Finn Balor had a sporadic 2017, to say the least. Marred by a concussion, aimless creative direction, a near career freezing feud with Sister Abigail, and a passive-aggressive campaign against Vince McMahon, 2017 was surely frustrating on professional and personal levels for Finn. But in his first appearance of 2018, Balor may have exorcised 2017’s demons.
In a surprise, Balor reunited with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to take down Elias and the Miztourgae on RAW. From a glance, the trio’s homecoming seemed like anod to their past success outside of WWE. However, since RAW closed, WWE, Balor, Gallows, and Anderson have gone a twitter blitzkrieg that may indicate their alignment was more than a one-off.
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EXCLUSIVE: After successfully teaming up for the first time in @WWE, are @FinnBalor, @LukeGallowsWWE, and @KarlAndersonWWE poised to dominate #RAW in 2018?! pic.twitter.com/4WuAH4otkE
— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2018
The more things change….
— Finn Bálor Forever (@FinnBalor) January 2, 2018
The more they stay the same @KarlAndersonWWE @LukeGallowsWWE #BálorClubForever #OGBC pic.twitter.com/oRSb5RMsw9
Sometimes…..
— Karl Anderson (@KarlAndersonWWE) January 2, 2018
You just gotta be patient my friends….@FinnBalor @LukeGallowsWWE @WWE
Here we go…. pic.twitter.com/OBBgRCJXr4
Could this be the touchstone moment for the real Balor Club? While this slew of tweets certainly gives a strong signal that something is up, nothing has been confirmed in terms of a more permanent faction. However, based on the eye test, the Balor Club may be sticking around for a bit.
For Balor, this could prove to be a windfall moment. Outside of his impromptu yet, spectacular match at TLC with AJ Styles, the 36-year old hasn’t had much to sing about as of late. However, by getting the support of Gallows of Anderson, Balor now has multiple paths to increased relevance. Maybe a feud with the full Miztourage is next. Maybe The Balor Club pursue Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan‘s Tag Team Championship. Or maybe we get a dose of Japan and Balor and his crew rocks us with a savage heel turn.
While many of Balor’s fans have been hoping he gets his overdue rematch with a Universal Champion, that’s a concept that simply is not ready to manifest. As a solo performer, Balor’s options for success were limited to winning the Royal Ruble or starting a Daniel Bryan-esque revolution. While he can still do that, he’ll have an easier time grabbing the proverbial brass ring if he can stand on Gallows and Anderson’s shoulders.
History has shown us that factions can breed stars in WWE, and for Balor fans, this could be the first step to realizing Balor’s powerful potential.
