The Biggest Problem Finn Balor Has

[Wildcat66]

As reported by the dirt-sheets, it seems that Vince McMahon has soured on Finn Balor considerably and no longer sees him as a top main event guy. It also looks like his feud with Brock Lesnar has been all but called off, if it was even going to happen in the first place.

My opinion: I'm...not that shocked. But it's not for the reason you think.

Personally, I think Finn Balor is one of the better workers on RAW and perhaps the main roster itself; he's had many solid matches over the years, not just in NXT and WWE but also in NJPW where he made his name.

And when he started in WWE, whoa mama; the hype was there. It was so there, they had to give Finn has demon attire for his very first PPV match; and get this? HE WON. Then he got injured and went away for a long time. Since then, it's sort of been downhill from there. And here's why.

It's not so much that he's injury-prone, for the most part; he's actually been really good staying AWAY from injuries and the injuries he has gotten are usually the result of botches. The problem lies in his charisma. Or rather, the charisma he gives out when he speaks.

Let me explain: When someone like The Rock, Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, John Cena and to a lesser extent Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens or The Miz come out; you can tell they have an star appeal to them. They have the look that makes you want to be or as a heel fear them with all of your might. And when they talk, you know they use a lot of that charisma and passion in their promos. There's a reason people love watching them speak, they get you into the feud or match and that in turn makes things all the more exciting.

So let's get to Finn Balor: Does he have charisma? Absolutely, the guy has a look of a god and when he becomes the Demon; he becomes one of the most awe-inspiring things in WWE today...So explain to me why I don't get that same feeling when he gives a promo?

Now this isn't a case like Bayley's where you know she's trying all she can, but her skills just aren't up to sniff or the material given to her just doesn't mesh well. With Finn? I hate to say it but, he just comes off as very boring. Every promo I've heard of him so far is just him looking stoic in the camera, occasionally getting a little angry and speaking in a rather monotone voice that shows very little range.

Obviously, this will not be the case for everyone; and if you think he's good on the mic, that's great; more power to you. But to me personally, when the Demon speaks, the Demon is just...well...dull.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

The problem with Finn Balor is that he is boring and has no positive attributes that other, better workers don't have. Everything that Finn does, there is someone else on the roster who can do it just as well or better and is a more complete package. His matches are good, but rarely great. His promos are bland. The Demon is stupid.

The only thing he has going for him is his athleticism, but when you are a 190 pound vanilla midget, you better be athletic or funny because you aren't going to find work otherwise. He fit New Japan better because his athleticism and in ring work could carry him there, where charisma and promos aren't as important. If he never got big in New Japan, he would have never been on WWE's radar because there are a thousand other indy guys who can do what he does in the ring.

He is a fancy entrance and nothing more. I don't want to see him getting beaten so soundly by Kane, but he is nowhere near the level needed to be a World Champion.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

The problem i've always saw with finn from the first time i saw him in NXT is that without the makeup, he just give you this generic wrestler no.5 vibe.

Let me explain what i mean, when you watch Finn in the ring, he's a really good wrestler for is stile but not spectacular, it fill like you're watching pretty much the same match over and over again because it's always the same thing in the same order all the time. This could be good if he had charisma to keep non-indy fans interested. You look at a Ric Flair, Bret Hart or CM Punk. Here'S three guys that when on every night, did the same routine every night but they had the certain something that keep you interested in the match anyway and you didn'T mind seeing the same spots over and over again. Finn doesn'T have that.

When he's without the paint, you could pretty much put him with the other nameless cruiserweight and i wouldn't feel lost. He's pretty much the Tyson Kidd or Dolph ziggler of today's roster. A good hand that can have good to great matches with others guys and is able to make them look good.

Can this be fix, i don'T know, unless you bring over the Demon character more often or try and help him out with promo like maybe put him back with Gallows and Anderson and letting them do all the talking for the group then maybe he could have a shot of being a bigger star, but in this current incarnation, he just scream bland mid card character and i don'T blame Vince for given up on the guy.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Finn's biggest problem is the fact that he won a title and got hurt in the process. It influence the expectation of the smarks of who he would be when he returned and what fans still expect today. He has been nothing of those things. He is now on a normal trajectory instead of the rocket trajectory he got in his debut.

I don't blame WWE for treating him the way they have since his return. His early main roster success felt like a stretch in the same vein as Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler and he hasn't shown anything then or since then to warrant anything more than what he is getting now. The demon is a cool costume and his entrance is fun but he hasn't shown much else that makes him marketable.

In the end though his failure is a combination of his inability to get over and WWE's scripting. Plus jumping on man with two feet is a stupid move.

Oh, and he also kind of look like one of those Charlottesville protesters. "Samoa Joe will not replace us!"

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I have mixed feeling when, it comes to Finn Balor.

Outside of the ring, Balor is amazing. I love his odd charisma, and its pretty clear many others do as well, considering he gets the loudest reactions on each night. His interaction with fans is top notch. I've seen a few times were security would stop children from running up to the guardrail and Balor would go over and call for them. I also enjoy his quirky style on social media.

Inside the ring...well that is a different story. Balor bores me, completely. I have yet to be able to get invested in any of his matches, even his most recent one with AJ Styles. It has already been mentioned, but majority of Balor's matches are repetitive, including his ppv/"demon" persona matches.

 

[OYDK]

There's no reason to connect with Finn Balor. He comes off as boring because he has no discernible character to speak of. When he's talking, he's basically talking as nice-guy Fergal Devitt who rigidly attempts to sound angry and intimidating at times, but generally fails miserably. There needs to be more depth there in order for fans to really understand why they should care about what he's saying, at least in my opinion. I mean, let's compare to Samoa Joe. Joe's not the greatest speaker in the world, he's solid no doubt, but I wouldn't necessarily describe him as anything special. But the difference is, Joe has a deep character and that makes his words mean something. He's a bad-ass destroyer who pretty much gives no fucks, so when he says he's going to kick someone's ass, you believe him.

If you want to look at somebody more similar, you can also look at Sami Zayn when he was a face. Again, while Zayn wasn't exactly setting the world on fire, he at least seemed to understand who he wanted his character to be, that of a quirky, nerdy underdog attempting to prove his doubters wrong, and as a result, people more or less were able to connect with him on some level. Balor has yet to find that depth to make people truly care about him. He's getting some good pops, but I feel that has more to do with a lot of fans wanting him to succeed more than it's actually about him succeeding.

I think he's a solid talent, and with some polishing he can be a big player in the near future. He still has to put work in though. Guys like Joe and Owens were ready-made for the WWE when they came in. I honestly think Balor is a step below at this point.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

There's no reason to connect with Finn Balor. He comes off as boring because he has no discernible character to speak of. When he's talking, he's basically talking as nice-guy Fergal Devitt who rigidly attempts to sound angry and intimidating at times, but generally fails miserably. There needs to be more depth there in order for fans to really understand why they should care about what he's saying, at least in my opinion. I mean, let's compare to Samoa Joe. Joe's not the greatest speaker in the world, he's solid no doubt, but I wouldn't necessarily describe him as anything special. But the difference is, Joe has a deep character and that makes his words mean something. He's a bad-ass destroyer who pretty much gives no fucks, so when he says he's going to kick someone's ass, you believe him.

If you want to look at somebody more similar, you can also look at Sami Zayn when he was a face. Again, while Zayn wasn't exactly setting the world on fire, he at least seemed to understand who he wanted his character to be, that of a quirky, nerdy underdog attempting to prove his doubters wrong, and as a result, people more or less were able to connect with him on some level. Balor has yet to find that depth to make people truly care about him. He's getting some good pops, but I feel that has more to do with a lot of fans wanting him to succeed more than it's actually about him succeeding.

I think he's a solid talent, and with some polishing he can be a big player in the near future. He still has to put work in though. Guys like Joe and Owens were ready-made for the WWE when they came in. I honestly think Balor is a step below at this point.

All relevant and agreeable points, and articulated better than I did. The bold part is what I want to try to expand on a bit. I mentioned that Balor is a cool entrance and nothing more, which I do believe to be true at this point, as much as I actually do like the guy. How much of a factor do you think his entrance plays in his pops? Everyone loves a fun entrance they can interact with. Look at Enzo, he is a heel who has outstayed his welcome in the eyes of a lot of fans, but people still enjoy chanting along with his whole entrance speech. Even when the New Age Outlaws played heels, people would chant along with Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. My point being people like to feel included, and speaking from experience, throwing your arms in the air with Balor is fun. Doing the finger thing with Fandango was fun too, but I digress. I ask because I've noticed that when he comes out for a match, his reaction is typically much better than when he pops up on screen for a promo or runs in for a save.

 

[stingray11214]

Look, the biggest reason why Finn Balor does not get over in WWE is because is does not look like the type of "star" that VKM covets: Big, cartoonish, muscles upon muscles, straight from Central Casting. If Finn Balor had, let's say, Braun Strowman's skills, he would be back in New Japan right now. But, if Finn Balor was the size of Braun Strowman, he would have fought Lesnar, or maybe have a feud with Lesnar to Mania. It is nice to say he got hurt and that is why VKM soured on him. The reality is that the Balor Club shirts were doing well, which is why VKM pushed him. But, once he got hurt, out of sight, out of mind ESPECIALLY if that wrestler was not the prototype that VKM wants.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Look, the biggest reason why Finn Balor does not get over in WWE is because is does not look like the type of "star" that VKM covets: Big, cartoonish, muscles upon muscles, straight from Central Casting. If Finn Balor had, let's say, Braun Strowman's skills, he would be back in New Japan right now. But, if Finn Balor was the size of Braun Strowman, he would have fought Lesnar, or maybe have a feud with Lesnar to Mania. It is nice to say he got hurt and that is why VKM soured on him. The reality is that the Balor Club shirts were doing well, which is why VKM pushed him. But, once he got hurt, out of sight, out of mind ESPECIALLY if that wrestler was not the prototype that VKM wants.

This is outdated thinking. There was a period when the only way you could get to the top of the WWE mountain was to be some roided out freak with a bodybuilder physique, and having that look does still help you, but to say that the reason Finn isn't pushed is because he doesn't fit that mold is antiquated.

Look at the stars of the mid 90s and on. Shawn and Bret could both feasibly pass for cruiserweights. Even a few years before that, Flair wasn't a prime candidate for the cover of Muscle and Fitness. The only six pack Austin ever had was in his cooler. Mick Foley was pushing three bills when he was anointed champ. Angle is only about 5'11, and Jericho was a crusierweight in his early career. Outside of Cena, Brock, and Batista, there haven't been any chiseled from stone types as champ from the Ruthless Era onward, unless you count Roman, and even he has to wrestle with the vest because his midsection isn't as cut as the rest of him. Maybe you can count Sheamus in there as well, but the WWE has very much moved away from the old mold with guys like Rollins, Ambrose, Bryan, Punk, and Styles all having a fair stake at the belt.

 

[Navi]

Balor is an enigma. When he came over from NJPW where he was Prince Devitt, it was hailed as one of the greatest signing's NXT has ever made. He put on solid matches with almost everyone he faced, even though I've always thought he was on the smallish side.

I don't think anyone had a problem when he came up to the main roster. His first night out was a feather in his cap, winning the right to go to Summerslam to fight for the Universal Champion. He won that match against Rollins, but got injured in the process. After being on the shelf for a long time, things have never really been the same for him. He's sort of wandered from feud to feud, never attaining anything of any real substance. Even putting on the paint for a match here and there, while visually alright doesn't change the fact that it's Finn Balor. It's not like he wrestles any differently, so wearing makeup I guess makes him stronger.

There is nothing wrong with Balor except for the fact that he's a tad boring. Very generic in his look and while he may be a nice guy, watching paint dry is more exciting. Yea he's solid in the ring, but so are a lot of other people. I don't know why he's never had his rematch, even if he loses he should still get one. He should maybe be feuding for the IC or US title, guess the WWE never thought of that either.

Would I really be lying if I said most of us thought he would form the Bullet Club or a WWE version of it. Honestly thought that's why Anderson and Gallows were signed as well. They could have taken on the Shield, New Day or anyone else they faced. As it is all three of them are floundering.

 

[JoeMallard]

Leather jacket Finn only works when he has a supporting cast, turn Balor heel with Anderson and Gallows and his personality will shine through as A+G are funny as hell. I remember when Balor was in NXT and he was holding a sign that said "Where's Gallows and Anderson?", I immediately thought they would be together soon. I'm just guessing Vince has a vendetta against Bullet Club being cooler than anything on the WWE product and that's why he won't pull the trigger on getting them together. All three are being wasted by not being together.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The biggest problem Finn Balor has is Vince's stubborn obsession with Roman Reigns. I thought that much would be obvious to anyone. Had it not been for that, Balor would have gotten his rematch for the Universal Championship that he never lost. Heck, he could be holding the title right now feuding with Strowman for all we know. The injury did him no favors but the guy is popular and I still find him fun to watch. No clue how people are finding him "boring", to each their own I guess. Maybe he'd be better off on Smackdown.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

A lot of people are saying Finn Balor is too generic and ordinary without his Demon Gimmick. But isn't that part point of Balor, that there is a stark contrast with his regular and demon persona? Which IMO actually works since adds another layer to a story or character.

But generic and ordinary doesn't exactly mean boring. He does have a cool look, good entrance theme, and can have good matches. He was doing great in NXT and his match with AJ Styles went over huge at TLC.

If anything his success in NXT and his match with AJ Styles shows how the issue has to do more with the creative in the main shows than Finn Balor himself. I mean firstly having a 3 month program with Bray Wyatt is way too long and who has gotten over huge with a program with Wyatt in recent years? Not even having Orton work with Wyatt generated much interest heading to WM as the Smackdown main event.

Booking and creative team also likes to be "overly creative" and over think things, as what we have seen in the past. Balor's character is actually pretty simple he has two personas and his Demon persona is used to kick himself into another gear. It's pretty much with the teenagers from the Power Rangers morph or when Popeye eats his Spinach. And these shows/cartoons don't need a backstory at what "Morphing Time" or eating a Spinach does. It's pretty straightforward.

So when Balor has to cut a promo about his Demon gimmick or when commentators try to explain the Demon gimmick it comes to a point of over complicating and over explaining Balor and his dual character rather then letting fans see it for themselves.

Balor has yet to find that depth to make people truly care about him. He's getting some good pops, but I feel that has more to do with a lot of fans wanting him to succeed more than it's actually about him succeeding.

Two things.
Firstly, not every wrestler needs to have depth to get over. They just need a character that works for them. Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Jeff Hardy, and Chris Benoit are guys that got over without having much depth in their characters. I would argue that even The Rock during 1999 to 2001 didn't have much depth either (he was just very charismatic and could cut any random promo to perfection). Heck what depth did Roman Reigns have heading to his main event match at Wrestlemania 31?

Secondly, Isn't getting good pops an indication of getting over? It's irrelevant that it's because its about fans him wanting him to succeed or him succeeding fact is that the fans are behind you. I see this no different from Family Matters when fans were chanting for Steve Urkel, who initially had a minor role, but fans rooting for him eventually led to him being a big focus on the show.

 

[ISkye]

He's been on the main roster since 2016. He is probably the most memorable NXT Champion or Alumni for a lot of people despite his horrific title run. He defeated Reigns clean and then went on to beat Rollins to become the first Universal Champion in less than 5 matches or whatever it was. He is consistently on TV and on PPV in some kind of capacity. Commentary is still high on him and he has an overblown entrance where he gets to do his minimalist little edgy poses for the fans. For a 36 year old who got injured for months the first opportunity you gave him to carry your potentially multi-billion dollar company he is still doing pretty well.

Also to be real Reigns is a great worker to the point where he has had more great matches than Balor has had in his career within a few years with far less experience. Balor's NJPW work is also over hyped to mind numbing degrees. That's not even comparing it to current in ring Omega, Okada, Kota, or Naito. I rather have a 32 year old guy who hasn't had a ridiculously long injury who can have believable matches with both Braun Strowman and a guy like Seth Rollins be champion to be honest. We saw how Brock versus Aj Styles went and it was amazing, because that is how it should of want and we could get invested. A guy shorter and smaller than my 15 year old neighbor should not be in a ring with a former UFC and Amateur wrestling champion even if the entire thing is fake.

His move set isn't as innovative as even a Kofi Kingston and isn't very captivating. His appearance isn't unique and he somewhat portrays this badass character that comes off incredibly uninspired and try hard like a bad CAW. He's bland in ring, as a character, and fails to captivate anyone on the mic. There is a legitimate argument for every form of praise he can and has received.

For the demon character. Picture being someone who hasn't watched wrestling and isn't the type that would ever normally invest in it. A small man crawls to the ring in some fog wearing a Cyberpunk wig he bought off Etsy with some questionable paint you'd see at a convention. After 3 minutes he finally gets in and is squatting on the ground portraying a B movie villain. Across from him is a former Amateur Wrestling & UFC champion weighing 80 pounds more and standing 5 inches taller with a championship around his waist. I get the whole "Wrestling is fake" argument meme and the "But they actor. If movie u'd watch" thing, but nearly all normal people even when they know it's a work do not think like that. There are rules to the exception like a Shawn Michaels(Who is a bit bigger than Finn) and to a greater extent Daniel Bryan. I guarantee you Balor is close to neither of those and never will be.

Realistically Reigns should be in mind here. Not balor. He's been given more than a guy like Cesaro who at his peak has been just as over (If not more) and has had consistent better matches since the Indys. I'd rather see him against Lesnar than Balor honestly, because he can do everything and then more because he's like Reigns where he can have good matches with people ranging from cruiserweights to heavyweights.

 

[OYDK]

Two things.
Firstly, not every wrestler needs to have depth to get over. They just need a character that works for them. Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Jeff Hardy, and Chris Benoit are guys that got over without having much depth in their characters. I would argue that even The Rock during 1999 to 2001 didn't have much depth either (he was just very charismatic and could cut any random promo to perfection). Heck what depth did Roman Reigns have heading to his main event match at Wrestlemania 31?

First, I never said every wrestler needs to have depth to get over. Second, I never said Finn Balor wasn't over, because he is... right now. I simply implied that he'll probably never get over to the degree that his die-hard fans want him to if he continues in this way because he doesn't have a ton of depth. And as for your examples, most of those guys didn't and don't need extremely deep characters simply because they are a completely different breed from Balor. Wrestling is not one size fits all. Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and Braun Strowman don't need to be great talkers or even great wrestlers for that matter because they're legitimate (or at least look and act like legitimate) bad-asses that seem as if they can decimate anybody who stands in front of them. They bring a sense of realism to wrestling that fans inherently love. There are a lot of guys that fall into this category (Yokozuna, Andre, Psycho Sid, Vader, etc.). Then you have the wrestlers who are just so damn good in the ring that they, almost literally, don't need to say anything to get over. Chris Benoit was a guy that dubbed himself the best damn technical wrestler in the world and earned respect over the years by proving it every night. Jeff Hardy got over by nearly killing himself five times a match and doing shit that very, very few people were willing or able to do.

Then you have the Chris Jericho's of the world. Guys who need to be good in every single aspect in order to reach legendary heights. Jericho wasn't the absolute best at anything. He was a phenomenal worker on the mic and in the ring, but he was never the best. His character work and depth is what allowed people to connect with him and put him over the top. This is the category that Finn Balor falls into. He's not a monster, he's not an innovator, and he's not a daredevil. He's a decent talker, he's a decent wrestler, but to reach the heights that some expected of him, he needs to be able to connect on a more personal level with the crowd. He needs to give people a reason to consistently care about him. That means depth.

Secondly, Isn't getting good pops an indication of getting over? It's irrelevant that it's because its about fans him wanting him to succeed or him succeeding fact is that the fans are behind you. I see this no different from Family Matters when fans were chanting for Steve Urkel, who initially had a minor role, but fans rooting for him eventually led to him being a big focus on the show.

I'm not sold on Balor's popularity because, in my opinion, enough time hasn't passed yet to prove to me that he can sustain it. There's over and then there's "over". He debuted, won the top title on Raw, and then got hurt. Of course fans are going to cheer him because, as of now, he seems like a big deal, but it's only been six months since his return. Most of the NXT alum get cheered pretty intensely for a while before ultimately fizzling out. I feel the same way about Roode and Nakamura. Sure they're getting a lot of cheers, but will they last? Who knows. If the pops continue to grow, or at the very least, stay stable for another year or so, I'll start to buy in but it's too soon for me to say whether his reaction actually warrants a larger role for him.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

What a thread!

I'm going to agree with Pika here(entirely) and others who've expressed anti-Balor views.

I'm not being an Anti-Indy or Anti-cruiserweights hateful DB here but the thing is, I've just not connected with Balor, not in the least. The entrance schtick seems cool, but that's all.

Someone here said how whenever he talks it sounds robotic, sort of a monotone, and it immediately brought to my mind- Chris Benoit.

17 yrs ago as a heel, Chris Benoit actually showed some personality, even more than Balor does, and that's not much because he'd still sound sort of "weird" on the mic, and end all his promos with "Proveeeee me wrong!".

His gait, his straightface or even expressionless face which alternated with some intensity as he'd chop or collide against opponents, everything suggested almost a "machine" ..a "cyborg". Basically, he wasn't a gimmick, an entertainer, but an extremely intense "wrestler" and a far better Suplex Machine than Brock Lesnar has been in the last 5 yrs(or ever). The only other wrestler who could even compete with him in the "intense" and "suplex machine" department was Angle.

Besides, Benoit even though short was actually huge, even intimidating. JR actually said on one of the Raws from 2001 I've been watching.."Chris Benoit's in-ring ability is quite frankly scary at times".

What does Balor have for intensity?

On the mic, I doubt he'd even be as good as Benoit in 2000 with his "I'm THE best technical wrestler in the worrrrld todayyy" and "Prove me wronghhh".

I'd also like to bring up how "Demon King" thing is not scary at all, to a casual viewer, it might seem weird or funny. How can it not?

If short skinny guys could wear facepaint and scare people or be demonic, we'd all be larger-than-life like Taker a la 1990-1995.

Heck, I'd have my own Wrestlemania streak. *Dreaming*

I'd also say Bray Wyatt is barely creepy, but he's at least tall, plumpy, beardy, and rambles and laughs like a crazy bastard.

But if you want genuine creepy, scary, or larger-than-life,

just watch Big Van Vader vs Cactus Jack from 1992, how he actually punches and pounds Foley's face and forehead(it's genuinely uncomfortable to watch).

That's actually scary and evokes feelings.

Finn Balor trying to be a demon doesn't.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I'm not sold on Balor's popularity because, in my opinion, enough time hasn't passed yet to prove to me that he can sustain it. There's over and then there's "over". He debuted, won the top title on Raw, and then got hurt. Of course fans are going to cheer him because, as of now, he seems like a big deal, but it's only been six months since his return. Most of the NXT alum get cheered pretty intensely for a while before ultimately fizzling out. I feel the same way about Roode and Nakamura. Sure they're getting a lot of cheers, but will they last? Who knows. If the pops continue to grow, or at the very least, stay stable for another year or so, I'll start to buy in but it's too soon for me to say whether his reaction actually warrants a larger role for him.

Sustained popularity only depends on how the booking is able to support that. Let's face it the main roster's booking has been very poor. I think it's safe to say that after a Wrestler get's over he or she need to be put in positions to sustain that popularity and to get to the next level.

Let's face it the booking and creative in the main roster has not been mediocre at best. I mean the Survivor Series main event wasn't an indication
of poor booking (especially at how it tries to elevate newer talent) then I don't know what is.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Finn is a great upper-midcard talent. But he's not a main eventer. He needs to make the IC title or the US title his own, before winning a world title again. He's also a great tag team wrestler. He started out in a team in NXT with Hideo Itami anyway, didn't he?

The Demon doesn't really work, but WWE can use the Demon. You can use the Demon as a stepping stone for the true main eventers, instead of building the Demon as invincible.
Demon King = main eventers, Finn Balor = uppermidcard. Sort of like the new Bray Wyatt. But in order to do that, WWE needs to decide who they are going to put in their elite. My bets are Rollins, Reigns, Owens, Strowman, Styles plus the already esteblished, plus maybe Samoa Joe, Ambrose and Demon King.
But Finn Balor as Finn Balor alone is a midcard talent. Like Cesaro, like Sheamus, like Miz, like Kofi.

But he has potential to become something bigger in the future and truly break out. And the character he plays (just like Bray Wyatt) has a lot of potential to be unique and create great storylines. But WWE has no imagination so I'm not getting my hopes up.

Stories like:
- Double identity, a Jekyll/Hyde story. Demon is a heel, Balor is a face. Balor struggles to get rid of the Demon or control his evil. Classic Hollywood story. Kane on the one side, forcing Balor to be the evil demon and an ally on other forcing Balor to be a face. Someting like Infamous or Spiderman Web of Shadows. Balor chooses to be a heel Demon for a long time. Then, he finally snaps back and we get a "Rise above the Demon" storyline, where Balor gets rid of the Demon alltogether and now Mortal Balor is as equal as Demon Balor (since the Demon is always used as a power-up). That can be Balor's first break out into the main event. Then, the Demon can return after a long, long time for a big big match-up and will be used only in "life or death" situations.

- A Club storyline.

- Team up with Bray Wyatt

- Run with the Cruiserweights. New King. King vs King match with Neville. Match with Kalisto and maybe a match with a returning Rey Mysterio.

The Demon King paint is a cash cow actually. But maybe the wrong guy wears it. Because you know, Finn Balor will always be an underdog due to his size, but the Demon King is not an underdog. They should just go full kayfabe with this one and have Balor even use a different moveset while he's the Demon King.

Or just turn him into Sting and have him wear the paint all the time and let his acting do the work. Because Finn Balor is just vanilla with mediocre mic skills and has nothing to stand out.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I love Finn Balor and he's one of my top five favorites right now. Apparently that isn't a popular opinion but I enjoy him personally. I feel he would be much better suited in the Cruiserweight division (imagine him vs Neville, Cedric, Hideo etc.) but however there is one big problem with that. He was the first ever Universal Champion. You can't realistically throw him in a division with smaller guys when he was pinning people like Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens clean. You have a 190lb guy win the Universal title while someone like Neville who i'm sure weighs more than Balor is playing King of the Cruiserweights. But that probably illustrates the point that the CW is worthless.

As I said I like Finn, he was putting on killer matches in NXT where everyone seems to because they get the chance. When they come on the main roster they quickly become just another person on the roster like Nakamura and Roode are now rather than the big deal they were previously. That's where Finn is at right now. It's been mentioned that there's nothing that seperates him from the pack minus the awesome entrance, which actually could be effectively used better if he actually wrestled differently as the Demon. That goes for anyone on the roster besides the obvious like Strowman, Lesnar etc. There isn't much depth to anyone besides knowing who they are. Wrestling fans need more than that to get into a character.

 

[HORRORHOLIC]

A lot of people are saying Finn Balor is too generic and ordinary without his Demon Gimmick. But isn't that part point of Balor, that there is a stark contrast with his regular and demon persona? Which IMO actually works since adds another layer to a story or character.

But that's the thing. Other than the costume/makeup there is no difference, he wrestles the exact same way.

 

[Navi]

A lot of people are saying Finn Balor is too generic and ordinary without his Demon Gimmick. But isn't that part point of Balor, that there is a stark contrast with his regular and demon persona? Which IMO actually works since adds another layer to a story or character.

But he is kind of generic and ordinary. Actually to be honest the first time I ever saw him, he came off as one of those jobbers that you feed to the bigger names. You know the kind I mean, they all have the same look and a name like John or Bob Smith. When Balor get's into the ring however, you can see the guy knows what he's doing and has been around for awhile. Maybe he just needs more edge, different attire, something to make him really stand out.

Sure when he's all painted up he stands out like a sore thumb, but he doesn't do it often. And like someone else said, it doesn't change the way he wrestle's. It's the same guy doing the same moves, only thing is he doesn't lose. So you have to ask yourself, if he never loses when he's wearing the paint, then by rights he should never lose a match period, since the paint is the only difference.

If anything his success in NXT and his match with AJ Styles shows how the issue has to do more with the creative in the main shows than Finn Balor himself. I mean firstly having a 3 month program with Bray Wyatt is way too long and who has gotten over huge with a program with Wyatt in recent years? Not even having Orton work with Wyatt generated much interest heading to WM as the Smackdown main event.

I can't disagree with you here. Very few from NXT will make it big on the roster, The Shield are the ones who stand out the most. The jury is still out on Asuka and Nakamura. Vince has soured on Balor for whatever reason he sees fit, as his booking shows.

No one can look good after a three month program with Wyatt. Bray Wyatt is another who comes off as either having the worst booking ever, and someone who desperately needs a character change. The news coverage of the Charles Mansion death, and the coverage of his crimes doesn't make it a good time to have a cult leader in the WWE.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I like Finn Balor. I might be one of the few people that doesn't find him boring. Then again, I didn't find Lance Storm boring either...or even Cesaro for that matter. What other people find boring isn't necessarily my kind of boring. His Demon gimmick has become integral to his overall performance that he comes across as this guy with two sides to him and it's interesting. I find his promos decent. He's this human who can call upon a power and he plays the part well whenever he addresses his opponents. I've seen his matches in NJPW and I loved them. While he has the size of a Cruiserweight that would be better suited for 205 Live, I'm not a fan of 205 Live's confining environment. I've already shared my thoughts on that. He can put on good matches with just about anyone. I think he should alter his moveset, so that there's a distinction between his regular form and his demon form though. Perhaps if he used 1916 only as the demon and Coup de Grace only as the human, it'd be better. I do think he belongs in the Main Event, but I don't think he should be a World Champion until he's had a few runs with the Intercontinental Championship or United States Championship first. He's one of those unique guys like Chris Jericho and AJ Styles that can transition between Mid-Card and Main Event. He might be better suited for Smackdown, because there might be better suited opponents for him there compared to RAW.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I love his demon character and the unique way he switches back and forward between regular and demon and also his incredible entrance as well as being a decent wrestler but I agree after such a build up with his entrance when he talks the mood just falls flat. I think he's someone that could have benefited from some kind of manager to talk for him especially in demon mode. As much as I like watching his matches he doesn't look believable as a world champion, With all the big men like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns and you have this skinny little guy he doesn't look like he would stand a chance against guys like that in real life.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

As much as I like shitting on wrestler's charisma and workrate and telling you why someone is bad, I can't do it for Finn Balor. He's not bad, there's not one single problem with him as a wrestler. Sure, he's not the best promo guy, but other than that he has all the tools to be a main event star.

The thing about Finn Balor and most of the guys in WWE is the script, the end goal and what creative has for you. A guy like Dolph Ziggler is boring because we've seen him for years in that midcard scene without really innovating in that lost part of the show. Same goes for Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and others who have loads of talent but no direction. However you all fucking remember his story against The Miz on SmackDown last year. It was a good story and we've seen them face each other hundreds of times.

Balor had a strong push to begin with and people were in on it. His NXT Title reign was really good and he had fierce matches with the likes of Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens and even later with Nakamura. People were buying into him a lot and it didn't matter if he wasn't a good promo. People wanted to see him wrestle, they were invested in storylines and to see him either win or drop the title and see what he would do in the main roster.

In the main roster things are a little bit different. He was getting there when he won the Universal Championship. He wasn't chocking, he was exactly what he was supposed to be - a breath of fresh air - and we loved it. He got injured and he returned to be pals with Seth Rollins and to be completely lost in the shuffle. When was the last time people cared about a storyline with Balor?

They put him against Bray Wyatt, who's the worst at taking people's heat. Nobody ever gained anything by being against Wyatt, except for Daniel Bryan and that's because the storyline was actually fresh at the time and they had incredible chemistry. It also helped the fact that the story had a beggining, middle and end.

Balor isn't making people go crazy because he is doing literally nothing. He's just there. He should've gone against The Miz for the Intercontinental Title. Miz would build that story really well and the payoff would be sweet. Instead, he had a feud with Bray Wyatt coming off an awful story with Randy Orton, that didn't even finish right. How will I care about someone, if I know it won't do anything for him?

It's all on the writers and the bookers. One can only go so far having random matches, winning or losing, without a meaning. He beat AJ Styles, he lost against Kane in a squash the next night. Stupid booking does that to midcard wrestlers. In a way NXT's old school type of booking is great because you don't have midcarders face midcarders just to fill the show. You have a midcarder vs. jobber to elevate him and show he's good for later to face an established star. See literally everyone right now.

Finn Balor fits as much in the main event scene as AJ Styles. AJ isn't really killing it on his promos. He isn't The Rock. He's good, but his stories aren't rubbish. He faced John Cena and it made him. He had a good story to elevate him, his lines were good and he probably believed some of his stuff and that helps. I genuinely doubt Balor has a problem with Bray's crazyness.

Put Balor in front of John Cena or Triple H and you'll see if people will be saying that he's boring. He won't be. And the same can be said about literally a dozen of guys lost in the shuffle. It's all about the story right now. WWE never had such an amazing and talented locker room. I'm pretty sure Heath Slater could be WWE Champion material in the same veins as JBL once was. Balor just has it a lot easier than others because he looks like a fucking god. Even Hugo Boss wanted him to be the face to sell suits in Japan. WWE would love to have that good looking guy appearing on every talk show and every poster.

 

[Radical]

Good discussion!

I think the biggest problem with Finn Balor is the mic skills and character development beyond "The Demon" character.

There is a disconnect, too.

I'm sorry, but when he speaks as regular Finn Balor in the thick Irish accent, he does not sound all that interesting. Just can't get into what he his saying. He speaks a lot louder with actions than words. That may be what he has to do. But he needs some help to do that.

To me, this is a case of WWE not doing a pretty obvious thing - put Balor together with the "The Club" so he can actually have a "Balor Club" instead of having three wrestlers run around with almost no purpose. Let Gallows & Anderson do the hyping and talking and Finn can add a few words here and there.

The only issue there is if you are going to get a faction like The Club together with Finn you need to give it a serious chance. If you don't allow Gallows, Anderson and Balor to look strong or at least ruthless, then you already have that ... see The Miztourage.

But I think G & A with Balor would be good. Lots of ways it could go. Finn could go heel to join G & A and they even can add some more members to the Club or G & A can start with Balor more as tweeners, see if they get over as faces with Balor along with them and if not, go heel and later on go back to babyface, who knows, but at least it would be something better.


I don't see Balor as a main event guy. Or at least not a consistent main event guy. He could pop into a few main event storylines here and there and that would be fine but as a top champion, doesn't work for me or at least a LOT of improvement would need to happen to his charisma without the Demon character in order to make it work.


Now, Balor as a mid-card champion? Sure. And there's nothing wrong with that, but there still needs to be more to the Balor character for even mid-card champ Balor to be interesting long term.