Finn Balor might have had a dream run during his time in NXT, but when he reached the main roster, things were hit and miss for him. He got off to a rocky start, which didn't help his development as he struggled for consistency due to injury. However, Balor's qualities did shine through in the end.
His first 10 rivalries on the main roster featured a real range of talents and storylines. At times he was fighting for titles, while at others he was in quite forgettable encounters. But either way, Balor always attempted to make the best of a situation to climb the ladder.
10 Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
While this was a good feud in terms of having a clear babyface and heel, which led to some good responses from fans, the actual in-ring work was fairly bland and the storyline overall wasn't exciting. Even though both men are talented, this was a mid-card feud that didn't have a lot of investment.
This isn't a storyline that audiences are going to look back upon as a classic, with this one dragging on for too long. They competed plenty of times without ever truly wowing anybody, which was a shame.
9 Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal
This was another basic storyline that Finn Balor had, although the benefit of this one was that it didn't outstay its welcome. Their rivalry was mainly kept to Monday Night Raw, but it also included Mixed Match Challenge, and their matches were mainly used to promote that.
It wasn't a classic rivalry at all, but the matches they had were serviceable and enjoyable enough for the time they were given. However, there wasn't much story involved in this one to truly make it feel important.
8 Finn Balor vs. Elias
Elias was Finn Balor's first real rivalry on the main roster and was used as an opponent to push Balor back into the swing of things following his injury. It led to some good moments between them, but the storyline was never anything truly fantastic.
This one was more about building Balor back up and reminding fans what he was capable of. It wasn't necessarily competitive because of that, with this being dominated by Finn from start to finish, without anything to truly make it memorable.
7 Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
Finn Balor's first rivalry on the main roster saw him launched into the main event scene without wasting a second. He got the chance to compete at SummerSlam against Seth Rollins to crown the first-ever Universal Champion, and the two men had a great match.
However, as far as a rivalry goes, this was actually not one of his best. Because Balor got injured at SummerSlam, it ended up being a one-match special and WWE didn't end up getting the best out of this story.
6 Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns
Finn Balor's feud with Roman Reigns was much like his rivalry with Seth Rollins. It was short, but it did put Balor in a heightened spot. They competed for the Universal Championship, which was retained by Roman Reigns, and it helped remind fans how good Balor is as a talent.
If this had been pushed more and lasted longer, there is a good chance that it could have created something memorable between them, as they did later on in their careers on SmackDown.
5 Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre
This storyline was more about Drew McIntyre than it was Finn Balor, however, they did enjoy working in featured spots as it was clear the company was trying to make McIntyre a bigger name. He turned heel in this situation and would do his best to bully Balor.
They worked well together stylistically and complemented one another inside the ring. They feuded for a while together, with Dolph Ziggler injecting himself at one point, and Balor was able to come out of this in a position to move up the card because he had impressed so much.
4 Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar
Sometimes when Brock Lesnar gets given random new opponents, it can lead to a poor rivalry, such as his storyline with Ricochet. But that wasn't the case with Finn Balor as the Beast really put him over in their match, with the two having a competitive encounter.
They worked well together and the build, while quite short, was also effective. It's a shame this didn't go on for longer and lead to The Demon battling the Beast, as there were more opportunities with this rivalry than WWE tapped into.
3 Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
This storyline built slowly over time with Bray Wyatt teasing and cutting promos for weeks in advance. When they finally engaged the two men worked well together. They had some solid matches and it built well as they had good chemistry together.
The feud never got its big payoff match which was set to pit the Demon King against Bray as Sister Abigail, but that might have been a blessing in disguise overall. Despite the lack of resolution, it was a solid enough rivalry.
2 Finn Balor vs. The Miz
Finn Balor and The Miz feuded over several months, which included WrestleMania when they had a triple threat match that also included Seth Rollins. But the main bulk of the rivalry over this period was between Balor and Miz.
They helped to make the Intercontinental Championship feel truly important, with the two men pushing each other. Balor was able to drive the matches while Miz did the same for the promos which helped to make an enjoyable feud.
1 Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley/Lio Rush
Finn Balor's storyline with Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush was a fantastic one, with the three men bringing the best out of each other. Finn got to compete against two completely different styles and the dynamic between Rush and Lashley was an exciting one.
The promo work between Balor and Rush, in particular, was excellent and the different twists that came with this rivalry helped to keep fans engaged. It made the Intercontinental Championship feel important and the fact that it developed over time helped make it a lot of fun.