Finn Balor to relinquish WWE Universal Championship
With notes added by Dave Meltzer
Finn Balor’s reign as the first WWE Universal champion is ending before it really got a chance to begin.
After Balor suffered a shoulder injury in his match against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, WWE.com reports that Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon will accept Balor’s forfeiture of the title on Monday’s episode of Raw.
Foley tweeted, “Due to his injury, @StephMcMahon and I jointly accept @FinnBalor relinquishing of the @WWE Universal Championship. #Raw”
Dave Meltzer reported on Monday morning that Balor suffered the injury during the match after being powerbombed into the barricade by Rollins. WWE later confirmed the injury, and revealed that an MRI taken on Monday showed a possible labrum tear in Balor’s shoulder.
WWE’s ringside physician Dr. Chris Robinson noted that the recovery time for the injury could take anywhere from four to six months.
Tonight’s Raw has apparently been rewritten and there will be a series of matches that will lead to the determination of a new champion.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.