10 Wrestlers Who Can Succeed Finn Balor As NXT's Icon
The Demon is gone, but who should fill his shoes?
Finn Balor is the most decorated wrestler in NXT history. Debuting in September 2014, the Irishman was an instant hit in WWE developmental with his exciting wrestling style, superstar aura, and of course, The Demon. His 292-day title reign means he leaves Full Sail University as the longest-reigning NXT champion of all-time, and with a series of excellent matches against Kevin Owens, Neville, and Samoa Joe to his name, Balor’s back catalogue is as strong as anyone’s.
Balor’s NXT momentum has transferred seamlessly to the main roster. After being picked fifth overall in the 2016 WWE Draft (an honour in itself), he defeated Roman Reigns to win contendership to the new WWE Universal Championship on his Raw debut. He’ll now face Seth Rollins in one of SummerSlam’s headlining matches, and looks all-set to become one of the company’s biggest babyfaces.
He’ll thrive on the main roster, but Balor’s presence will be sorely missed in NXT. By the time Balor had departed, he’d long since inherited Sami Zayn’s crown as “the face of NXT.” He was the brand’s megastar, one of it’s biggest selling points, and announcers Corey Graves and Tom Phillips had taken to calling him “The Icon of NXT,” such was his influence.
There’s now a clear void to fill at the top of the NXT card, and while there’s work to be done to elevate anyone to Balor’s incredible level, there are a number of outstanding candidates for the job.
Here are 10 wrestlers who can succeed Finn Balor in NXT.
10. Andrade "Cien" Almas
The former La Sombra is a long-term project. Recently arrived from Mexico’s CMLL, Almas made his official NXT debut at June’s TakeOver: The End event, defeating cult favourite Tye Dillinger in the opening match. He faced Dillinger again the following week, and while the matches were entertaining enough, it was an unideal start for the talented luchador.
Though he plays a heel role, Dillinger is one of the most popular men in NXT. His “Perfect 10” gimmick is hugely over with the Full Sail crowd, which makes it difficult for any babyface to draw cheers against him, let alone a debutant like Almas. WWE would’ve been bettered served introducing him against a more devious heel to maximise his reactions, but it’s still early days, and “Cien” has plenty of time to get over yet.
Almas has a number of things working in his favour. In the ring, he’s capable of pulling-off a highly impressive array of high-flying moves, and most importantly, he does it cleanly and safely. Almas is smoother than silk: he’s the type of worker who makes everything look easy, and even when pulling-off the most dangerous of stunts, you know he’s in complete control, and knows exactly what he’s doing.
His lack of English works against him, but Almas is a fantastic wrestler with a superstar look, and he demonstrates great charisma in his ring work. Let’s not forget that Balor himself has never been the most natural microphone worker either, so while there’s work to be done with Almas, the Full Sail crowd will grow to love him for his ring-work alone.