What’s next for Finn Balor after losing WWE Money in the Bank qualifying match? Three potential directions for the inaugural Universal Champion following SmackDown

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Finn Balor was so close to qualifying for the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match, but ultimately came up short.

Balor faced off against CM Punk and GUNTHER on the September 25 SmackDown episode for a spot in the October 10 multi-man bout.

In the closing moments of the bout, Finn Balor hit a Coup De Grace on GUNTHER, causing the Ring General to release CM Punk from a sleeper hold.

This allowed Punk to quickly pin GUNTHER, stealing the victory and punching his ticket for the upcoming premium live event.

With Finn Balor shaking hands with CM Punk after the match, there has been a lot of speculation about that’s next for the inaugural Universal Champion.

Here are three paths we could see Balor take in the coming months.

GUNTHER feud

GUNTHER was one of the names added to Finn Balor and Sami Zayn’s WWE Title #1 contender’s match at SummerSlam at the last minute, along with Kevin Owens.

Since then, the Ring General has had a number of run-ins backstage with Finn Balor on SmackDown, with Balor even stiking GUNTHER in front of Nick Aldis on the September 11 show.

With neither star qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match, we could see Balor and GUNTHER continue their feud with a series of singles matches.

Given that it was his signature move that kept the Ring General down on September 25, it’d make sense to see Balor attempt to become the eighth star ever to pin or submit GUNTHER in WWE.

CM Punk rivalry

While Balor and Punk did shake hands after the match, Balor’s instant reaction to Punk stealing the pin has fuelled talk about these two stars potentially meeting in the ring again.

Balor unsuccessfully challenged for CM Punk’s World Heavyweight Championship twice earlier this year, first on the January 19 Raw episode in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and again at Elimination Chamber in Chicago, Illinois.

Following the finish of the Money in the Bank qualifier, it appears that another Balor vs Punk feud is being teased.

If CM Punk does end up regaining the Undisputed WWE Championship, Finn Balor would be an excellent choice for his first challenger.

Challenging for Sami Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Championship

Given how close Finn Balor came to punching his ticket for Money in the Bank, we could see him emerge as one of the next challengers for Sami Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Championship.

Balor and Zayn was originally set to face off in singles action at SummerSlam, with the winner to earn a WWE Championship match.

Kevin Owens and GUNTHER were ultimately added to the bout moments before the opening bell, with Kevin Owens going on to win the #1 contender’s contest.

While Balor previously spoke positively about Owens’ inclusion in the match, many fans want to see Balor and Zayn finally face off one-on-one, especially now that Zayn holds WWE’s top prize.

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• wwe
• Smackdown
• Finn Balor

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