WWE Rumors: Former Universal Champion Set For A Gimmick Change

Finn Balor is one of the most popular superstars on the WWE roster, but he’s struggled to find momentum since being promoted to Monday Night Raw three years ago following a successful stint in NXT.

However, a new report from Sportskeeda claims that the company’s creative team plans to reimagine his gimmick in a bid to change the way he’s perceived.

The gimmick the report is referring to is his demonic alter-ego, which sees him don facepaint whenever a situation calls for him to embrace the dark side for an important match.

According to the Sportskeeda source, the company’s creative department believes the Irish superstar’s current persona is hindering his progress.

“The Demon King is cool. It pops the kids, the grown ups, everyone…it’s not working and it needs to change for Finn to be taken seriously.”

At first, the company appeared to have big plans for the former NXT champion. Upon arriving on the red brand, he was thrust into the main event spotlight, becoming the inaugural Universal Champion in the process. Unfortunately, he was injured shortly after and forced to relinquish the title as a result.

Balor has floated around the mid-card ever since, but some impressive matches, acclaimed rivalries, and two Intercontinental Championship reigns have kept him teetering on the verge of bigger and better things. Perhaps the gimmick change will encourage WWE officials to finally give the talented performer a real push.

This week, The Inquisitr reported that Balor has been granted some time off from the company to recharge, starting in August. If the rumor is true, he won’t return to action for at least two months.

After losing his Intercontinental Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura at last Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view and suffering another loss against Samoa Joe on Monday Night Raw, his momentum has taken a hit.

Furthermore, he was attacked by a returning Bray Wyatt following his match with Samoa Joe, reportedly setting up a bout between the pair at SummerSlam. It’s expected that Balor will put Wyatt over and facilitate his push, and that match could be an ideal way to write him out of television while the company’s creative minds modify his character.

With The Club — AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson — recently reforming, Balor might join his former Bullet Club teammates when he returns to television. WWE has a couple of months to retool his gimmick, and aligning him with a heel stable he has history with would make for some interesting television.