Heel Turn for Finn Balor is Just What Irish WWE Star Needs

Finn Balor is such a huge asset to WWE. One could argue he is one of the most influential wrestlers of the last decade. To that end, the Irish star is one of those names that will always elicit interest from some fans just desperate to see him utilized more.

Some viewers may get their wish after The Prince seemingly took over as the new leader of The Judgment Day on Monday's Raw.

Some savvy fans and insiders have been predicting Balor would join the new stable as early as WrestleMania Backlash. Although he never factored into AJ Styles’ rematch against Edge, there was still reason to believe it could happen later.

WWE finally committed to the turn and change of direction on the latest episode of the red brand when Balor joined the trio. Then, he abruptly staged a coup with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley and shockingly kicked Edge out of his own group.

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A Much-Needed Change of Pace

This was a confusing moment that left fans wondering what's next for Edge and why he was already done with an act that has only been around for a few months.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select (h/t Manik Aftab of Ringside News) reported that WWE wanted the stable to take on "supernatural" elements but Edge was against the idea.

It’s unclear if those creative differences did lead to this change. However, it could be the right move because The Judgment Day wasn’t really clicking as it was and Balor desperately needed something different.

The Irishman has been in a bit of a rut since he returned to the main roster following a tremendous second run with NXT. It’s still baffling that WWE didn’t capitalize on the work he did to reinvent himself as The Prince. Making him the third wheel in a title program between Roman Reigns and John Cena ahead of SummerSlam certainly didn’t help.

Then, Brock Lesnar joined the fray and loomed heavily over his eventual match with The Tribal Chief. Even worse, his showdown with Reigns at Extreme Rules ended with a disastrous finish that made his Demon persona look like a joke.

The 40-year-old never quite recovered from that even though he had a brief stint as United States champion.

Honestly, Balor hasn’t done anything truly noteworthy all year. To put this in perspective, he didn’t compete in the men’s Royal Rumble match and didn’t appear at WrestleMania 38 even though he held the U.S. title at the time. In fact, he didn’t get a chance to defend the belt at a single pay-per-view during his 49-day reign.

Teaming up with Styles and giving Bullet Club fans what they’ve been begging for since the former NXT champion originally left the black-and-gold brand even felt hollow. It was a cool moment, but it was about six years too late.

The Judgment Day at least gives him something new to sink his teeth into and it will provide an outlet for some new matchups. A fight against Edge or The Phenomenal One at an upcoming PPV sounds far more interesting than anything he has been doing lately.

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A Chance To Finally Break Bad on the Big Stage

Incidentally, the events of this week’s Raw marked the first time Balor has turned heel on the main roster.

The Irish star made a name for himself as the founder of Bullet Club during his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but he hasn’t had the chance to portray that kind of character on the WWE main roster.

Fans got a glimpse of it again during his second run with NXT when he reintroduced The Prince moniker. It was some of the best work he has done with WWE in years, and it was odd that he didn’t bring that same edge back to the main roster when he reemerged last July. Instead, the company went right back to making the same mistakes with him as a vanilla babyface.

That isn’t to say Balor can’t be an engaging good guy. Contrarily, he has all the tools to make an exceptional top babyface. The inaugural universal champion is extremely popular, he has a believable and protected finishing move, and he has a great look.

However, WWE doesn’t seem to understand how to maximize his appeal as a protagonist. He often appears as a cookie-cutter do-gooder who smiles constantly and loses all the time. At some point, his popularity from NXT and NJPW isn’t enough to insulate him from such uninspiring material and stop-start booking.

Making him a heel again is the best option because it will give Balor the chance to win the crowd over again. Fans of his earlier work will enjoy his return to form, and it will be something new for an audience that didn’t see what got him to the dance.

The Judgment Day could also allow him to reinvigorate The Demon persona. It would be a treat to see him don the makeup at an upcoming show like SummerSlam. After Reigns broke his PPV streak, this could be an excellent way to reintroduce it with more of a sinister take.

It will be exciting to see what Balor does with the stable and the change of direction. Hopefully, it sets him on track to be a fixture on WWE programming for the remainder of the year.