5 reasons Finn Balor going to NXT was the right move
When former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor took some time off after SummerSlam to do dumb, selfish things like heal injuries and get married (I mean, the nerve of that guy, right?), the Internet got to indulge in one of their favorite pastimes: the Prediction Game. How will Balor come back? Will he try to regain one of his former titles? Would he seek revenge on The Fiend for... cleanly defeating him in a match? Would he return on the debut of SmackDown on Fox?
Well, it turns out he returned to action in a way that nobody saw coming (well, actually, that's not true) - back to his roots.
No, you doofus, not Japan.
Following Adam Cole's successful NXT championship defense against Matt Riddle on the full debut of NXT on USA, Cole's celebration was cut short by some very loud, very familiar music. Hulk Hogan's "Real American." No, of course not, it was obviously Finn Balor's.
"As of right now," he announced, showing off his new haircut and one of his many, fancy leather jackets, "Finn Balor is NXT!" And it looks like he means it, too.
Whatever the reason for the choice, I think we can all safely agree it was the right one. Oh, you disagree? Well, read on and let me change your mind. Here are five reasons why I'm right and you're wrong!
Um... if you do agree, I hope you'll keep reading anyway.
#5 The NXT brand needs established stars in order to compete
There's no question that the product NXT puts on TV every week is the best of all the WWE brands. Probably the best in US pro wrestling even (calm down, AEW fans, they've been on TV for one episode). But, good television doesn't always mean good ratings (*cough*Firefly*cough*), and with NXT on cable TV instead of the WWE Network, ratings are the name of the game.
One sure-fire way to get eyeballs on your show is to feature stars audiences are already familiar with. The NXT faithful are already familiar with great characters like Velveteen Dream, Io Shirai, and Kushida. But, there's still plenty of WWE fans out there that aren't. Yet.
NXT needs to get some familiar faces on the show to attract those casual viewers and have them discover the other talent on their roster. Finn Balor is just the familiar face to do that. Folks will tune in to see the cool, exciting Balor - the guy they've been watching on RAW and SmackDown all this time - if they know he's going to be on NXT.
Breezango are awesome, don't get me wrong, and they're a great fit for the black and yellow brand. However, Balor is a main event level guy NXT needs to bring in if they're looking to be competitive.
Which, you know, I imagine they are. I mean, otherwise, what are they doing?