What’s the story?
Finn Bálor, who had taken a sabbatical owing to a serious shoulder injury at SummerSlam last year, is rumoured to be back by the end of February or early March according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
In case you did not know...
Finn Balor is the longest reigning NXT champion in history. His title run lasted for 292 days before losing out to Samoa Joe at a non-televised live event in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Before joining NXT, Balor was a part of the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) under the alias, Prince Devitt. Balor won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship thrice and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion six times. He is also a two-time NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship winner.
The heart of the matter
Here is the statement released by the WON:
“Regarding Balor and talks of him being in the Rumble, he had an evaluation over the past week and was not cleared. His target return was always said to be late February or more likely early March. But he is expected to be on the WrestleMania show in some form.”
Balor suffered the injury while defending his Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. Finn Balor, who was WWE’s first-ever Universal champion, suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum when Rollins power bombed him into the ringside barrier during the bout.
Eventually, the next day, on Raw, Balor had to relinquish his newly-earned title. His physician, Dr Jeffrey Dugas, revealed that Balor’s condition was “more severe than normal” and he needs more time to recover properly.
The Demon King also stated he won't be risking further injuries to his shoulder by making a premature return. He would prefer being completely healed before he makes his comeback.
What’s next?
While Balor did not return at Royal Rumble, he is definitely expected to return before WrestleMania. Balor is even seen on the first promotional poster of Wrestlemania 33.
If rumours are believed to be true, then Balor will most probably go after the Universal Championship immediately upon his return. The fans might just get to witness a high-intensity match between Kevin Owens and Finn Balor upon the latter’s return.
Sportskeeda’s take
Pro-wrestlers have a reputation of returning from injuries sooner than expected and it would be interesting to see how Balor performs upon his return. We here at Sportskeeda pray, no one rushes anything and that Bálor’s injury gets fully healed before he decides to get back to the ring again.
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