Real Reason For Finn Bálor's SmackDown Move (WWE News)

WWE chiefs elected to have Finn Bálor switch brands from Raw to SmackDown so he doesn't have to keep interacting with ex-stablemates like Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh on Mondays. That's according to The Wrestling Observer, at least. They've heard that top brass wants something fresh for Finn's future.

Interestingly, more former Judgment Day stablemates are waiting for him on Fridays - Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are on the SmackDown brand, so maybe WWE will do something with that trio eventually. Or not. The Observer reckons there's a better chance that Bálor gets to work with top stars like Gunther and Cody Rhodes going forwards.

Both of those matches, should they happen, would be tremendous.

Finn's leap to SmackDown was confirmed on the 1 June episode of Raw in Turin, Italy. There, Mysterio and McDonagh bragged about sending the Irishman packing, and warned that he'd only continue getting a beatdown if he stuck around on Raw. For the record, Bálor signed off from the red brand in-ring by beating JD in a 'Street Fight' on the 18 May edition.

His first stop on team blue will be a Fatal-4-Way first round match in this year's King Of The Ring tournament. There, Finn meets LA Knight, Jey Uso and Royce Keys. He has a decent shot at progressing, but it's probably unlikely that Bálor wins the whole tourney then grabs a guaranteed title shot come SummerSlam.

However, as a side note, it is worth jotting down that this year's SummerSlam will be 10 years on from Finn's Universal Title triumph over Seth Rollins in 2016. Perhaps there's something to work with there?