What’s the story?
Finn Balor, who was out with a shoulder injury sustained at SummerSlam last year, is likely to make a comeback by late February or early March and is expected to make an appearance at the WrestleMania 33, which is about eight weeks from now.
A report in NoDQ states:
"In an update from Balor’s evaluation, Dave Meltzer reports that he was not cleared. Balor’s targeted date for his return has always said to be late February or early March. As of this writing, Balor is expected to appear at WrestleMania in some capacity but it is unknown who his scheduled opponent might be for the event."
In case you didn’t know…
Finn Balor’s title run of 292 days makes him the longest reigning NXT champion in history. Eventually, he did lose to Samoa Joe at a non-televised live event in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The heart of the matter
After incessant teasing about a possible appearance for weeks, almost everybody expected that he would enter the event as the number 30 entrant. Nonetheless, Roman Reigns entered the rumble at number 30. It was clear at that moment that the former Universal champion had not been cleared to take part.
Balor had sustained his injury during last year’s SummerSlam, where fought for the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins. When Rollins power bombed him into the ringside barrier during the bout, he suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum.
Since then, he has stayed away from the action in a bid to prevent risking further injuries to his shoulder by making a premature return.
What’s next?
It is expected that the Demon King will be back in the ring at the upcoming WrestleMania. Balor had to vacate the Universal championship because of his injury and it is only fair that the WWE gives him his rematch for the title at WrestleMania.
Sportskeeda’s take
As Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar is the currently rumoured matchup for the championship, it is won’t make much sense if Balor is suddenly inserted into the match just so he could have a chance of earning back the title he was never pinned for.
However, post-WrestleMania, it is a very different scenario. With The Beast being speculated to win the Universal championship, it means that on Monday Night Raw the following night, he will be the champion. Thus it would be the perfect opportunity to give Balor his rematch for the title against Lesnar and start off a new feud we’ve never seen before.
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