Finn Balor defeated AJ Styles on Sunday night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in Minneapolis, which suggests a move into the main event scene could be in the Irishman's future.After a back-and-forth exchange in which neither star gained a serious advantage, the turning point came when Styles missed a 450 splash. As he got back to his feet, he received a running dropkick from Balor, which was the prelude to the Coup de Grace.Styles and Balor quickly put their differences aside after the match and shared a special moment together:CBS Sports' Brian Campbell hopes to see the two cross paths again soon:Both Uproxx's Brandon Stroud and Black Sports Online's Robert Littal thought Bray Wyatt's sudden removal from the TLC card worked in Balor's benefit:Balor was originally scheduled to face Wyatt at TLC, but a medical issue prompted WWE to replace Wyatt with SmackDown's Styles to set the stage for a true dream match.The Demon was already in control of his feud with Wyatt, and it can be argued that beating Styles gives him even more momentum moving forward.Based on comments Balor made in the midst of his program with Wyatt, his eyes are very much on the Universal Championship and Brock Lesnar.Balor made it clear that he wants to become a two-time universal champ, and although Wyatt distracted him from that temporarily, it is the next logical step for the former NXT titleholder.Shortly after Balor debuted on the main roster last year, he beat Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to become the first universal champion in WWE history.He suffered a significant shoulder injury in that match, however, which forced him to relinquish the title and landed him on the shelf for several months.Balor has struggled to get back to the top since returning on the night after WrestleMania 33, but he finally has momentum on his side.His feud with Wyatt had its ups and downs, although it did lead to the return of his Demon persona, and it allowed him to explore an even darker and more sinister side of his character.That is precisely what Balor will be forced to tap into if he is going to be perceived as a serious threat to Lesnar.Although there has long been talk of a WrestleMania rematch between Lesnar and Roman Reigns, there is more intrigue and cachet regarding Balor vs.Lesnar in a match that can be billed as The Demon vs. The Beast.A strong showing at Survivor Series is integral to Balor's credibility, and there are plenty of ways to make that happen.Assuming there is a Raw vs.SmackDown theme with multiple traditional elimination matches on the card, putting Balor on a winning team and having him be among the survivors is an ideal way to make that happen.Among the possibilities are putting him on the same team as The Shield or perhaps even teaming him with his former Bullet Club brethren in Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.That would then open the door for a potential bout against The Shield at Roadblock. Even if Balor doesn't win that match, he can be made to look strong with either Gallows or Anderson taking the fall.Balor would then enter the Royal Rumble as one of the top contenders to win and become the No. 1 contender for a world title.Booking Balor to win the Rumble would be a huge step in his redemption story, and it would set the stage for the perfect David vs. Goliath match against Lesnar at WrestleMania.Balor could even the odds by working with Gallows and Anderson only for Lesnar to take both of them out leading up to The Showcase of the Immortals, forcing Balor to become the most vicious and sadistic version of The Demon yet.Although Balor has been stuck in no man's land for the past few months in many respects, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the potential is there for him to do something special during the build toward WrestleMania. Listen toRing Rust Radiofor all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below(warning: some language NSFW).
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