Reported Reason Why Finn Balor was Traded to WWE SmackDown

Finn Balor has himself a new home.

It was announced during Monday's episode of WWE Raw in Turin, Italy that the former Universal Champion had officially been traded from the Red Brand to Friday Night SmackDown. That news from Byron Saxton confirmed the suspicions of many after Balor was highlighted as a Blue Brand superstar during the King of the Ring bracket reveal.

No details were provided about any compensation that Raw General Manager Adam Pearce received in return for Balor, but it's possible that Finn moving over to SmackDown was the corresponding roster move that balanced out Jacob Fatu's transfer to Monday nights. We'll have to wait and see if WWE decides to clear things up during the broadcast this coming Friday night in Bologna.

Regardless, Dave Meltzer said during the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the WWE creative team felt that Balor was in need of a fresh start following the feud with his old Judgment Day cohorts. His move to SmackDown separates him from Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh, and perhaps will set the stage for a singles push that fans of The PrinXe have long been anticipating.

Balor is coming off his most successful string of matches in quite some time. While he failed on two occasions to defeat CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship, the 44-year-old proved during that brief rivalry with the Best in the World that he's still more than capable of performing at an extremely high level.

Following his ostracization from the Judgment Day, Balor resurrected his previously retired Demon persona to defeat Dominik Mysterio in a very entertaining Street Fight at WrestleMania 42. He followed that up with a series of three matches against JD McDonagh, with the only loss against his old protégé courtesy of outside interference by Roxanne Perez.

Will The PrinXe transform himself into a King on SmackDown?

Next up for Balor is the aforementioned King of the Ring Tournament, where he'll soon face former World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso, LA Knight and Royce Keys in an opening round Fatal 4-Way Match.

This is arguably the most difficult of the first four matches in the King of the Ring to pick a winner. LA Knight was the first man to declare for the tournament, and he currently has a storyline building with The Bloodline. Roman Reigns even called him out by name following his victory over Jacob Fatu at Clash in Italy.

The OTC has also tasked his cousin Jey with winning the tournament, so he can bring the WWE Championship back to the family at SummerSlam. Then there is Royce Keys, who has done nothing but impress since making the jump to WWE from AEW earlier this year.

Oba Femi already punched his ticket to the semifinals by defeating Solo Sikoa, Carmelo Hayes and Men's Intercontinental Champion Penta on Monday.

Balor is facing a steep uphill climb to make it to the semifinals, but WWE could send a message that The PrinXE is going to be a serious player on the Blue Brand by having him advance deep into the King of the Ring tournament, or even win it.

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