Less than 24 hours removed from being crowned the first ever WWE Universal champion, Finn Bálor was forced to relinquish the title at the beginning of Monday Night RAW due to injury.
Amid speculation that he was injured during his match with Seth Rollins, RAW general manager Mick Foley tweeted out confirming rumors that circulated the internet and sending the company’s plans in a tailspin.
Due to his injury, @StephMcMahon and I jointly accept @FinnBalor relinquishing of the @WWE Universal Championship. #Raw
— Mick Foley (@foleyispod) August 22, 2016
Finn came out, sporting a sling supporting his arm and a wide grin on his face. Balor thanked the fans for the support they have given him, allowing him the opportunity to achieve his dream and win the Universal title. He then revealed that despite the great feeling of winning the title is only marred by having to relinquish the belt. It was revealed that he injured his shoulder during his Universal title match during WWE SummerSlam. The Demon King went on inform the audience that he dislocated his shoulder when he was powerbombed into the barricade by Seth Rollins. He managed to recover from the move and popped his shoulder back in before continuing with the match.
Finn Bálor Injury Cost Him Title
Despite being able to finish the match with the injury, doctors revealed that he labrum is torn and that he will be out of action for six months. Bálor promised the WWE Universe that he will return and win back what he earned at SummerSlam. Foley reluctantly walked over to Bálor and lifted the title off the champion’s shoulder. He later intimated through Twitter that it was quite difficult for him to take the belt from the Demon King.
Taking the @WWE Universal Championship from @FinnBalor was heartbreaking. I can only hope the Demon King returns better than ever.
— Mick Foley (@foleyispod) August 23, 2016
However, he still had a decision to make and the RAW general manager announced a tournament, culminating next week, to determine the new WWE Universal champion. As of this writing, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Big Cass, Enzo Amore, Neville, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Rusev and Roman Reigns have been entered into this championship tournament. The WWE clearly had to rethink their plans for the future of the flagship brand and we will not know who will replace Bálor as champion until the finals next week.
