Finn Balor had to wait two years to get his Universal Championship rematch. And apparently, that was his last whiff of the big red belt.
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During an episode of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez discussed what he’s heard about how WWE views Balor.
“Dave on Observer Radio noted that Vince doesn’t think he’s over enough for a singles match against Brock at Royal Rumble which by the way he didn’t get. So they like Finn Balor, he’s great but I don’t think there’s much of a chance of Finn Balor becoming Universal Champion anytime soon,” he said.
After becoming the inaugural Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016, Balor had to hand over the title the next night on Raw due to injury. After surgery cost him nearly a year, Balor was stationed in WWE’s mid-card. There were rumors of him getting a crack at Brock Lesnar in 2017 but reports soon followed indicating that Vince McMahon simply doesn’t see Balor as a main event attraction.
The Observer’s report underlines this sentiment, and now that Balor finally did get his rematch this week on Raw, he now has no claim to the Universal Championship.
While he and Roman Reign’s match was exceptional on Raw, there was never a circumstance where Balor would pin Reigns 24 hours after the biggest win in The Big Dog’s career.
While this may seem like damning evidence, Balor still is one of the more popular WWE Superstars on the roster. Now that his Demon gimmick has resurfaced, Balor has another avenue to advance his character. So yes, it does seem likely that Balor days of contending for the Universal Championship are done, but that can be said for 90% of WWE’s roster. Instead, Balor could settle in nicely in the Intercontinental Championship scene later this year.
[H/T Ringside News]
