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Finn Balor finally got his Universal Championship match on SmackDown, and it ended with a tease for The Demon. Despite being the first-ever Universal Champion, Finn Balor's luck with the title seems to have stopped the moment he won it - at SummerSlam 2016.
On the September 3rd episode of SmackDown, Finn Balor was attacked beforehand by The Usos. Despite The Street Profits coming in and making the save, it was a bit too late as Finn Balor suffered an assault at the hands of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. He managed to put on an incredible effort against Roman Reigns in their subsequent match, but it wasn't enough to dethrone one of the greatest Universal Champions in WWE history.
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The tease that followed the match is what everyone as talking about. As Reings made his way away from the ring, the lights in the arena flashed in red, and a heartbeat could be heard - very much like the Demon's entrance.
The last time Finn Balor appeared as The Demon was at Super ShowDown 2019. On that occasion, he defeated now-AEW star Andrade to retain the Intercontinental title. It has been 27 months since we've seen The Demon in WWE.
Here are a few reasons making a case for and against the return of Finn Balor's "Demon" character. We even get into why Finn Balor hasn't used his alter-ego in over two years.
If you can think of any other reason why or why not, feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
#3. Should bring back The Demon: Increases Finn Balor's marketability
Unlike NXT, the WWE main roster heavily focuses on the marketability of superstars. Let's look at a recent example - Karrion Kross on RAW. The man who defeated Finn Balor to claim his second NXT title recently debuted new medieval-esque gear on RAW.
It has gotten a mixed reception, and when enquiring about it, Andrew Zarain of the Mat Men podcast revealed that the reason behind the gear was because every superstar must be marketable:
As great as Finn Balor is, there's no denying that The Demon is far more marketable when looking at toys, shirts, and overall merchandise sales. These sales avenues seem to be of utmost importance to WWE.
Of course, we're not saying that Finn Balor needs to bring out The Demon more often either. It's a plain and simple fact that he is more marketable every time he portrays the character and that is the perspective that WWE looks at, whether we like it or not.
To add to it, The Demon vs Roman Reigns is a big money match and can elevate Finn Balor's popularity, leading to more merchandise sales. The Demon is better business for WWE and it makes sense why they would be insistent on bringing Finn Balor's alter-ego back.
#2. Shouldn't bring back The Demon: Finn Balor doesn't want to
Here's one of the big problems with WWE bringing back The Demon persona - Finn Balor hasn't been crazy about the idea himself. While admitting that he is likely to bring back The Demon persona someday, Finn Balor also revealed that he feels The Demon is a step backward.
Just for context, this was ahead of his NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver match against Karrion Kross. Finn Balor put a lot of emphasis on developing "The Prince" character in NXT, which is why he intentionally stepped away from The Demon persona during his two-year return stint with the black and gold brand.
Speaking to WWE India, Finn Balor stated that he felt The Demon would be a step back in his career
"For me in this moment in my career, I feel like The Demon would be a step back. I feel like right now with my ring work as The Prince I feel very comfortable, I feel very controlled, I feel very confident, and I feel that’s the direction I have to go at TakeOver.”
Finn Balor even told DigitalSpy that The Demon situation got out of control and described it as a "crutch." Although it's possible that Finn Balor is into the idea of bringing back The Demon King, if he isn't fully into it, then he may not be able to deliver as expected.
#2. Should bring back The Demon: It can fully elevate Finn Balor into main event status
Despite the appearance of Finn Balor's Demon persona on numerous occasions between 2016-2019, there was one big problem that plagued him: inconsistency.
This wasn't inconsistency on his end, of course. We're talking about the inconsistency in WWE's presentation of him. He made several appearances as The Demon, and by all means, WWE went out of their way to protect the character.
Interestingly enough, Finn Balor's sole loss as The Demon in WWE was at NXT in 2016 to Samoa Joe. The Demon persona is undoubtedly popular with the WWE Universe and can help propel him to full-time main event status.
As mentioned above, the biggest problem that plagued Finn Balor between 2016-2019 was inconsistent booking, and he was presented as a main event star from day one, only to lose all that momentum upon his return.
Finn Balor has been in high-profile matches since 2017. He even challenged Brock Lesnar for the Universal title in 2019. But there were plenty of buffer periods where Finn Balor had cooled down.
Given SmackDown's momentum as WWE's new "A-show," The Demon could be the perfect way to shoot Finn Balor up to a permanent spot in the main event scene.
#1. Shouldn't bring back The Demon: Finn Balor will lose to Roman Reigns
"The Demon" Finn Balor vs Roman Reigns is an exciting match to think about. However, there is one big problem - The Demon will lose for the first time on the WWE main roster.
While Roman Reigns is certainly good enough to be the first man to beat The Demon on the main roster, it feels too early into Finn Balor's return to bring his alter-ego back.
Another problem with Roman Reigns' current Universal title reign is that he is simply too good. No superstar in WWE has matched up to Roman Reigns in 2021 and it doesn't even feel right to imagine Finn Balor being the one to dethrone him.
The biggest con of the match is that if WWE is set to bring back The Demon for Extreme Rules 2021, it will only be two full months into Finn Balor's return to the main roster.
As much as WWE has protected The Demon character between 2016-2019, they won't be able to do the same if he faces Roman Reigns. It will essentially be WWE backing themselves into a corner.
#1. Should bring back The Demon: An epic match waiting to happen between Finn Balor & Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has faced Finn Balor four times, but he has never faced The Demon. So far, Roman Reigns is 3-1 against Finn Balor, with the latter winning their first match.
Although their 2017 and 2018 bouts were good, Roman Reigns and Finn Balor had their best match in 2016 and now, in 2021. The match on SmackDown was nothing short of phenomenal and Finn Balor was a great babyface against an even greater heel.
Simply put - the two have great chemistry together in the ring. Finn Balor's entire mannerism and in-ring moveset seem to get an adjustment when he puts The Demon paint on.
Roman Reigns vs The Demon is an epic match waiting to happen. Although it might mean that Roman Reigns will go 4-1 against Finn Balor and break the mystique of The Demon, it would make for an excellent pay-per-view main event.
Finn Balor vs Roman Reigns on SmackDown proved that the two can have a great match even with their eyes closed. It's an incredible match that would be even better if they ran it back with The Demon's presence.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
