7 Top WWE Superstars who were demoted to kickoff shows

#4 Finn Balor competed on one WWE kickoff show

Finn Balor lost to Shinsuke Nakamura

Finn Balor disappeared from WWE’s main roster and ultimately ended up returning to NXT after losing to “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at WWE SummerSlam 2019.

One month before that event, the Irishman’s underwhelming Intercontinental Championship reign came to an end against Shinsuke Nakamura on the WWE Extreme Rules 2019 kickoff show.

Balor’s reign with the title began three months earlier at WrestleMania 35, where he defeated Bobby Lashley to become a two-time Intercontinental Champion.

Unfortunately, he hardly appeared on WWE television during his second reign as Intercontinental Champion, with his only televised title matches coming against Elias (The Shield’s Final Chapter) and Andrade (WWE Super ShowDown).

Nakamura had participated in three kickoff show matches prior to his victory over Balor, so it was not uncommon to see the Japanese Superstar in matches on the pre-PPV broadcast during this time.

Balor, however, was positioned earlier in the year as one of WWE’s top babyfaces – he even faced Brock Lesnar at the 2019 Royal Rumble – so it was very surprising to see him lose a kickoff show match that was only announced on the day of the show.