WWE SummerSlam 2026: 12 Things That NEED To Happen
4. Finn Bálor Becomes Top Contender
That contract signing bit wasn't the only excellent bit of work on the latest SmackDown. Sami Zayn cut a fantastic promo crying conspiracy over his short WWE Title reign and the opportunities just handed out to everyone else willy nilly whilst he has to toil for them. That's led to this number one contenders match vs. Finn Bálor.
The Irishman won a Fatal-4-Way to line up this bout vs. Sami, and it should be a sleeper hit on Sunday's card. Penta vs. Gable, the women's ladder match and this? Yeah, Sunday could be one hell of a show if the Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins main event also delivers.
In short, Finn should win.
That'd add fuel to the fire of Zayn's complain train, and it'd elevate someone fresh to the top challenger position on SmackDown. In theory, a rematch between Bálor and CM Punk sounds like a hoot, and so does Finn vs. Cody Rhodes if Triple H decides to put the belt back on the poster boy. That seems unlikely, but you just never know.
A return to classic babyface Finn sounds fun, and so does matching him up against an increasingly desperate Sami. Fingers crossed Zayn does some cheating as boos rain down on him in Minneapolis, then he can feign shock about it all. He's in his element when doing that. One double foot stomp later and Bálor will be heading for a WWE Title crack and Sami can continue bleating to Adam Pearce behind the scenes.
His headline journey isn't over longer term.