Why did Finn Balor lose at SummerSlam 2023? 3 reasons why Seth Rollins is still World Heavyweight Champion

Seth Rollins retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2023 after an enthralling match against Finn Balor. The Visionary took advantage of a miscommunication between Balor and Damian Priest to get the win, surviving the dangerous duo yet again. The Prince thus failed to complete his seven-year-long story of retribution, leaving fans split down the middle regarding the result.

Why did the two-time NXT Champion lose at Ford Field after seemingly having the most momentum of his main roster career? Why did The Architect come out on top despite the odds being stacked up against him?

Here are three reasons why Seth Rollins is still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion after SummerSlam 2023.

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#3: Seth Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign is still in its infancy

Seth Rollins has been WWE World Heavyweight Champion for just over 70 days. After almost four years without a world title, The Visionary was handpicked to establish the legacy of the new championship, defeating AJ Styles at Night of Champions. As a result, he is likely to have a lengthy reign as a reward for his consistency and patience in recent years.

A long reign will also do wonders for the legitimacy of the title, similar to Roman Reigns and Gunther's current runs with the Undisputed and Intercontinental titles, respectively. It thus made sense for The Architect to retain at Ford Field in order to protect both him and the title.

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#2: Seth Rollins retained at WWE SummerSlam 2023 to advance The Judgment Day's dissension storyline

WWE has been teasing tension between The Judgment Day's Finn Balor and Damian Priest since the road to Money in the Bank. The duo's contradicting championship aspirations have threatened to tear apart their relationship numerous times, but they have thus far managed to make up.

Their latest misunderstanding at SummerSlam could ramp up the tension between them, continuing the slow burn to a potential split. The Punisher could then cash in at a later date when tensions are at a boiling point, which would be the perfect time to pull the trigger on a split and feud. This may be why Rollins retained the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2023

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#1: WWE might be planning a WarGames match involving Seth Rollins and The Judgment Day

War Games was a smash hit at Survivor Series 2022

Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens have been involved in a running feud with The Judgment Day on the road to WWE SummerSlam 2023. The two sets of heels and babyfaces have headlined RAW for weeks, with the heel team putting The Prizefighter on the shelf.

Rollins retaining the World Heavyweight Title could be a way to extend the feud until Survivor Series and set up a WarGames match. Fans will have to wait and see if this comes to pass in the coming months, given WWE's love for long-term storylines in The Triple H era.

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What did you make of Finn Balor's loss at SummerSlam? Let us know in the comments section below.