5 WWE Superstars who had to relinquish their championship due to injury

#3 Finn Balor

Balor is the first-ever Universal Champion

If there was ever an example of a gruesome injury putting an abrupt halt to a superstar's push, it has got be Finn Balor following his Universal Championship. The leader of the Balor Club defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 to become the inaugural Universal Champion.

But as fate would have it, Balor suffered a torn labrum during the match which led to him relinquishing the Universal Championship a day after winning it. Balor would be sidelined for the rest of 2016 due to the said injury before returning on the RAW after WrestleMania 33.

Balor's main roster run since returning from injury has been a mixed bag. For the majority of 2017 and 2018, Balor was put in pointless feuds and storylines which did nothing to propel the Irishman's career.

It wasn't until early 2019 that Balor would once again taste championship gold by winning the Intercontinental Championship. One could only imagine what would have been if Balor had not got injured during his match at SummerSlam 2016.