10 Huge Stories That Changed Wrestling In 2016
7. Finn Balor's Rise & Fall
If it weren’t for Daniel Bryan’s retirement, Finn Balor’s story would be the most disheartening of 2016. He broke Neville’s record to become the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all-time in the spring, before eventually losing the strap to Samoa Joe at an April house show. Balor’s time in developmental was coming to an end, however, and he was drafted to Raw as the fifth overall pick in the 2016 Draft.
That wasn’t the end of Balor’s good fortune. He pinned Roman Reigns to secure a shot at the brand new Universal Championship on his first night on the main roster, and inexplicably captured the belt at SummerSlam, less than a month after debuting.
In under four weeks, Finn Balor had gone from developmental wrestler to WWE Universal Champion. He was a made man on the main roster, Raw’s new protagonist, and the man around whom the red brand’s main event scene would be built. Just as quickly as Balor had achieved his dream, however, it was all ripped away.
It was announced that Balor had sustained a serious shoulder injury while competing at SummerSlam, and that he faced four to six months on the sidelines. Balor was immediately forced to surrender his championship, and isn’t expected to return until WrestleMania. A crushing blow, particularly in the wake of the biggest win of his career, but one he’ll surely recover from.
Balor’s injury continues to ripple through the Universal Title scene. Without it, there’s every chance Kevin Owens never becomes champion, and Seth Rollins doesn’t turn face to feud with KO. Raw’s main event would look vastly different if the Demon King hadn’t been hurt, but one thing’s for sure: he’ll be greeted like a returning hero whenever he reappears.