4 Reasons why Finn Balor will defeat Brock Lesnar at the WWE Royal Rumble

Finn Balor had one hell of a Monday Night RAW.

It is not just the fact that he became number one contender for the WWE Universal Championship. It is not just the fact that he has a date with 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar, and destiny, at the 2019 Royal Rumble event. It is how he achieved that goal.

First, he publicly got into the Chairman, Vince McMahon's face, and refuted McMahon's claim that he was too small to succeed. He was placed in a number one contender fatal four-way match.

Next, he defeated former WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal, despite outside interference, to preserve his place in the number one contender match; the only participant who had to do so.

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He followed that up with besting Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and the 16-time world champion, John Cena, to officially become number one contender for the WWE Universal Championship.

As if that wasn't enough, John Cena, the man he pinned, endorsed him in front of the crowd and praised Balor's hard work and dedication.

That is the sort of booking reserved for main-event babyfaces. Finn Balor is now one, if only until the Royal Rumble.

But what if Finn Balor were to prevail over Brock Lesnar? What if he were to become WWE Universal Champion once again? On paper, this seems like a massive mismatch.

But it is possible.

Let us delve right into why Finn Balor will defeat Brock Lesnar to become a two-time WWE Universal Champion.

#1 The Babyface Replacement Rule

There are certain unwritten wrestling rules.

There is the rule of the hot-tag which states that when a babyface is finally tagged into the match after prolonged dominance by the heels, the babyface will go on an offensive flurry and clean house.

There is also the babyface replacement rule which states that if a babyface is pulled out of a match for any reason, their babyface replacement will win the match. The idea is to keep the crowd happy after a scheduled match has been changed. The most recent example of this rule in a WWE championship match took place at WWE SummerSlam 2017, wherein Sasha Banks, a replacement for the injured Bayley, defeated Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women's Championship. It was not planned for Bliss to lose the championship, and she won it back not more than 8 days later.

The original Universal championship match was to be Brock Lesnar versus Braun Strowman; something that the WWE has been building up until at least Crown Jewel. Finn Balor is a replacement for Braun Strowman. Following the babyface replacement rule, we can surmise that Finn Balor will defeat Brock Lesnar.

#2 The Demon

Finn Balor versus Brock Lesnar is a massive physical mismatch.

Brock Lesnar is an absolute behemoth; a scary physical specimen, more bear than a man. He looks like he could rip you apart with his bare hands, and probably could. In stark contrast, Finn Balor looks like he wouldn't be out of place on 205 Live.

But, Finn Balor has a secret weapon.

A secret weapon that has guaranteed him success every single time he has used it on the WWE main roster. I am referring to 'The Demon', Finn Balor's darker, body paint covered alter ego that taps into his darker side.

Finn Balor won the WWE Universal Championship as 'The Demon'; despite having only one good arm. The Demon absolutely obliterated Baron Corbin at WWE SummerSlam, 2018. 'The Demon' also bested AJ Styles at WWE TLC in 2017.

WWE history has proven that Balor is nigh unbeatable when he assumes the guise of 'The Demon'.

It only makes sense for him to tap into his dark side for the toughest, and most important match of his career.

#3 A Different Beast

We could see a different side of The Beast

Brock Lesnar has never faced adversity in his current WWE run. The last three superstars to defeat him are Roman Reigns, Goldberg, and The Undertaker. Brock Lesnar soon regained the Universal Championship he had lost to Roman Reigns.

And he also beat the tar out of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 before that. Brock Lesnar avenged his loss to Goldberg by defeating him for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 33.

The Undertaker only defeated Brock Lesnar after Lesnar had ended his WrestleMania undefeated streak, and Lesnar decisively won the feud by defeating The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell.

If Brock Lesnar acts like he doesn't care, its because he has not been seriously challenged by anybody since returning to the WWE. His last clean loss was at Survivor Series 2016, more than 2 years ago.

So what if Brock Lesnar were to lose the WWE Universal Championship to Finn Balor? The same Finn Balor who poses the least physical threat to him. It would be one of the greatest upsets in WWE history. How would Brock Lesnar react to this humiliation?

Losing to Finn Balor would hopefully lead to a more vengeful, focused Brock Lesnar.

It is a highly compelling storyline, but Finn Balor has to defeat Brock Lesnar if the WWE is to explore it.

#4 The Fans Are The Authority

The fans are the authority, and the WWE will attempt to cater to the wishes of its fans in this new era. At least, that is what we have been told.

So far, the WWE has listened to its fans. Baron Corbin was sacked as General Manager of Monday Night RAW. Sasha Banks is getting a WWE RAW Women's Championship opportunity at the Royal Rumble. And Finn Balor is facing Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship.

So, why not take it a step further and actually have Balor win the Universal Championship? The fans certainly want a full-time champion, and Balor is one of the most popular superstars on the roster. To his credit, he has stayed extremely popular with the fans, despite his average booking. He is popular with the casual fans and the hardcore fans and sells a lot of merchandise. He has been an excellent advocate for LGBTQ rights and is a great ambassador for the company.

Imagine how much the fans would get behind him if he won?

Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.

Edited by Anirban Banerjee