What’s the story?
Finn Balor recently appeared for a Q & A at the Indigo, at the O2 in London, for the Gorilla Position Podcast. During the show, my son, Austin was invited to come up onto the stage to ask Finn Balor a question face to face.
As you can see from the video, Austin is a huge Finn Balor and even had his face painted up like the “Demon King” himself. Once on stage, Austin asked Finn the question:
“If you’re in the Royal Rumble, how are going to eliminate Goldberg and Brock Lesnar?”
In case you didn’t know....
Finn Balor hasn’t been seen in WWE since the night after SummerSlam 2016, when he was forced to relinquish the WWE Universal Title, due to a shoulder injury. Finn sustained the injury the night before, at SummerSlam, during his WWE Universal Title match against Seth Rollins.
The injury was sustained when Seth Rollins power-bombed Balor into the ringside barricade outside the ring. It had been originally said that Balor would return in six months time, however, reports have been circulating lately on the internet that Balor’s recovery was ahead of schedule and that he may return sooner than expected, namely in the Royal Rumble match.
The heart of the matter
Finn Balor’s answer to the question was both very amusing, yet very interesting. Instead of writing off an appearance in the Royal Rumble match, Finn answered back with:
“If i’m in the Royal Rumble, I’m gonna hide in the corner and let Brock Lesnar and Goldberg kill each other, then once they have finished beating each other up, i’m just gonna tip them out.”
Bayley also appeared at the event. During the Q & A, Bayley and Finn Balor were actually asked if they were a couple, which the pair laughed off and denied. The claimed to be very good friends and nothing more, with Bayley declaring she was actually engaged to someone else.
Finn Balor was seen back on WWE TV last week, when he appeared at the WWE UK Championship tournament, which aired on the WWE Network. Finn cut a very short promo thanking the UK fans for supporting wrestling, but did not address his return at all.
What’s next?
A Finn Balor Royal Rumble return has been a hot topic for many weeks, even months. Finn was at one stage the betting favourite to win the match and still remains the fourth favourite now.
One would assume that if Finn was cleared and is in the Royal Rumble match, he would only be in it to win it, otherwise, the WWE would simply hold off his return for a later date. It makes no sense to rush back one of your biggest stars of the future and throw them into the Royal Rumble match, only to fail to succeed.
Kevin Owens seems to be certain to face Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, so only a Roman Reigns’ WWE Universal Title win could open the door for Balor vs. Reigns for the WWE Universal Title. Some websites have speculated that Balor may actually face The Undertaker at WrestleMania, with the WWE Universal Title added to the Goldberg vs. Lesnar encounter (if that actually takes place).
It’s very hard to predict what is next for Finn Balor, but we are all dying to find out. Unpredictability is certainly welcome in a promotion that has been often been accused of being too predictable.
Sportskeeda’s take
Finn was last seen on Raw, relinquishing the WWE Universal Title, which he vowed to get back upon his return. A Royal Rumble win would ensure that he receives his Universal Title shot at the biggest show of the year.
Although it is highly unlikely than Finn Balor revealed his actual Royal Rumble status to a 5-year-old boy, it is quite interesting that he did not write off a Rumble return. In this writer’s opinion, the WWE has set up multiple feuds that the WWE Universal Title could be added to.
They are, Goldberg vs. Lesnar, Owens vs. Jericho, Strowman vs. Reigns and even Reigns vs. Goldberg, which was teased a few weeks ago on Raw. I think it is more likely at this point that the WWE will simply opt for one of those matches to be their WWE Universal Title match, rather than rush back Finn Balor, who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere.
We shall all find out the real answer this Sunday. Be sure to check out my podcast, “The Dirty Sheets” Podcast, where we will be discussing the Royal Rumble and the Road to WrestleMania. You will also hear the odd cameo from Austin himself, who will be travelling to his first ever WrestleMania this April in Orlando, FL.
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