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An evening seven years in the making, WWE SummerSlam 2023 should have been Finn Balor's crowning moment. The Prince aimed to return to the pinnacle of sports entertainment when he challenged Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2023.
Damian Priest's "cursed" Money in the Bank briefcase, however, inadvertently provided Rollins with an adequate opportunity to stomp Finn Balor for the three-count.
This was seemingly Balor's final chance to secure the world title from Rollins, who accidentally injured his shoulder at SummerSlam 2016. Although the 42-year-old won the Universal Championship seven years ago, the severe injury forced him to relinquish the gold the next night on RAW.
Most fans would agree that The Prince never recovered from the ill-fated events that befell him in August 2016. Drafted to Monday Night RAW as part of the brand split, WWE pushed Balor to the moon, who became the inaugural Universal Champion a month into his main roster debut.
The unfortunate shoulder injury proved to be a perpetual curse. Although Balor made a full recovery, he never regained his lost momentum. The inaugural Universal Champion received many world title opportunities but never regained the lost gold.
Over the next several years, Finn Balor played second-fiddle to the top-tier superstars of this generation. At one point, his main roster run floundered to the point that WWE sent him back to NXT, which eventually worked in his favor. However, things started looking better when Balor joined The Judgment Day.
As Balor claims himself, the sinister faction rules Monday Night RAW. This was his ticket back to the main event. Following a long program with Edge, The Prince finally set his sights on the World Heavyweight Champion. He received two title shots at premium live events, but a series of unfortunate events involving fellow Judgment Day brethren, Damian Priest, prevented him from seeking revenge.
Finn Balor and Damian Priest's conflict of interest may lead to the implosion of WWE's Judgment Day
The rising tensions between Damian Priest and Finn Balor were at the heart of the Seth Rollins-Judgment Day saga. Since The Punisher won the MITB briefcase, he has been a thorn in Balor's path to the World Heavyweight Title.
The Prince has firmly shown that he would do anything to defeat Rollins to win the world championship. However, his unsuccessful pursuit has been detrimental to the integrity and unity of The Judgment Day.
Rhea Ripley and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio have tried to curb the escalating friction in the group, but an implosion almost seems inevitable. It would be intriguing to see the character changes that arise from the potential breakup of WWE RAW's top faction.
The Bloodline implosion angle received rave reviews. Triple H may want to replicate the same magic on RAW with The Judgment Day.
