Finn Balor has been out since August 22 when he relinquished the WWE Universal Championship due to a legitimate shoulder injury. Many rumors have surfaced regarding his condition and there are speculations that he could be ready for the 2017 Royal Rumble in January.
Balor suffered the shoulder injury at SummerSlam when he botched the landing of Seth Rollins' powerbomb onto the barricade. He continued the match even with a bum shoulder but he had to give up the Universal title because he would need surgery.
The Demon King underwent surgery the same week and he was given a recovery period of four to six months. However, he revealed in an appearance on The Ross Report podcast that doctors found other issues on his injured shoulder which could take him out much longer.
"The original diagnosis was four to six months, but when they found the extra problems in there, they said it was going to be a hard fix now. You know, I can try to shave some extra time off but I'm not going to. If I am ready before six months, I'm going to make sure that when the time comes I am going to be better than ever," Balor said.
However, the 34-year-old superstar is quickly making a recovery since he has started rehabilitation at the WWE Performance Center. The sling in his shoulder has also been removed, prompting several rumors saying that he could be a surprise entrant at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
But according to Cageside Seats, Balor is not scheduled to return anytime soon and a return at the Royal Rumble is not happening. There was hope from the WWE's top officials but they want him to be fully healthy before they allow him to return.
It should be noted that Vince McMahon is very high on The Demon King character as he became the first-ever WWE Universal Championship. There were even plans to make him champion until next year with feuds against Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens along the way.
Nevertheless, Balor and the WWE training staff are doing all they can to make him as healthy as possible. He reportedly underwent stem cell procedure back in September to help make his shoulder even stronger.
Check out the video below to see Balor preparing before his shoulder surgery back in August.