5 possible feuds for Finn Balor in 2018

We're all wondering.

What is going to happen with Finn Balor? I mean, his apparent plans for Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship were supposedly scrapped and he's currently without a set direction for Wrestlemania.

In fact, since he returned from injury after his inaugural WWE Universal Championship match with Seth Rollins, Balor hasn't had a weekly storyline after his encounter with Bray Wyatt -- which never actually came to a conclusion.

Between missed opportunities, being left off of WrestleMania 33 simply because there was no story for him, and all pieces of the puzzle not quite falling together when and where they should, "The Demon King" has been relegated to mid-card 50/50 booking and filler segments that is up until the Royal Rumble where he outlasted 27 other guys.

We can talk about what should have happened all day long, but this particular opinion article is going to dive in on what could happen after he (hopefully) performs on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

#5 "Woken" Matt

Enter cap — The "WOKEN" Warrior himself, Matt Hardy

After his rivalry with Bray Wyatt comes to an end, hopefully, with "Woken" Matt taking the final win to further expand his "woken" character, he will need to delete a new vessel. Enter the Demon King; Finn Balor.

Surely this wouldn't culminate after one series as a month-long feud, but when it finally does come to an end, WWE will have two choices here.

The first being final DELETION of "The Demon King". It would allow "Woken" Matt Hardy (and company) to continue his the successful journey to DELETE vessels of those that haven't been "Woken" yet. It would also allow Finn Balor (in regular form)'s fans to focus on his charisma without the gimmick.

Or, "The Demon King" prevails. Post-feud, both men can part ways for a while. "Woken" Matt can move on to a new DELETION goal, and Finn Balor can make strides further up the title contention ladder (if there is such a thing). If WWE pulled this off right, a chance meeting later down the road can garner a huge pop and be a future selling point.

Let's just hope they go about it in a different way than they did between Balor/Wyatt as far as the storyline goes. And let's hope Matt doesn't catch viral meningitis in the process.

#4 Braun Strowman

By now we've all witnessed the destruction that Braun Strowman can cause. From tearing Roman Reigns apart, to his dominant power over Brock Lesnar (and Kane I guess), Braun is automatically pencilled in to win the WWE Universal Championship in 2018. But how is he going to do that? There should be a test first. WWE has a perfect write-in storyline here going one of two, easy to assemble, biblical proportioned ways.

All sorts of things could happen here, as it would be your typical Braun Strowman "hulk-smash" fest. Finn, talented as he is, enters as the underdog in this feud. After months of "getting these hands" for Balor, he finally recruits his Good Brothers to assist him in taking down the "Monster Among Men", leading to a future match for a title that the Balor Club leader never lost, and never got an opportunity to regain.

Alternatively, imagine week in and week out, Strowman standing over Finn Balor and his partners in crime, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. By this time, Strowman has already proved he can hang with The Beast Incarnate and The Devil's Favorite Demon.. but can he hang with The Demon King himself? Fast forward to the "go-home" edition of RAW before their first PPV match.

The Good Brothers are "injured" from Braun's attacks, and Finn vows to avenge them by any means necessary. Braun gets on the mic and by the time he's just about done, the mind games start. Balor appears in his Demon King persona, takes down Braun Strowman with a quick series of slingblade, shotgun dropkick, and Coupe De Grace. The fans would go absolutely nuts! (At least I would)

Judging by how much the WWE Universe loves both of these men, it both has the main event written all over it and has no obvious winner at the same time. It would be fresh for both men and win or loss, be a positive for Finn Balor in the long run.

#3 Kevin Owens

(I know, I'm ignoring the roster split. Finn is on RAW, and Kevin is on Smackdown Live.)

SD Live! is hurting its star power. Instant fix: send the leader of the Balor Club over to shake things up for team blue. As Finn is setting goals for himself and pandering to the crowd, down comes KO to interrupt.

Kevin Owens doesn't seem like the type of guy to like taking a back seat to anyone, and that could certainly be the case if Finn Balor decides to jump ship to the blue brand. Throw in the violent version of KO, angry because someone is stealing the spotlight, and there you'd have the premise. It would win all the Slammy awards (if they still existed).

It wouldn't have to be for a title because these men have so much star power in their own right, a title wouldn't be necessary. For that matter, the Demon King avatar of Finn Balor wouldn't be needed either as it would be about skill and the rise of Balor.

The best part about this matchup is the possibilities of in-ring performances and a match of the year candidate. Both men are immensely talented and it'd be a gift to the WWE Universe to see them working hard for a shared goal: the WWE Championship.

#4 The Shield

Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns respectively.

Roster change or not, this one would be a perfect main event for Survivor Series. Of course, it would be changed from 5-on-5 elimination to 3-on-3, but that's not the point.

WWE has teased us with The Shield officially re-forming in the past, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do it again by the time Survivor Series rolls around. Regardless of plans for Dean Ambrose to return as a heel, this one has money written all over it. It was even teased in a backstage segment at one point on RAW, and the ovation from the crowd was ridiculously loud.

So here's how it goes...

The Shield dominates everyone they come across - that is until they run into the Balor Club. The two teams could go back and forth for weeks with singles and standard tag matches, trading victories in the process. Come Survivor Series, the two teams meet in a dream match in the main event (this would also help solidify Finn Balor as the main event player)

Win or lose, both teams would surely get a standing ovation (except Reigns because the WWE Universe hates him for some reason). A loss wouldn't hurt either group as far as fan recognition goes, and after Survivor Series they could cleanly move on to another story.

We've already recently seen Finn and Seth face off in singles action, and I for one was not disappointed. Similar styles compliment each other, and that would certainly be the case for all six of these men.

#1 AJ Styles

You probably figured out by now that this one was coming. After their performance at TLC in 2017, one would have to assume that there will be more meetings between the two. Again, like a few others on this list, WWE creative can go several different directions.

Let's pretend WWE has the wisdom to cash in on Finn Balor being the Royal Rumble ironman of 2018 and gives him the victory in 2019. Let's also pretend that Finn Balor wants to switch brands to Smackdown Live (if he hadn't already). And finally, let's assume either AJ Styles never lost the WWE title, or that he has gained it back by this time. Bam! Wrestlemania 35's main event is set for rematches for the ages. Finn Balor vs AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.

Creative control could play off of the fact that as The Demon King, Finn Balor defeated AJ Styles with a clean victory at TLC 2017, which would be the last time they met.. and even closed the aftermath of the match with a "too sweet" hand gesture. The former Bullet Club (now Balor Club) could also get some recognition off of this match, or even potentially play a role in the final outcome somehow.

I doubt if WWE mentions the fact that AJ Styles led the same Club that Finn Balor did in a rival's promotion, but the narrative is already there. I'd even go so far as to say that, just like TLC, this match would need little build-up, nor would it need the incarnation of "The Demon King" this time around. Much like the Kevin Owens rivalry I mentioned, it would simply be about skill, which is something the WWE Universe clamours for (unless it's on 205 Live, which they could apparently care less about).

Finn Balor and AJ Styles booked for the main event of Wrestlemania 35 would not only be appropriate but by the end of the show, we will have witnessed the match of the decade.

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