WWE News: Finn Balor Will Debut New Mask Upon WWE Return
Finn Balor’s status for Wrestlemania 33 remains unconfirmed and his return to WWE programming is still up in the air, but it’s being said that he will make his return having undergone some massive changes to his character. The former WWE Universal Championship has not been seen on WWE television since vacating the title after WWE Summerslam. His shoulder injury cost him seven months, and it may force him to miss Wrestlemania as well.
After he went down with an injury in August, the WWE Universe was hopeful he’d be able to recover in time for the WWE Royal Rumble, but returning before Wrestlemania seemed to be a foregone conclusion. WWE officials may be planning his WWE return during the grandest stage of them all. However, it’s been reported that his return is being held off because WWE officials don’t have specific plans for him at Wrestlemania.
For a time, Finn Balor was said to be the top pick to replace Seth Rollins in the match with Triple H if Seth couldn’t compete in Orlando. Another match with Samoa Joe has been rumored, but both of those plans are unlikely to happen anymore. As of this writing, it seems like the WWE Universe may have to wait until after Wrestlemania 33 for Balor’s return to WWE. Regarding those character changes, we know what to expect.
First and foremost, “The Demon” and Balor’s body paint isn’t going anywhere. According to a report, WWE officials are interested in changing his appearance when Finn isn’t wearing the paint. WWE officials want to focus on merchandise and marketability once he returns to WWE television. “The Demon King” is awesome for his big matches, but the powers that be want to change his appearance to be more than a leather jacket.
One of the ideas that WWE officials are discussing is for Finn wearing a mask and possibly some other attire every week to push merchandise for him and capitalize on his return to WWE programming. Clearly, Balor will be receiving a huge push after his return, which is why he could even be kept off the Wrestlemania card.
The last thing WWE wants to do is force Finn Balor to return to television in the middle of all the craziness surrounding Wrestlemania and kill the momentum of his return to WWE programming. WWE officials feel that making major changes to his look will do a lot for his role as a top face in the company, but his return will be about more than changing his look. On paper, Balor will be in a huge match after Wrestlemania 33.
After vacating the WWE Universal Championship, Finn Balor has missed the past seven months. On paper, he never invoked his rematch clause, which means Balor could be coming for the WWE Universal Title after Brock Lesnar wins the title from Bill Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33. Lesnar may get a unique face reaction in Orlando if the WWE Universe turns against Goldberg during their match, but he’d be the heel against Balor.
Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar could be the latter’s first feud after Wrestlemania. The WWE Universe would be happy because The Beast versus The Demon is a big match for WWE Payback. Their matchup would be the speed and agility of Balor against the strength and aggression of Lesnar, which could actually create a good match between two men of such different builds. The only issue is it’s unlikely that Balor would beat Lesnar.
Regardless, Finn Balor would be back on WWE programming in a big way. He’d create a unique atmosphere with Brock Lesnar, and it would bring him back as one of Raw’s top performers immediately. WWE officials are going to push Finn Balor to the moon when he returns; he just may have to miss Wrestlemania to get to his push. It would be a huge missed opportunity, but it may be for the greater good of Balor’s WWE career.
[Featured Image by WWE]
