WWE SummerSlam 2016: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor - Why it doesn’t matter who wins.
With just 6 days to go until the biggest event of the summer and arguably the biggest match going into the pay-per-view is Finn Bálor vs Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Title. In what is set to be a classic on the night, the repercussions of the result will shape the direction of WWE Raw for the coming months.
WWE Raw has had to rely on Rusev over the past couple of weeks as one of the main eventers as the only male singles champion on their brand. I’d just like to add that Rusev has done a fantastic job of stepping up too! Regardless, it hasn’t had a top champion, but it could be argued that this has added to the atmosphere and the excitement of the forthcoming main event at WWE SummerSlam between ‘The Man’ and ‘The Demon’.
Both men have been the driving force behind NXT. Seth Rollins, as first NXT Champion, helped put WWE NXT on the map and Finn Bálor has carried the company for the last year by being NXT Champion and putting on a clinic with everyone he’s performed against under his ‘Demon’ persona.
Can this ‘Demon’ persona carry Raw, though? Though Finn Bálor is very well known in the NXT world, he may not be fully over with the casual fan. This is most likely what brought about the early reveal of his alter ego this past Monday. There’s no doubt his character is the most interesting gimmick we’ve seen in a long time, but it will have to stay a special event if Finn is to win this Sunday, and he will have to prove to the general WWE Universe that he can carry the company as plain old Finn Bálor.
The favourite going in there is Seth Rollins. A two-time WWE World Champion, his quest to ‘Rebuild, Redesign and Reclaim’ has been the focal point of WWE television since his return. Dean Ambrose took the championship from under his nose after a clean win over Roman Reigns and took it to WWE SmackDown. This is Seth Rollins’ opportunity to show he is the best again by beating the recently promoted Finn Bálor.
The only problem with this outcome is if Seth Rollins beats the feared ‘Demon’ on his debut, it immediately loses the mystique and the ‘who can beat him?’ that comes with that sort of gimmick. This makes it less effective when he then taps into it for the next PPV. Only Samoa Joe has been successful in slaying said Demon and it needs to stay at a low number for now. The only way to get around this little hiccup would be to put ‘The Demon’ away for a good couple of months and save it only for the Universal title shots he receives.
However, there are many positives that outweigh the negatives here. Seth Rollins is proven. He can carry the brand and the title on his own, he has done it before. He is an extremely believable champion. He will add to an already impressive career if he wins this Sunday and I’m confident he will be able to have a much different run to his first championship reign.
He will not be relying on The Authority this time, or to run or look for ways to cheat a win. As has been evident since his return, he is one of the best, if the not the top Superstar in the company who now has no trouble winning cleanly and displaying the skills and talent needed to be the champion.
His promo skills have also been on display week in and week out. The way he handled an overzealous fan last night was a testament to how good he is on the microphone. The little bit of improvisation, laughing at the fan as if he was the ‘Demon’ he had been searching from all day if anything made the segment a little more entertaining.
This is one thing Finn Bálor hasn’t proven in front of the casual fan yet. He hasn’t had enough TV time yet to show how good he is on the microphone so this could hinder him should he come out on top in the biggest event of the summer.
Another positive to a Seth Rollins win would be his next feud. WWE Raw’s roster is fairly stacked and there are many superstars ready to make the next step to the main event. Seth Rollins can make the main event and is already at the point where he could turn someone into a main event superstar, just as Dean Ambrose is doing with Dolph Ziggler over on SmackDown.
I feel that Seth Rollins would be the best choice to win the newly formed championship but there are also many positives to Finn Bálor winning the championship.
It will confirm him as one of the next top superstars on the brand and in the company. Having paid his many dues in NXT and showing he can carry a brand just as well as any other Superstar, he has skipped the mid-card of the main roster and has been shoved straight into a programme for the top championship on WWE Raw. This is quite a jump and as mentioned earlier in the article, many people may not be that invested in the character yet so a win over Rollins would more than likely get the whole WWE Universe behind the exciting talent.
There is no doubt that the ‘The Demon’ can draw fans. Look into the crowd of any WWE presentation and you’ll see a plethora of ‘Bálor Club’ t-shirts. The merchandise is flying off the shelves and it is only likely to multiply as more ‘Demon’ things come out as the persona is too good not to cash in on. People want to see him at events. Speaking from my own experience, seeing Finn Bálor live is just something you have to do. He is an amazing superstar as is Seth Rollins.
Should he be successful at SummerSlam, it opens the opportunity for NXT Superstars. If Seth Rollins wins, sure, he can feud with anyone and it would be good. However, it wouldn’t make as much of an impact as an NXT Superstar that Finn has recently feuded with (Shinsuke Nakamura or Samoa Joe for example) returning to feud for the top championship once again.
It’s a formula that has worked really well for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens and there’s no reason WWE can’t bring this formula to other talent and championships. The WWE Universe love a good feud and having seen Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn steal the show after the past few months, there’s no reason why this can’t work for Finn Bálor.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a potential show-stealer and even though I have preferred SmackDown’s programming since the brand split, I hope this match goes on last as I have to admit, it is the one I am most excited for.
Having reviewed the pros and cons of both Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor winning the WWE Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam, it’s clear to see that, regardless of the result, there will only be one winner and that is the WWE Universe.