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This week on SmackDown, Universal Champion Roman Reigns was once again thrown a challenge by John Cena for SummerSlam 2021. While Reigns didn't step out to meet the latter face-to-face, The Tribal Chief came out in the main event and declined Cena's challenge.
Right after that, it was SmackDown returnee Finn Balor who came out to challenge Roman Reigns. This time, he accepted. It was only a brief moment before the show ended, which is why there hasn't been an announcement yet as to when the match will happen.
We anticipate that Reigns vs. Balor will take place next week on the Blue brand. So why is Finn Balor right back in the Universal title mix a week after his return to SmackDown? Here are a few possible reasons:
#5. The history between Finn Balor and Roman Reigns
It was right before the summer of 2016. The company had re-introduced the brand split and the WWE Draft took place before the Battleground pay-per-view. The event was set to conclude the rivalries before the brand split came into effect the next night.
Finn Balor was still an NXT superstar until that week when RAW General Manager Mick Foley made him a surprising first-round Draft pick. It was a big sign because, at that point, Balor was the most highly-anticipated main-roster call-up in WWE history.
When he made a splash on Monday Night RAW, it didn't disappoint. On his first night, he won a Fatal-Four-Way match and defeated Roman Reigns clean in the main event to qualify for the match at SummerSlam to crown the inaugural Universal Champion.
That match with Reigns turned out to be an important one. It was a statement for Balor to defeat WWE's biggest full-time star clean, but it was also in the midst of the Roman Reigns "punishment" phase, where he was pinned clean by Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose before and after his Wellness Policy violation.
The two men would meet the following year and Reigns would get the better of him. This match on SmackDown may have a lot to do with their history together. Given the size difference, both superstars have an excellent dynamic in the ring.
This might be WWE's way of putting Roman Reigns over Finn Balor once more.
#4. Roman Reigns match used to test the waters with Finn Balor
Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor could be used to test the waters for the latter. The latter is back on SmackDown and if things go well, we anticipate that he will be a top-tier babyface on the brand. If he wasn't brought back to the Blue brand to be a top star, then we don't see the point.
With that said, we can't see a scenario where Balor becomes the man to dethrone Reigns. However, in WWE (and wrestling in general), it's always possible for a superstar to look good in defeat.
The beautiful part about professional wrestling storytelling is that a superstar can lose and still end up in a better position in the long run. WWE knows what they have with Finn Balor, but they didn't utilize him well between 2017 and 2019.
Nearly two years later and another NXT run down, Balor is back and is already challenging Reigns. Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns could simply be a match where WWE is testing the waters with the former NXT Champion to see where he stands as a potential main event-level superstar.
#3. To make Roman Reigns look great for his match against John Cena
Despite Roman Reigns declining John Cena's challenge for SummerSlam, that is the more marketable match and we expect that it's the one that will happen. We don't mean to say that Finn Balor is being used as a sacrificial lamb for Reigns, but he knows how to make anyone look good.
Perhaps WWE wanted The Tribal Chief to have a rare title defense on SmackDown so he can defeat Finn Balor and look good ahead of SummerSlam. It's not that the company needs to make Roman Reigns look good because he effortlessly does it himself week-in and week-out.
Whether Balor loses to Reigns because of The Usos or simply suffers a clean defeat, it will be interesting to watch. But given that this is set to culminate a year-long Championship reign, WWE may want the Universal Champion Roman Reigns to look as good as possible for SummerSlam. Finn Balor, unfortunately, could be at the wrong time and the wrong place on SmackDown.
#2. To swerve fans with an unexpected Roman Reigns match
As we mentioned, it's been rare to see Roman Reigns defend the Universal Championship on SmackDown this past year. It has happened, with the most notable title defense being his match against Daniel Bryan, where Reigns defeated him clean to send him away from SmackDown and WWE.
The match did come as a bit of a surprise since many anticipated Finn Balor to be Roman Reigns' opponent a few months from now. It would have made sense to preserve Balor and protect him for a few months until he faces Reigns, but WWE has decided to surprise fans.
There are pros and cons to this. Whether it takes place now or in a few months, the outcome might simply be the same - with Roman Reigns winning. It's hard to imagine Finn Balor being the one to dethrone him. The con of it is that Balor might be forced to take a pinfall or submit hardly two weeks into his SmackDown return.
The outcome will be the same but this was a pleasant surprise that got a good reaction.
#1. Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor used to increase SmackDown's appeal over RAW
Roman Reigns being on SmackDown has made a huge difference. Not only has he helped elevate the brand, but he has been the centerpiece of an extremely important show and an extremely important run.
SmackDown has been superior to RAW in both ratings and quality for more than a year-and-a-half now and WWE likely wants to keep it that way. It's hard to see Reigns leaving the Blue brand since the promotion is continuing to establish it as their flagship show.
The reason behind this is simple - money. The $1 billion, five-year deal was negotiated between WWE and FOX and it was reportedly a three-time increase from their previous broadcast deal with the USA Network. With that kind of money, it's obvious why WWE would want a star such as Roman Reigns to be on SmackDown.
Since late 2019 when the deal started, it's been clear that WWE has prioritized SmackDown and that it's their new "A-Show" compared to RAW. Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor is another way for a ratings boost to occur and it gives the brand a good image, being the place where the biggest and best matches happen on free television.
