A reprisal of Balor's feud with Owens from NXT on the WWE main stage would be awesome too.

They've been hinting at something w/ The Club for a while too. Hints on Instagram, while Balor was still on NXT and neither Anderson, Gallows, nor Styles were in the WWE, mean big plans for all four.

But knowing what I know about the WWE, this could all be for nothing like the Wyatt Family/Lesnar feud that went no where.

Also, an angle w/ the Wyatts and the Demon seem like a natural theme.

I know that Styles and the Wyatts are on another brand, but the WWE will only adhere to the brand separation when convenient.

Last, Nakamura and Samoa Joe are both awaiting their call ups to the main roster.

 

[Phenomenal]

To be honest I'm old school, he looks mid-card/jobber but that's not a direct criticism because the whole roster is nearly in that category. Balor does nothing for me, I can see the marks happy but he's just another bland wrestler who knows how to win over the crowd with his athletic ability.

 

[The Life Of Pablo Ren]

I'm both excited and hesitant.

I'm excited because I obviously want him back, he would breathe new fresh air into what has been a very very stagnant RAW main event scene since he got injured, but I think they need to be careful as to when they bring him back.

For months people (myself included) have been holding out hope that he could return during the Royal Rumble and perhaps win it, but that seems less and less likely. If he's cleared to compete in time for WrestleMania... I'm not sure it would be a good thing to bring him back until afterwards.

The logical storyline for him when he returns is to go after the Universal Championship, anything else wouldn't make much sense and quite frankly could some damage to Finn, if he returns and isn't immediately fighting for the title and gets thrown into a random feud just for WrestleMania, it could cool him off quite a bit. He could get lost in the shuffle very easily around WrestleMania season, despite being who he is, and I really don't think WWE would want to waste such a big return like that.

BUT... that being said, it's still Finn Balor, and if he is cleared to compete sometime in February or March, do you really want someone like him him sitting on the shelf for 1-2 months?

 

[ShinChan]

Of course, I'm excited.

I don't think that Finn Balor will return at Royal Rumble. He could return before Wrestlemania 33 but I'm doubtful about his return taking place at Royal Rumble.

I just love Finn Balor. Honestly speaking, he was underwhelming in the ring initially in NxT and I didn't like him but he won me over by improving in wrestling. Those matches with Samoa Joe and then a couple of matches at the main roster were good enough.

He should wrestle at Wrestlemania 33 if he's healthy enough.

He was really dull when he came in. He has a quality that may appeal to kids and moms and Kapu and an entrance that is fun the first time you see it on TV or if you're in the crowd. His ring work is fine but I don't feel like it stands out. WWE has plenty of guys who can go right now. Maybe there is more to him to be seen but I doubt we are going to get to see much of it or in a big spot for Mania season. Him quietly doing his own thing in a minor Mania story may be for the best. I'm happy for him to return, Raw could use another competent singles performer but excited is the furthest emotion from my mind.

Hey, I belong in the underlined bolded group.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

He was really dull when he came in. He has a quality that may appeal to kids and moms and Kapu and an entrance that is fun the first time you see it on TV or if you're in the crowd. His ring work is fine but I don't feel like it stands out. WWE has plenty of guys who can go right now. Maybe there is more to him to be seen but I doubt we are going to get to see much of it or in a big spot for Mania season. Him quietly doing his own thing in a minor Mania story may be for the best. I'm happy for him to return, Raw could use another competent singles performer but excited is the furthest emotion from my mind.

 

[Gallops77]

I voted that I am excited for him to come back and should be at Wrestlemania. But to add to that, I only think he should be on the Wrestlemania card if it makes sense.

I think there really are no feuds right now for him leading into Wrestlemania, unless he returns at the Royal Rumble and wins it and challenges Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship.

Honestly, I feel like Balor's return should be the RAW AFTER Wrestlemania. There's always a hot crowd and he'd get a massive pop on his return. Owens should face Jericho at Wrestlemania for his Universal Championship and retain. Owens comes out and brags about how he's beaten everyone he needs to beat and that brings out Balor to set up their feud.

 

[Snugglebites]

Not really. Entrance aside, I've never really seen anything that great from Finn.

 

[jholcomb22]

I am excited for Balor to return. But I want it the night after Mania. He won't be healthy enough to build a program on what will be a very crowded card. I hope to see Reigns win the belt before Mania so Owens/Jericho isn't for the title. Have Reigns defend in a hard fought match against the Rumble winner, presumably Strowman, and the have Balor show up and take the title from Reigns who he first beat to earn his first title shot. He will be the biggest face in the company setting up feuds with Owens and a forced heel Reigns for starters.

 

[TJ Matics]

Oh yeah!... Kind of.

I obviously wasn't excited about his injury, but I do believe things happen for a reason. I think Balor will be much more appreciated after fans have suffered through months (though there have been a few bright sides) of the RAW main event scene. It has been incredibly... meh to dull, and I'd welcome any breath of fresh air at this point. Having it being Balor is just a plus.

I would wait until after Mania though. Jericho wins the rumble, and KO beats Jericho for the title decisively at Mania. Then moves on to Balor.

I get why some are a bit turned off by his entrance. I do feel it was a bit more hokey than necessary with exaggerated movements even during the match. Keep "The Demon" as a zone for big matches, and stop letting Michael Cole oversell it and all should be well.

 

[Kamala316]

In a word: nope. He should return the night after WrestleMania, and challenge Owens for the strap. With respect to being excited about his return, the only thing I enjoy about Balor is his entrance. Rollins stole the "slingblade", and half the cruiserweights use the double stomp now. Balor is a decent technician, but that's about all I see in him. Nothing special.

 

[LBGetBack]

Absolutely. Raw has had the same 3 guys...Rollins, Reigns, and Owens...fighting over the title seemingly forever. They need someone else in the picture. Give Jericho a face turn and title win and short run(he's never had a face title run and the time is so perfect for it right now....he's been on fire, and they desperately need something new)...but Balor will give them another guy who can get into the title picture next spring or summer, and it can give them more options for upper care feuds without the title involved too.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I'm definitely excited for Finn Balor's return. Raw is in desperate need of main event faces. Balor fits the bill. How many times can we see Owens vs. Rollins/Reigns? After this Reigns feud is over, they won't have anyone else. Except for Jericho, and he's leaving before too long.

Regardless of how you feel about Balor, he is a fresh face, and Raw needs fresh faces.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm not all mega excited, but I am looking forward to his return. Balor, to me, is fun to watch inside the ring and while it seems like he'll be right back in the Universal Championship picture, or rather we assume he will be, it's possible he won't be for a while until WWE sees how he does after being back and being on the road with a full schedule for a while.

As far as "The Demon" goes, I think they'll just break him out for special occasions. That's what they were doing in NXT so I don't see any deviation from that on the main roster. I think the entrance is fun, sure it's kind of hokey but most wrestling entrances are. Look at Taker's funeral march, look at Nakamura...whatever the hell it is he does, they're fun to watch but it's pretty low on my list of priorities, as are all entrances really. The Demon is something that'll be fun to see every once in a while, but that's it.

 

[OYDK]

It'll be good to see him back, if for no other reason than because Raw is in desperate need of some depth. Also, Balor is very versatile in the sense that they can literally do anything with him; they can insert him back into the main event picture, they can make him a US title challenger or even give him a run with the belt, they can put him with Gallows/Anderson, they can keep him face, turn him heel... lots of possibilities and that should ultimately make Raw at least a bit more bearable to watch.

I'm not the biggest Finn Balor fan, but the guy is solid enough and for that reason alone I'm looking forward to his return. Raw has become extremely monotonous since his injury and I'm hoping he can help breathe some life back into the show. That being said, there's no need for him to come back before Mania as a lot of things seem to be already in motion in regards to the Universal and US title pictures, and his return is likely to throw it all into chaos once again. I don't think they should bring him back just to toss him into some random match either. Whatever anyone's opinion on the guy, he was the Universal Champion before his injury, was treated like a huge deal right out of the gate, and has a pinfall victory over Roman Reigns; he should get a shot to pick up where he left off once he comes back. So yeah, they should hold off until the night after Mania.

Unless they decide to go a different route and have him come back on the blue brand which is highly unlikely. Still, the New Japan mark in me can't help but salivate at the prospect of a Styles/Balor WWE Championship clash at Mania. AJ needs a challenger (assuming he goes into Mania as champ), the Rumble is wide open this year... it could happen. It won't, but it could.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I voted yes, but it's not an overenthusiastic yes. I haven't seen enough of his matches to get hyped for a return. I like his Demon King character though and his entrance at a Wrestlemania could be fairly epic.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

Is this even a question? Of course im ready for Finn Balor to return and if he's ready I think it should be in the Royal Rumble at #30 as The Demon. I wouldn't mind seeing him win it and go to Wrestlemania 33 in the Universal Title Match.

RAW definitely needs another Main Event player right now and he was already on his way before he got sidelined.

 

[wrestler36]

I'm probably in the very minority here, but I feel that Balor fits better in the cruiserweight division. With Neville added there, it seems like adding Balor and maybe one or two other big names and the division would have some more recognition. Personally, it bothered me when they announced his weight at 190 lbs for his universal title match.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

personnaly, i'm not really excited for his return because i feel like they are going to screw up his redebut the same way they did his debut on the main roster.

I didn'T like the fact that the guy was shove down your throat as soon as he started on the main roster, they should have build up is rise to the main roster a little bit more instead of putting him in the main event picture in his third match.

My dream return for finn would be to have him traded to smackdown for somebody like a dean ambrose and you have him in a feud with the miz first then you have climb up the ladder for a couple of months until he's organically gets to the main event level and his worthy of a wwe title shot, instead of a rush main event push that will just hurt him in the end.

 

[blueskyy]

I know, I know, you guys been following Balor though his career... but from someone who has only started watching him after he came on RAW, I can't say I'm excited. Watching him is like watching another version of Sami Zayn. Getting beat up like a elastic rubber band for no reason and then staging a comeback isn't good wrestling (at least to me), having good timing, and doing the right moves at the right time (and having some background storyline leading to the match) is. So far, he has shown none of that.

You have to see enough of someone, enjoy what you see, to be excited for his return, right?

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm very excited to see Finn return. His work in NXT was excellent and I also enjoyed his Summerslam feud with Rollins even though he was only on the main roster for a very short while due to his injury. The fact that he was the very first Universal Champion would make him a perfect challenger for the title at Fastlane in February. I do not expect him to win, however if he's against Owens it could be a really good match. Not sure what he would end up doing at Wrestlemania. One thing is for certain though.... That entrance of his at Wrestlemania is going to be amazing. Finn's good at everything. Promos, in-ring work, and his demon persona brings something very unique to the table. It would be a bad decision for the WWE to not have something for him on the Wrestlemania card and I for one do anticipate his return.

 

[Gallops77]

It'll be good to see him back, if for no other reason than because Raw is in desperate need of some depth. Also, Balor is very versatile in the sense that they can literally do anything with him; they can insert him back into the main event picture, they can make him a US title challenger or even give him a run with the belt, they can put him with Gallows/Anderson, they can keep him face, turn him heel... lots of possibilities and that should ultimately make Raw at least a bit more bearable to watch.

I'm not the biggest Finn Balor fan, but the guy is solid enough and for that reason alone I'm looking forward to his return. Raw has become extremely monotonous since his injury and I'm hoping he can help breathe some life back into the show. That being said, there's no need for him to come back before Mania as a lot of things seem to be already in motion in regards to the Universal and US title pictures, and his return is likely to throw it all into chaos once again. I don't think they should bring him back just to toss him into some random match either. Whatever anyone's opinion on the guy, he was the Universal Champion before his injury, was treated like a huge deal right out of the gate, and has a pinfall victory over Roman Reigns; he should get a shot to pick up where he left off once he comes back. So yeah, they should hold off until the night after Mania.

Unless they decide to go a different route and have him come back on the blue brand which is highly unlikely. Still, the New Japan mark in me can't help but salivate at the prospect of a Styles/Balor WWE Championship clash at Mania. AJ needs a challenger (assuming he goes into Mania as champ), the Rumble is wide open this year... it could happen. It won't, but it could.

This might solve the Finn Balor return question. Have him win the rumble and choose to face AJ Styles instead of Kevin Owens. He could stake a claim at being the first to win both the Universal and WWE Championships should he beat AJ.