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 section involving Danhausen.
The October 30 edition of SmackDown, which took place in Charleston, West Virginia, featured the unexpected return of The Demon as Bálor’s ongoing rivalry 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 without delay jumped Danhausen, powerbombing him through a table before dragging him into the ring to continue the assault.
Things took an unusual switch when Danhausen’s mysterious cloning machine activated, producing several miniature versions of himself. Gunther quickly dispatched the mini-Danhausens, even powerbombing one onto another through a table.
However, as Gunther continued his attack on Danhausen, the building lights suddenly went out. When the lights returned, Bálor had was spotted in his Demon persona, much to the surprise of Gunther.
The erstwhile World Heavyweight Title holder initially attempted to avoid the confrontation, on the flip side The Demon rapidly closed the distance. The two exchanged strikes before Gunther connected with a GTR and struck Bálor with his championship belt.
The attack had little effect on The Demon, who answered with a Sling Blade before delivering a running dropkick that sent Gunther crashing through a table positioned in the corner of the ring.
The confrontation then moved to ringside, where Bálor used a ladder to knock Gunther onto the announce table. He followed up by climbing the ladder and delivering a devastating Coup de Grace onto Gunther through the announce table — bringing the stretch to a dramatic conclusion.
The surprise appearance marked the arrival back of Bálor’s Demon persona to WWE television, adding another memorable moment to SmackDown’s Halloween festivities while escalating his ongoing program 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 further stated to the pay-per-view’s lineup.
As reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the match was spotted on WWE’s original Crown Jewel plans. Its status remained uncertain following the pay-per-view’s venue change.
WWE Crown Jewel 2026 is booked to take place on Saturday, November 7, at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As of the latest reported plans, Gunther vs. What's more, bálor has not been officially acknowledged for the program.