Historically, wrestlers have entered the Royal Rumble in three ways. They’ve qualified, they’ve simply declared themselves, or they’ve shown up as surprises. This year, it appears Finn Balor won’t have the chance to do any of those things.
Finn Balor Denied Royal Rumble as All 30 Spots Supposedly Filled
The Vision and Je’Von Evans Seem to Round Out Raw’s Royal Rumble Spots
We are less than a week away from the Royal Rumble, but entering Raw, less than half of those spots were announced. Midway through Raw, Adam Pearce confirmed the entire Vision, that being Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Austin Theory, and Logan Paul, were all in the Rumble, but that still only brought the total of confirmed entrants to 11, well shy of the 30 spots total. Now, Pearce could have meant he had filled his share of the 30 spots, as 10 male Raw superstars have been announced to just four for SmackDown. It could make sense that Raw gets 10 spots, SmackDown gets 10 spots, and the remaining 10 are split between NXT and legends/surprises.
One of the themes of the night was Finn Balor and his return to the world title scene. Balor encountered CM Punk backstage, and the champ told him the only way he’d be a champ again was to leave Judgment Day behind. Well, the devil on his shoulder, Liv Morgan, told him not to listen to Punk as the Judgment Day wanted him to be world champ, and Punk was simply manipulating him. Balor needed to think, so he walked away from Morgan. This all happened right after Balor attempted to assert himself back in the world title picture through the Royal Rumble, only to be told there was no room in the match. Pearce apologized for giving away Balor’s spot but said there was nothing he could do about it.
What’s Next for Finn Balor?
It is pretty rare for a wrestler to declare for the Royal Rumble only to be told no, but that seems to be the case for Balor right now. It’s possible Balor gets traded to SmackDown and takes one of their spots or finds his way into the Rumble another way. Or it’s possible he doesn’t and this leads up to a longer term storyline of Balor earning his way back to the top another way. Either way, all eyes will be watching, especially those of the Judgment Day.
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