Top 5: Reasons Why Finn Balor Should Challenge AJ Styles At The WWE Royal Rumble

AJ Styles captured his second WWE Championship on Smackdown in Manchester, England on Smackdown Live, ending the 170-day reign of Jinder Mahal. This is AJ’s second reign, as his first was ended in January by John Cena at the Royal Rumble.

AJ is currently headed towards the 2018 Royal Rumble, once again as WWE Champion. The big question, now, is who should stand across the ring. AJ already defeated Jinder Mahal in the former champion’s rematch at Clash Of Champions, leading us to believe he’s not the likely challenger (I fully expect Jinder to be in the final four of the Royal Rumble match).

Who else on Smackdown is poised to challenge AJ? Basically…no one.

My first pick was originally Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler would be going for broke in a scenario that sees him lose and disappear for a while. It already seems like we’re getting that outcome without AJ being involved. Bobby Roode is an option, but I fully expect him to be involved with whatever the company is doing with the United States Championship. Baron Corbin sucks, so there’s no reason for him to get the shot.

There’s Randy Orton, but he’s better fodder for the Rumble match itself. Shinsuke Nakamura should win the Rumble, taking him out of consideration for the title shot. Kevin Owens is always an option, but he and AJ didn’t exactly deliver in their previous encounters.

That leaves me with one man, and he’s not on the Smackdown roster: Finn Balor.

Why Finn Balor? Here’s why…

5. Finn Balor Owns A Win Over AJ Styles From WWE TLC

There are two ways to play this, and the best is AJ becoming the hunter. He lost to Finn Balor at WWE TLC, after making the trip to Raw to do so. AJ wants another shot at Finn (likely not The Demon), and he has the ultimate bargaining chip in the WWE Championship.

You can also flip it around as Finn Balor being the hunter, citing his win over AJ Styles as the reason he should get the title shot. It honestly works either way.

4. Historical Significance

This would require WWE to acknowledge more of New Japan’s lore than they usually do. But the two former leaders of Bullet Club (including its founder) going at it for the WWE’s most prestigious prize could be a major selling point for the hardcore fanbase to see AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor again.

This also gives you a chance to involve The Club—Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. You can put forces at work trying to sabotage the match, namely Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Gallows can become “enforcers” for the match, adding the question of their loyalty between the former Bullet Club figureheads. It also opens up the opportunity to form a Club stable headed into WrestleMania, which would do huge merchandise numbers for all involved.

3. It’d Be A Damn Good Match

The second word in World Wrestling Entertainment is still wrestling, and the company has been more comfortable with “wrestlers” in the past 18 months. Well here you’d have two of the best in the world given a stage to perform, and they’d deliver in a big way.

Brock Lesnar, the Universal Champion, has built his reign on being the Beast, an unconquerable monster that only comes out of his cave when the fight warrants it. AJ Styles is the opposite, he’s a champion who is truly the best wrestler around, and this match furthers that theme for “The Phenomenal One.”

2. It Creates A Potential Showdown Down The Road

WWE isn’t exactly known for its forward planning, unless your name is Roman Reigns. Their shorter-term planning gets less credit than it deserves, however. This is the best of both worlds, as you can have AJ Styles go over at Royal Rumble, setting up a potential “rubber match” showdown at SummerSlam.

It doesn’t have to end there, either. Look ahead to WrestleMania 35, and you can easily cap off what was a Best-Of-5 between the two men that spanned 18-months.

1. Finn Balor Deserves It

I am not a fan of “you deserve it,” chants, but Finn Balor does indeed deserve it. He’s grown into a phenomenal (pun slightly intended) WWE Superstar, and is showing why the company put the Universal Championship on him in the first place.

That title is in a different place now, but Finn Balor is still the competitor he was a year and a half ago. Toss him this bone, and he’ll prove even Vince McMahon himself right. It was Vince, after all, who made him the first ever WWE Universal Champion.