As Summerslam slowly approaches; Finn Balor is arguably heading into the biggest match of his careers against Seth Rollins. The former NXT champion has never been on a bigger stage since signing with the company, and now he has a chance to further prove himself in front of the world.
But taking in consideration a somewhat mixed reaction during his faceoff with Rollins on this week’s Raw, there may be reason for concern. Balor must bring everything he has at SummerSlam, and that includes The Demon.
Balor is a breath of fresh air for fans. He’s exciting, he’s different, he’s the epitome of the New Era and then some, and better yet he is arguably the most prepared for the spotlight ahead. He’s a work in progress for the company, who is ready now and will still be ready down the line. No experience necessary.
Working for 16 years to get himself to this level, building his career at the as the Monday Night Wars came to an end, becoming a main event attraction and the ‘must-have’ commodity within the indies during the Ruthless Aggression and PG Eras, respectively. Balor was made for the New Era.
However, as good as he is, as much experience as he has on his shoulder, there is still more Balor can do. That is because the man is facing, has the crowd behind him and then some.
Seth Rollins has the upperhand – out of the two he’s more well-known among WWE fans, he has long had the establishment behind him. In fact some would say Rollins so good that he is getting fans to cheer him regardless of his positioning. He’s cheered despite what he says, and he’s popular despite what he does.
And for Balor, this is not the best thing to be going into.
Working in front of fans who aren’t accustomed to seeing you week in and week out gives him a distinct disadvantage. While NXT is thriving; winning on a show that tends to have more of a cult following is one thing, but winning against a guy who has carried Raw as the top heel, in a spot that has more eyes upon it, is something else altogether.
Yet, this slightly lacklustre reaction on Raw must not define Finn. He is too good to be lost in the shuffle and deserves a top babyface spot on Raw. Balor should be the popular on in this match, and he must gain as much momentum and fan backing as possible heading into Summerslam.
The way to do this? Enter the Demon.
The Demon is Balor’s trump card. It is the edge he needs to get over Rollins and make a major impact on 21st August. The Demon is a side of Balor that allows him to explore a darker side. The Demon doesn’t care about anything but destruction.
The commitment of the character is what gets it over with fans; and has opponents on the backburner.
The Demon takes Balor to another place, a place that does not leave the psyche until victory has been retrieved. Rollins is convinced he will beat Balor, but once he sees The Demon, everything will change.
Rollins will be rattled and this is what Balor needs. Really, it is the best way to truly take the next step in WWE and more so without harming the babyface character of Balor and without weakening the work of Rollins.
Summerslam is not only Finn’s time rise up and take gold, but the Demon’s too.