WWE News: Finn Balor's next challenger teased on SmackDown Live

A familiar face to the blue brand returned to SmackDown in a backstage interview.
A familiar face to the blue brand returned to SmackDown in a backstage interview.

What's the story?

Finn Balor has been off of WWE television for some time. His last appearance was during a match with Andrade at Super Showdown, a match Balor won as 'the Demon'.

Backstage during SmackDown, Balor was interviewed by Kayla Braxton and she asked him who was next for Balor and his Intercontinental Championship. Without saying a word, Shinsuke Nakamura returned to the blue brand and threw his name in the hat of potential challengers.

In case you didn't know . . .

In the latest WWE NEWS, Balor and Nakamura's paths crossed in NXT when Balor was on his way out and Nakamura was being established as a future NXT Champion. Both men have been off of TV for a while earlier this month but the jury has been out as to just why neither man had been featured on SmackDown.

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The heart of the matter

During the interview with Kayla Braxton, Balor put over Andrade and their match in Jeddah. Andrade has also been off of TV due to the death of his mother and aunt. It was thought that they would continue to feud over the IC Title.

Due to Andrade's reported absence, it appears that the fans will receive another dream match, albeit one that already happened under WWE's banner. Nakamura simply appeared during Balor's backstage interview, and it looked like he gave the title a 'Too Sweet' gesture, calling back to the wrestler's time in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

The two men met in NXT back in 2014 with Nakamura picking up the win. Nakamura had been teaming with Rusev since February after both men lost the United States Championship.

They were among the teams in a Fatal Four Way match for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 35. While the tag team division could use that pairing again, it appears it might be over, at least until after Nakamura gets a shot at Balor's belt.

What's next?

Although the match was teased, it still hasn't been made official. With Extreme Rules only two weeks away, it could come to fruition next week or via social media at some point. Whenever it does happen, it is a good pairing for the Superstars and fans alike. Of course, another wrestler could also be added to the mix in the coming days.

See WWE Smackdown Live Updates, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown updates page

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Edited by Riju Dasgupta
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