Finn Balor poses after successful surgery to repair his injured right shoulder. (Photo : Twitter/@finnbalor)
Finn Balor made history at SummerSlam when he became the first ever WWE Universal Champion but he had to relinquish it due to injury. The latest rumors have revealed that the WWE already had plans for Balor's title reigns before his injury occurred.
The Demon King dislocated his shoulder at SummerSlam during his match against Seth Rollins but he was able to put it back into place. However, an MRI revealed that he has to undergo surgery and he had to relinquish the WWE Universal Championship.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), the WWE had the plans for Balor' title reign ready until the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in Boston on October 30. The original plan was Kevin Owens becoming the No. 1 contender and facing Balor at Clash of Champions.
Balor vs. Owens will be the main event of the first Raw-exclusive event after the brand extension and Owens' first crack at a world title. The end of that match was supposed to involve Chris Jericho to set up a Triple Threat Match at Hell in a Cell.
Several wrestling news outlets reported last month that Balor's original first feud on the main roster was against Jericho. However, Vince McMahon decided to scrap that plan and push Irishman to the top at SummerSlam, per Wrestling Inc.
As for Balor's future, he is set to miss four to six months due to torn labrum. He suffered the injury after getting powerbombed in the barricade by Rollins. He already underwent successful surgery at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was a tough blow for the former NXT champion but he told the WWE Universe that he will come back stronger. He will likely be ready for WrestleMania 33 while he can make a surprise return at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
On the other hand, the WWE Universal Championship will be decided in a Fatal 4-Way Match in next week's episode of Raw. Rollins, Owens, Roman Reigns and Big Cass are all vying to become the second WWE Universal Champion.
Rollins and Reigns are the favorites to win the title but with Owens being rumored to be getting a title shot, the WWE could do a swerve. The WWE just recently demoted Reigns to the midcard while there is no top babyface to face Rollins if he becomes the champion.
Check out the video below for Balor's speech before relinquishing the WWE Universal title on Raw.
