How WWE Can Recapture Finn Balor's Momentum After Return from Shoulder Surgery

Finn Balor was on the eve of superstardom in WWE. The company's brand new Universal Championship was on the line, and Balor was facing Seth Rollins, the man many consider to be the top hand on the roster. The stage was set for something great to happen, and that stage was SummerSlam.

But then Balor went down with an injury, and now his opportunity is over. It's not over forever, of course; with any luck Finn will come back better than ever. The only question: What will WWE do to help Finn get back to championship form when he returns?

The timing for this injury could not have been worse.

Balor was a star long before he arrived in NXT, but the majority of WWE's audience likely discovered him there. His charisma hit the ring before he did, and it was obvious that the company was very much in tune with what Balor was doing. 

Finn was bringing the showbiz back to WWE.

WWE advertises itself as sports entertainment, but that term has lost some of its impact in recent years. It was considered by diehard pro wrestling fans as blasphemy in the beginning, but then it begrudgingly became more accepted as a whole.

Fans knew they could not fight it, so instead they tried to understand it.

Stars like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels defined the term, as they could be called sports entertainers, not just pro wrestlers. They were able to entertain at a very high level with movie star charisma, yet still satisfy the pro wrestling faithful.

However, now WWE's new era is highlighted by many guys that are much more concerned with getting it done in the ring.

But while this is indeed a very welcome change of pace, Balor is able to walk the line between the two ideologies. He understands that being able to go in the ring is the primary reason fans want to watch in the first place. He also understands that without a little flash, the product becomes very dull very fast.

Finn was making WWE cool again, thanks to his flair for the dramatic, and his ability to connect with fans of all ages.

This is the man that WWE had chosen to wear the most important championship on Monday Night Raw, and none of that can be forgotten now that he's on the shelf. Finn is too special, and too important, not to be put back on track when he returns.

The showbiz side of his character is the key to bringing him back.

Assuming Rollins is the Universal champion when Balor returns, then he should become the hunted. Finn, as The Demon King, could begin stalking Seth, much in the same way that Sting also stalked Seth. The lights would go out in the middle of Seth's promo, the music would hit, and the red smoke would rise from the stage. Then as quick as it began, it would stop.

Any variation of this could continue for a few weeks until Balor does indeed return, with each week adding more layers to the mind games being played against Rollins. As soon as Seth thought he was in the clear, Balor's presence would be felt in a constant barrage of psychological warfare.

Then after Finn came back, he should fight to get back what was rightfully his.

The WWE Universal Championship is worthless right now, and that is due to the title not having a pedigree behind it. But after six to eight months of main event matches and high profile storylines behind it, the championship would indeed see a tremendous rise in value. This is the title that Finn should have, and his every waking moment should be spent in an effort to regain it.

Of course the best way to rebuild momentum is to book Finn with some five-star opponents. The better the talent, the more spotlight he will receive, and that means he will quickly reestablish himself as the man to beat on Monday Night Raw.

The best part about all of this is that when he went out after SummerSlam, he did so on top. Finn proved he can get over in a very big way, and he did so despite having faced one of the most popular heels in WWE today. Coming back to the fold should not be too much of an issue for Finn, as fans will not forget him or what he did before leaving. They only need to be reminded of just how cool, and how edgy, Finn Balor is.

Balor's gimmick is custom-made for maximum impact, and that is surely what fans can expect when he eventually returns to the fray.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here