Finn Balor Relinquishes WWE Universal Title, Sidelined For Several Months
WWE’s inaugural Universal Champion Finn Balor relinquished the title he won less than 24 hours ago.
According to a tweet from RAW general manager Mick Foley, Balor did suffer an injury last night at SummerSlam which requires medical attention.
Due to his injury, @StephMcMahon and I jointly accept @FinnBalor relinquishing of the @WWE Universal Championship. #Raw
— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) August 22, 2016
According to The injury came in the course of Bálor and Rollins’ match to determine which Superstar would become the first WWE Universal Champion, specifically when Bálor absorbed a running powerbomb to the barricade at the hands of The Architect. WWE.com , Balor has suffered a right shoulder injury from a powerbomb into the barricade from Seth Rollins in their match at Barclays Center last night.
“He hit the wall during the match, dislocated his shoulder and was able to put it back in himself in a split second,” Ringside physician Dr. Chris Robinson said on WWE’s website. Robinson also said that an MRI yielded results earlier today showing “a possible labrum tear.”
Balor is scheduled to receive a surgical consult which will determine the extent of his injury. If surgery and rehab are required, Bálor could have recovery time of “anywhere from four to six months,” according to Robinson.
It was reported earlier today by PW Insider that the new champion may have sustained an injury Sunday night and had a sling on his right arm after SummerSlam.
The Demon King defeated number one overall WWE Draft pick and RAW’s top guy Seth Rollins to become the first Universal Champion. He hit his Coup De Grace finisher and beat the former WWE Champion by pinfall.
After the match, Balor exited the ring and hugged his mother and father, who were sitting front row opposite of the hard camera. He hugged both of them and made his way toward the ramp, hoisting up the newly won title above his head with his right arm, the one speculated to be injured.
Finn and WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte appeared on Good Morning America today to talk about the company and last night’s pay per view, billed as The Biggest Event Of The Summer. On the show, Balor was not in a sling.
Balor was drafted 5th overall by the RAW brand July 19, one pick after AJ Styles. Prior to his call up to the main roster, the 35-year-old, Irish native spent almost 2 years in NXT. WWE confirmed signing the international superstar July 28, 2014 and revealed his new character name (Finn Balor) on September 24th of that year.
In NXT, he was the brand’s 7th champion. He currently holds the record for longest championship reign at 292 days.
WWE held several qualifying matches on Raw and will crown a new champion on next week’s episode.
