10 Early WWE Predictions For 2017
9. Finn Bálor Regains His Belt
Finn Bálor’s 2016 has been a tale of peaks and valleys. This year saw him become the longest-reigning NXT Champion before being soundly defeated by Samoa Joe, and he was pushed to the moon upon arriving on the main roster. Drafted fifth overall, Bálor became Universal Champion just one month after debuting on Raw. It felt like vindication for 16 years spent working tirelessly to prove himself as one of the world’s best wrestlers, but it ended as quickly as it began.
Bálor relinquishing the Universal Title just one night after winning it will go down as one of 2016’s most disappointing moments. Injured during his match with Seth Rollins, Bálor had no choice but to hand his newly-won gold back to management, and consign himself to at least six months of grueling recovery.
The early push showed that WWE have huge plans for Bálor on Raw, and there’s little reason to believe he won’t pick up where he left off as soon as he returns. Finn never lost the Universal Title, after all, and with him set to return around WrestleMania time, there’s every chance he’ll make a beeline for the belt as soon as he comes back.
Regardless of whether he wins the Universal Championship back at the first time of asking or not, look for Bálor to regain it in 2017, and embark on the run originally intended for him before injury struck.