Finn Balor Will Inevitably Betray Judgment Day, Sending One of WWE’s Most Dominant Factions into Chaos

WWE has a Finn Balor problem. In his entire WWE career, Finn Balor has been the bridesmaid, but never the bride. He has been perpetually knocking on the door but truly never allowed inside. The optics matter tremendously, and the context can sometimes strip away the significance of this dilemma. However, it must be analyzed to show that cynical booking is being masqueraded as fan service.

The fact of the matter is that Balor has not been a credible threat in the main event scene since the day he won the Universal Title against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016. For someone who is incredibly reliable both in the ring and on the mic, it’s quite ironic to see his status in WWE be relegated to a hot tag in the Judgment Day. However, that injury and a 24-hour title reign crushed him.

Many felt that he would never recover from that downfall. The administration has a history of immediately giving up on injury-prone superstars and seeing them as unreliable. The fact that they gave Balor the keys to the castle, and it blew up in their face, is something they will never forget. With his size and history in the indies, it was unlikely for him to get back to the top of the mountain again.

When Finn Bálor Got Too Close to the Sun

From that day forward, things got worse for the Bullet Club Leader. After a memorable match with AJ Styles at TLC 2017, he did the “Too Sweet” sign with him due to their history in the Bullet Club. That gesture is secretly forbidden within the confines of WWE due to its common association with the Kliq and NWO in the WWF. After that night, Balor was buried by Kane on Raw with three chokeslams.

Many fans were scratching their heads at that abrupt burial. However, it did not stop there. When Balor finally got another shot at the Universal Title he never lost, it was against Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules in 2021. On that night, the Demon was unleashed and buried, as the familiar trope of “Roman Reigns wins lol” continued to cast a dark shadow in the landscape of professional wrestling.

Finn Balor’s character was destroyed to the point that he had to go back to NXT to reinvent himself. When he did return to the main roster, he joined The Judgment Day. Many fans thought that this was finally Balor’s last chance to redeem himself. However, his leadership of the Judgment Day was disrespected by a devastating loss to Edge at WrestleMania 39. The Demon was buried again.

The Demon Lost its Aura

Since that night, the Demon never returned. Based on Balor’s interview with Cody, it seemed that Demon was supposed to be a Super Saiyan version of Balor that allowed him to free himself of past downfalls and become an unstoppable force. Instead, Balor became a shell of what he once was. He was not a main event player. He was not a mid-carder. He became a “hand”… a utility guy… a hot tag.

In fact, Balor has eaten so many pins in the past few years that the casual viewer has even seen him as “Pin Balor,” instead of Finn Balor. He has now become a shameful meme. That was further solidified at WrestleMania 41 last year in the Fatal Four Way IC Title Match with Bron Breakker, Penta, and Dirty Dom. Balor was so close to winning the IC Title and was about to win the match.

However, his Judgment Day pal, Dominick Mysterio, swooped in with a Five-Star Frog Splash to break the pinfall and pin Balor to win the IC Title instead. Dom singlehandedly stole Balor’s WrestleMania moment. Again, Balor got the shorter end of the stick, and it hurt even more because his spotlight was taken away by an ally in his own faction, rather than an enemy or rival of his on the main roster.

Finn Bálor Became “Pin Bálor” — and It Isn’t Funny

Ever since that moment, Balor has been bitter and trying to throw Dom off his game by getting him into a love triangle with Roxanne and Liv. He legitimately brought Roxanne to the Judgment Day to deceive Dom and tempt him away from Liv. However, when that scheme didn’t work, he gave up. He played video games to immerse himself in another universe and make himself forget his past failures.

It came to a point where Liv Morgan, the greatest Royal Rumble Winner ever and true leader of the Judgment Day, called Balor out for slacking on the job. Balor has lost himself in what seems to be a mid-career identity crisis. Without the Demon to fuel him, he is no longer a main event player. With Judgment Day, he has become a complacent hot tag and might never find his true self again.