Finn Balor Would Return Early For WWE Royal Rumble 2017...For One Reason
And it's not a guaranteed win.
While he's currently on the shelf rehabbing like a madman trying to make it back to WWE in time for WrestleMania, Finn Balor is still making media appearances and fielding all manner of questions, including if there's any possibility that he returns to the ring early.
When Balor was injured winning the Universal championship from Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, it was the ultimate derailing of a hype train barreling full steam ahead. No one with the exception of possibly The Shield had debuted so strongly and all signs pointed to Raw becoming The Balor Show. The shoulder injury was a heartbreaker for the Irish star, and he's clearly dying to get back between the ropes, just not before his body is ready,
When asked by ESPN if there's a chance he'll be a surprise entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble, Balor had this to say in response:
"It's not something I want to risk unless I'm 100 percent confident that this [pointing to his injured shoulder] is 100 percent. ...with the condition my shoulder is in, I'm not willing to risk sustaining any more long-term injury, just for the sake of two or three weeks. Since I got hurt, it was six months. The target was to be back for WrestleMania. Everything's on plan, everything's on schedule."
However, Finn did add this caveat that will have his diehard fans grasping to the tiniest sliver of hope:
"If the day of the Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon says, 'You got your gear with you?' Then I'm sure I'll be around."