5 reasons why Finn Balor vs Brock Lesnar at the 2019 Royal Rumble is a mistake

We will witness a match we should have seen two years ago
We will witness a match we should have seen two years ago

#3 It will destroy the mystique of his alter ego

The aura of the beast vs the aura of face paint
The aura of the beast vs the aura of face paint

The alter ego of Finn Balor is a gimmick that has not been explained by WWE in detail. What changes when Finn puts on the paint? Does he get in a different zone, does he unlock some sort of hidden extra strength or does he become someone else?

It's nice when you analyze the meaning and significance of his alter ego, as it gives you an understanding of why he always manages to win when he does put on the paint. But sadly against Brock Lesnar, Balor painting his face makes little difference, as the chances of WWE sacrificing the aura of Lesnar for Finn Balor's face paint are highly unlikely.

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It is almost a certainty that Balor will bring out his alter ego for the biggest match of his career, as his gimmick is somewhat of a draw, and WWE needs to draw as many fans into this match as possible, given the little time they have to build this fued.

So this question for you to answer is this - who would win at this stage on the Road to Wrestlemania? Brock Lesnar or Finn Balor in his alter ego? Most of you would say that if Balor puts on the paint, he is going to win, but as explained in previous points what are the chances of Lesnar actaully losing? If Lesnar does beat Balor in his most 'powerful' form, how would WWE pick up the pieces of a decision like that?


#4 Where does Balor go if he loses?

A lonely road ahead if Balor cant beat Lesnar
A lonely road ahead if Balor cant beat Lesnar

Where does Finn Balor go after a loss to Lesnar? That is a concern every wrestling fan has about this match, and while this article has portrayed Lesnar as the winner already, and some of you or maybe all of you might be hating that, WWE has conditioned our perception of the product in that way.

Whoever goes up against Brock loses, unless your name is Roman Reigns. Stars like AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and Braun Strowman could not get past the beast that is Brock Lesnar.

Luckily for Styles and Bryan, their matches with Lesnar didn't solely depend on them winning, as it was a one off thing, but in Finn's case this match will basically make or break his entire career.

And if he loses, we could see his career follow the path of Braun Strowman. Strowman was a once promising star that everyone thought would be in the main event of Wrestlemania almost two years ago, but look at the state of his character and career, as WWE don't seemed to know how to handle their biggest star after a huge defeat. Balor could fall back down to the mid-card in the same way, and this time it won't be a pretty sight.


#5 It should have been built for Wrestlemania

This is a narrative that could have potentially main event Wrestlemania
This is a narrative that could have potentially main event Wrestlemania

To be honest, a match between Balor and Lesnar is a personal dream match, as putting all the statistics and current career situations aside, this rivalry could even warrant a Wrestlemania match, as there is so much material to explore between these two superstars.

The history between these two men, the contrasting nature of their last two years on Raw and the classic underdog vs the giant narrative is all there for WWE to turn into a hit narrative that could create a star out of Balor and it could give Lesnar some of the best work of his second run with the WWE.

But providing a week's build to this showdown is the biggest mistake WWE has made this year, as it cheapens the value of their match with each other. Wrestling is more than cool guys doing cool moves; it's about story and how we as fans relate to that story and find joy in watching these characters do their thing, and a character like Balor's could have been developed if WWE made this match a showdown at a later stage.

But now everything feels forced and rushed. And yeah, this is rushed due to Strowman's inability to compete at the Royal Rumble, but in that case, it should have been someone like Bobby Lashley or Dean Ambrose in Balor's rushed position, as those men are ready to tackle with Lesnar, while Balor needed this narrative to develop his character, get rid of his flaws and repackage him as a main event guy.

But now at the Royal Rumble, it is the same Finn Balor with all those flaws, whether he wins or loses.

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Edited by Gabby Duran
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