Finn Balor, in an interview with ESPN, spoke about a possible return at the Royal Rumble, among other things.
It goes without saying, that Finn Balor has accomplished a great deal in wrestling – being a champion in multiple promotions for instance. But The Demon King has yet to feature in one of professional wrestling’s most iconic events – the Royal Rumble match.
The Ireland native has had a long and decorated career spanning across NWA, MWF, NJPW before finally landing in the WWE.
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He was the longest reigning NXT champion before eventually being called up to the main roster during the brand split on July 19th, where he was drafted to the WWE’s flagship show – RAW – as the 5th pick overall, 3rd on RAW’s list behind Seth Rollins and Charlotte.
This was an early indication of the faith WWE were finally putting into man formerly known as Prince Devitt.
Balor (real name Fergal Devitt) rose up the ranks quickly, defeating Roman Reigns at a RAW show for the right to challenge Seth Rollins for the newly created ‘Universal Championship’ at Summerslam.
He won, and the WWE universe exploded with excitement, fans believed that the New Era had now truly arrived.
Also read: WWE News: Finn Balor discusses possible reunion with The Club
There was to be no fairytale reign for Balor however, as a legitimate shoulder injury sustained during the match forced him to relinquish the title after a meagre one day as champion. Further bad news was imminent, as the WWE star was told that he would be out for up to four months with the injury, ruling him out for the rest of 2016.
However, with 2016 drawing to its conclusion, and with eyes on the Royal Rumble pay-per-view as Roadblock: End of the Line fades into memory; fans have started to ask questions about the possibility of a surprise entrant into the Rumble match – Finn Balor.
These questions have not gone unheard by the ex-Bullet Club member, with him addressing the idea, amongst other things, in an interview with ESPN. When asked about a possible Rumble return, the Irish superstar stated that:
“I’m sure it would create quite a buzz’ before quickly adding ‘But right now with the condition my shoulder is in, I’m not willing to risk sustaining anymore long-term injury, just for the sake of two or three weeks.”
He then explained that a more realistic target for his return was Wrestlemania 33 in Orlando.
Disappointing as this news must undoubtedly be for the legions of Balor fans, there is some solace that they can take. The Royal Rumble – which this year emanates from San Antonio, Texas, on January 29th – is most certainly the place and time for surprise returns.
Both Edge – in 2010 – and John Cena – in 2008 – have entered and won Rumbles well ahead of their predicted return dates, after having suffered injuries.
Though it seems that Balor has shut the door on a return at the Royal Rumble, fans can still harbour hope that the Demon King may catch some of that Rumble magic and return sooner.
Here’s a video of Finn Balor relinquishing his title earlier this year:
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