AJ Styles clashed with Finn Balor on RAW, and the two veterans delivered a solid showing. However, despite being a reigning World Tag Team Champion with JD McDonagh, The Prince was left isolated without faction support. The match ended with Styles hitting the Styles Clash for a decisive win.
Balor has been reliable in the tag division, but losses like these hurt his singles standing. Having the inaugural Universal Champion constantly fall clean undermines his threat level beyond tag action. Even without gold, Balor should remain protected, yet the booking chipped away at that aura.