The gap between NXT and the main brand of the WWE has been a cause of concern for a while now. Whether it’s the poor writing on the big show, the gimmicks of the wrestlers not getting over in a bigger crowd or the higher ups losing interest in their new plaything early on; the NXT talent to main roster success ratio has been spotty at best. With every Neville, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens there is an Emma, The Ascension and Adam Rose. However I feel there is a star in NXT that is not only possible to be a main roster star, not only to be a main eventer, but to be the man that carries the company on his back into the future long after the Cenas of this world are gone. That is a man named Fergal. That man is Finn Balor.
Finn Balor is currently the reigning NXT champion and just won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Samoa Joe at the recent Takeover event; Respect. He is not lined up for a main roster debut anytime soon but there are not many more hills to climb for him on this brand. But why do I think that he will be a future face of the WWE? The real question would be, what reason is there that it would not happen?
First off, the man has the experience to be at the top of the card in a big company. As Prince Devitt, he was one of the biggest heels, fronting the biggest heel group in New Japan Pro Wrestling, when he was the leader of the ‘Bullet Club’. As NJPW’s Junior Heavyweight Champion he frequently was a featured match of their super events, such as his bout with the excellent Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 8. At 34 years of age, he has 15 years experience under his belt so he won’t wilt under the spotlight of being a leading man.
Secondly, his move set is very accessible and transferable to facing any superstar. John Cena once said that your finisher should only be your finisher ‘If you can do it against the Big Show’ – and with his Coup de Grâce top rope double stomp as his signature manoeuvre, he can hit in on anyone from El Torito to ‘The World Largest Athlete’ himself and, most importantly, it would be believable for him to beat any of them with that move. 200 pounds crashing down on anyone’s chest should be enough for a count of three. His combination of kicks, strikes and high impact offence is flashy but believable and whilst he can’t hit moves like his high impact brainbuster Bloody Sunday on everyone, he has those big OMG moves to break out in big time matches.
He also has something that Vince will fall over himself for, he has the look. He is marketable to pretty much everyone. Balor has the internet fans down, because…well he is Prince Devitt. As a straight man I can even say that he is a damn good looking man, so he is marketable to a female or LGBT demographic that might not be into the workrate but rather the story and the look. You could put Balor on the cover of a magazine or on the sofa of a late night talk show and he would not look out of place. The kids would love him, because what young child wouldn’t love a man that turns into a mythical monster from time to time? Much like Rey Mysterio masks and Jeff Hardy armbands – Finn Balor demon merch would fly off the shelves, and also with his current non-demon look….leather jacket and all; he looks cool. He has ‘it’.
An obvious one is the entrance. Great wrestlers have a distinction when they enter an arena, something that makes the crowd go ‘He is here’. From Austin’s glass to Rock’s If Ya Smell, to Undertaker’s gong to Chris Jericho’s explosion – you need to make an impact from second one. In my opinion, Balor has two impactful entrances. When he is Finn Balor, the guttural roar, the smoke, the leather jacket and the arm poses – he looks cool as f**k. Then we have The Demon Finn Balor…and if you haven’t seen that, then you are missing out. He also has a great anthemic entrance song too. If you haven’t at one time after watching NXT not sung Balor’s theme and thrown your arms up aloft, you are a liar sir….or madam.
The only issue you could see is that he isn’t that amazing on the microphone, but he is improving. The Performance Center is a blessing for some indie guys that are technically amazing but lack the mic skills but all in all, decent mic skills are acceptable when you have a great character and you are a recognizable character. If it was good enough for Bret Hart, it’s good enough for Finn.
When he first came in, I did say to many ‘yo, he could be a killer main event heel’ similar to his ‘Rock and Roller’ persona in NJPW. I saw him as this cold-heart Irish gun for hire, perhaps even being the new face of The Authority against a face Seth Rollins, but enough fantasy booking. I reckon Finn could take over from John Cena as a top face, or even be a guy to face John Cena in a Wrestlemania down the line. He has shown his versatility in his career, and that is his biggest plus – he could fit anywhere with his ability and because of his ability, he should be fitting right at the top.
Who knows, maybe we will get a Sami Zayn vs Finn Balor WWE title match at WrestleMania 34? Ambitious, but thanks to how good they are – it’s believable.