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WWE WrestleMania 39 Analysis and Predictions: Can the ‘Demon’ Finn Balor Deliver Judgement to Edge When ‘WrestleMania Goes Hollywood’

Published 03/31/2023, 10:55 AM EDT

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WWE WrestleMania 39: Edge vs ‘Demon’ Finn Balor– WrestleMania 39 Night 2 will play host to only the fourth Hell in a Cell match to be held at ‘The Showcase Of The Immortals.’ Although this will be the first ‘Mania Hell in a Cell match without The Undertaker, Satan’s Structure will house a battle between two supernatural ‘demons’ in a suburb of the ‘City of Angels’. One of the combatants has a history with this match as he appeared after the very first Hell in a Cell contest at WrestleMania. That came at WrestleMania XV, when The Brood descended to the top of the structure and helped ‘The Phenom’ punish Big Boss Man after he took his famed ‘Mania streak to 8-0. 24 years later, Edge (potentially ‘Brood’ Edge) will lock horns with ‘Demon’ Finn Balor in what will be a feud-ending collision. 

While these two supernatural entities within the Hell in a Cell will aim to send the other back to the depths of hell, expect dark forces to surround the steel structure. The Brood (Gangrel and potentially Christian) may be present to help Edge keep The Judgement Day at bay. While the former is unconfirmed, the latter is likely to be present on Night 2. Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio have their WrestleMania matches on Night 1; Damien Priest doesn’t have a match lined up. 

Whatever happens and whoever interferes, the contest will continue until one superstar has pinned or submitted the other within the squared circle. Here’s a look at which of these two demons rising from below should win or lose inside ‘The Devil’s Playground’.  

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Why should Edge win at WrestleMania 39?

WrestleMania 39 is Edge’s final WrestleMania as a superstar: Last August, Edge announced that he intended to end his career on his own terms. The Rated-R Superstar’ declared that he would retire in August 2023 when WWE returns to Toronto. As of now, the WWE Universe will take that seriously as Edge hasn’t stated otherwise. That announcement would make WrestleMania 39 his swansong at ‘The Grandest Stage Of Them All.’ As the babyface, an Edge win makes sense as it would serve as an emotional final WrestleMania moment.

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The feel-good factor: Wrestling is always about what’s next. An Edge win would derail Finn Balor and hand him his first pinfall defeat at ‘The Showcase Of The Immortals’ (Balor wasn’t involved in the decision in his ‘Mania debut when Rollins pinned The Miz at WrestleMania 34). Such an event would allow the audience to cheer, with the designated babyface going over the heel who has been a thorn in his side for the better part of a year. That feel-good factor to allow the audience to cheer will be a reason for an Edge win, perhaps signaling that WWE is setting up for a Roman Reigns retention in the WrestleMania 39 main event

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Why should ‘Demon’ Finn Balor win at WrestleMania 39?

WWE could have a streak on their hands as ‘Demon’ Balor is unbeaten at ‘Mania. The WWE’s maiden Universal Champion summoned his alter ego in his last WrestleMania match and beat Bobby Lashley at the MetLife Stadium in 2019.  

WWE needs to redeem the ‘Demon’ character: ‘Demon’ Finn Balor was an unstoppable force that only lost when it was time for him to leave the brand. These defeats came at the hands of Samoa Joe in 2016 at (NXT TakeOver: The End) and Roman Reigns (Extreme Rules 2021). Balor spent time in NXT after losing to ‘The Tribal Chief’ courtesy of a top rope turnbuckle incident. Following his return, this is the first time he will don the paint. As the WWE Universe will remember that ‘Demon’ Balor was fed to ‘The Head Of The Table‘, successive WWE defeats for this character could be detrimental. 

The Judgement Day is the future: Finn Balor winning could see The Judgement Day have a memorable ‘Mania, assuming Ripley and Dominik Mysterio have their arms raised in the respective matches on Night 1. A win for Balor will help him catapult his ‘Demon’ persona back into the reckoning, allowing him to believably summon it to deliver judgment to any future foes. Furthermore, banishing a Hall of Famer will allow the wrestling superstar to be a credible leader as he seeks to expand his dark stable

Why should Edge not win at WrestleMania 39?

‘Brood’ Edge can take a defeat without major consequences: ‘Brood’ Edge will not be a thing going forward as Edge’s swansong would be better remembered with his ‘Rated-R Superstar’ gimmick. Hence, WrestleMania 39 could mark the final appearance of Edge’s goth demon gimmick. 

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Edge already got his revenge on Balor: ‘The Rated-R Superstar‘ uttered the words “I Quit” to hand Finn Balor the win at Extreme Rules 2022. He then returned in the Men’s Royal Rumble match and eliminated all male members of The Judgement Day. Three weeks later, he joined forces with his wife and scored the winning pinfall over Finn Balor at Elimination Chamber. It was the Irishman who continued things when he cost Edge in a US Title match against Austin Theory. 

WWE has presented Balor as the person who is desperate to beat Edge. They built the feud to have ‘The Prince’ lose initially and reach a point of desperation; one requiring him to bring his alter-ego to the party. 

Why should ‘Demon’ Finn Balor not win when ‘WrestleMania Goes Hollywood?

WWE wants to bury ‘The Demon’: That could be the only reason to allow an outgoing Hall of Famer to beat the leader of a faction with tremendous potential. A defeat for Finn Balor would imply that WWE is keen on sending the ‘Demon’ back to the depths to never rise again. They may want to do that if they have another character in mind for Balor, or there could be another potential reason. 

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To show cracks in Judgement Day: Assuming Rhea Ripley gets back at Charlotte Flair, and Rey Mysterio lets his son get over, a Finn Balor loss would mean that he exits SoFi Stadium as the only faction member to not win. That could see his leadership questioned, resulting in a power struggle within the faction. ‘The Eradicator’ would be one option, or WWE could have someone come in and do to Balor what he did to Edge on an edition of Raw.

WrestleMania 39- Edge vs ‘Demon’ Finn Balor: Prediction 

Considering Edge’s history with his neck, he will not literally put his neck on the line and return to the top of the cell for an insane spot. ‘Demon’ Finn Balor and Edge will likely stay within the cell, with The Brood and The Judgement Day potentially fighting at ringside. Inside the cell, expect Edge to dish out insane punishment to a ‘Demon’. The unhinged Hall of Famer will turn to spears, Edgecators, and con-chair-to shots, and more to beat the paint off his demonic opponent.

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Over the course of the match, Edge may realize that although The Undertaker baptized him in the structure, it won’t be of any help; ‘Demon’ Balor is not the Finn Balor who may have stayed down. This will help sell the story of the unstoppable force and an immovable object that may not sell a single attack. The no-sells, combined with a defining win, will serve WWE well in storytelling and at the merchandise stalls. 

Edge winning has quite feeble reasons behind it and mindless audience appeasement isn’t a route the WWE should take. He has had his moments with MITB wins, World Title wins, emotional returns, and as a Hall of Fame Class headliner. The 11-time World Champion winning could derail The Judgement Day and invite fan backlash at WWE for misusing yet another unique character. They have faced this with Bray Wyatt’s ‘The Eater of Worlds‘ and ‘The Fiend’. Expect the ‘Demon’ to unleash another gear, hit a Coup de grâce, and have his arm raised inside the demonic structure.

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Prediction: ‘Demon’ Finn Balor will beat Edge by pinfall.  

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Written by:

Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Content Quality Associate at EssentiallySports. Having earned his bachelor's degree in Mass Media with a specialization in Journalism from St.Xavier's College, Reubyn has interned with the sports desks at DNA and Times Now before joining EssentiallySports to further his passion for sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Sherjeel Malik