Finn Bálor brought back his iconic Demon persona during Friday night’s Halloween-themed edition of WWE SmackDown, making a surprise appearance to confront Gunther in a chaotic portion involving Danhausen.
The October 30 show of SmackDown, which took place in Charleston, West Virginia, featured the unexpected return of The Demon as Bálor’s ongoing hostilities with Gunther took another dramatic alignment shift.
The stretch began with Danhausen preparing to unveil his latest evil experiment before being interrupted by Gunther. The Ring General immediately ambushed Danhausen, powerbombing him through a table before dragging him into the ring to continue the assault.
Things took an unusual character change when Danhausen’s mysterious cloning machine activated, producing several miniature versions of himself. Gunther rapidly dispatched the mini-Danhausens, even powerbombing one onto another through a table.
Be that as it may, as Gunther continued his attack on Danhausen, the facility lights suddenly went out. When the lights returned, Bálor had emerged in his Demon persona, much to the surprise of Gunther.
The former World Heavyweight Title holder initially attempted to avoid the confrontation, although The Demon quickly closed the distance. The two exchanged strikes before Gunther connected with a GTR and struck Bálor with his title belt.
The attack had little effect on The Demon, who reacted with a Sling Blade before delivering a running dropkick that sent Gunther crashing through a table positioned in the corner of the ring.
Where Bálor used a ladder to knock Gunther onto the announce table, the confrontation then moved to ringside. To add further context, he followed up by climbing the ladder and delivering a devastating Coup de Grace onto Gunther through the announce table — bringing the portion to a dramatic conclusion.
The surprise appearance marked the resurgence of Bálor’s Demon persona to WWE television, adding another memorable moment to SmackDown’s Halloween festivities while escalating his rivalry with Gunther.
The development furthermore comes amid reports that Gunther vs. Finn Bálor was originally planned for WWE Crown Jewel 2026 and could still be followed up by saying to the event’s lineup.
As per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the match surfaced on WWE’s original Crown Jewel plans, although its status remained uncertain following the event’s venue change.
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 7, at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As of the latest shared plans, Gunther vs. Bálor has not been officially corroborated for the program.