Fans Are Wrong: Why Kane Beating Finn Balor on WWE Raw Was Smart Booking

On Monday's episode of Raw, Kane defeated Finn Balor just one night after The Demon earned a hard-fought victory over AJ Styles at WWE's Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view.

Whether wrestling fans and pundits like it or not, Kane beating Balor was the correct booking.

At Sunday's TLC event, Kane was one of the key players in the destruction of former world champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, Olympic hero Kurt Angle and The Monster Among Men Braun Strowman. Add in the fact The Big Red Monster also decimated Roman Reigns upon his return to Raw, and the caliber of talent Kane has laid to waste in his short time back is incredible.

Regardless of the issues with his booking in the past, Kane is being portrayed as the strongest Superstar in the company right now. On the other hand, Balor was coming off a highly regarded match against Styles in which the two men took each other to the limit.

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Balor challenged the longtime veteran in a competitive match but was met with three consecutive chokeslams for his trouble. While Kane's finishing move hasn't always been portrayed strong in recent years, very few wrestlers in WWE history have kicked out of three consecutive chokeslams, making the loss more believable.

People are complaining about Balor—a universally loved, bona fide star—taking one loss on a Raw that will be talked about for a SmackDown invasion. While not ideal, taking the pinfall will not hurt him, and if Balor is a true franchise player many believe he is, he will recover without any issue.

When Balor comes out next week on Raw, the WWE Universe will still shower him with affection. When The Demon comes out to play, wrestling fans will still react like they're a child again. In the grand scheme of Balor's career, the loss to Kane means absolutely nothing.

On the other hand, Kane's victory helps solidify him as one of the few viable challengers left for Strowman when he returns from his trip to the dump. Strowman has been the most protected WWE Superstar of the last year, and his next appearance will be a huge moment for WWE Creative. With Kane looking as strong now as he has at any point in the last several years, who better from a storyline and character perspective for Strowman to beat in a follow-up, singles feud following the loss against Brock Lesnar at No Mercy?

Strowman taking down another giant from a bygone era—just like he did Big Show—is smart, long-term character development. That's something wrestling fans don't always get from WWE Creative, and we should be appreciative when it happens.

And don't cry for Balor. Rumor from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Jeremy Bennett of Sportskeeda) is that The Demon will be squaring off against universal champion Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble in January. If the chatter is true, this will be a monumental program for Balor and all talk of a loss to Kane in October will be long forgotten. Instead, it will be replaced with the notion of The Demon attempting to slay the mighty Beast.

In the heat of the moment, it may seem like WWE has squandered Balor's momentum after a huge win over Styles at TLC, but the likely long-term booking of the situation indicates the company made the right decision for the future.

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