Finn Balor and 4 other WWE stars who lost their main event push after getting injured

Getting injured is one of the worst things to happen to a WWE superstar. There are documented instances of a star’s push getting affected due to injury. Case in point: Finn Balor’s injury in 2016 forced him to relinquish the title. It is safe to say that the Demon Prince hasn’t tasted world title gold ever since the SummerSlam 2016 tragedy.

Balor isn’t the only one who lost his main event push due to injury. Even household names such as Rey Mysterio lost their momentum and, by extension, his push in 2011. His WWE Championship win on RAW that year is one of the shortest title reigns to this day. Fans are still of the opinion the Hall of Famer deserved better.

In addition to Finn Balor and Rey, the following superstars lost their main event push due to injury. Let’s look at what led to the injury and how it affected their momentum in WWE.

Before we start, we’d like to mention that Balor will remain the focal point of discussion since he’s currently in contention for a potential World Heavyweight Championship rematch against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2023.

#1. Finn Balor

Balor was the hottest free agent when he signed with WWE in 2014. The original leader of the Bullet Club received a monstrous push in NXT, winning the brand’s top title on multiple occasions. Vince McMahon was also high on him and booked him to win in his second match on RAW against Roman Reigns.

Unfortunately for Balor, his main event push took a hit the same night he won his first world title in WWE. The Demon Prince dislocated his shoulder during his Universal Championship match against Seth Rollins.

Even though he won the match and the title, Balor was forced to relinquish it the following night on RAW due to his injury.

#2. Mr. Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy had charisma written all over him when he first walked through the curtain in WWE. The brash talker was immediately inserted into a program with The Undertaker of all people back in 2006. His biggest career win, however, came at WrestleMania 23, when he won the Money in the Bank contract.

Vince McMahon reportedly wanted him to win the world title, but a botched triceps injury diagnosis forced the boss to reconsider his plans. Kennedy was told to drop the briefcase to Edge, who cashed in on The Undertaker to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.

#3. Rey Mysterio

Few were over with the crowd like Rey Mysterio was in 2011. The iconic Luchador also briefly held the WWE Championship during that period. Reports at the time stated that WWE wanted to push him to main event status in the buildup to SummerSlam 2011. However, a legitimate knee injury would affect those plans on the road to the biggest party of the summer.

Rey was allegedly supposed to have a match with The Miz (the man he initially beat for the top title on RAW) at the August 14, 2011, pay-per-view event. His win would’ve led to him challenging then-top champion CM Punk the following night on RAW. Rey missed action for a whole year due to his injury and never got his pushback.

#4. Dolph Ziggler

Fans might remember the thunderous ovation Dolph Ziggler got when he popped up to cash-in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship on the RAW after WrestleMania 29 on April 8, 2013.

The Show Off was starting to feel his main event push when he got concussed and put out of action. He would drop the title back to Del Rio at the inaugural WWE Payback pay-per-view event on June 16, 2013.

#5. Hideo Itami

Hideo Itami, aka KENTA, was the best junior heavyweight in the world at one point in time. His incredible matches in Pro Wrestling Noah gained Triple H’s attention. Paul brought him to NXT and renamed him Hideo Itami.

The former GHC Heavyweight Champion was in line for a major push in 2015 when he suffered a legitimate shoulder injury, which put him out of action for nearly a year. Even though he returned to NXT in 2016, he could never regain his pre-injury momentum.