10 Most Disappointing WWE Moments Of 2016
4. Finn Balor's Injury
Finn Balor has had a year of euphoric highs and crushing lows. Early in the year, Balor broke Neville’s record to become the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all-time, but Samoa Joe eventually took his title away at a house show, and hammered his dominance home by retaining at TakeOver: The End.
Balor signed-off with a tremendous match against Shinsuke Nakamura, and was called-up to the main roster with Raw’s third pick in the 2016 Draft. It was a staggeringly high selection for a guy making his main roster debut, but an emphatic vote of confidence from the WWE hierarchy. Balor’s high pick made it clear that the company had huge plans for him on Raw, and so it transpired.
The 16-year veteran became WWE Universal Champion by defeating Seth Rollins within a month of being called-up, but just as soon as Balor had made his dream a reality, it was all snatched away from him. The Irishman suffered a nasty shoulder injury in the Rollins match, and was forced to vacate the very next night.
A crushing moment not only for Mr. Balor, but for anyone who’d followed his career to that point. The Demon King is said to be targeting a WrestleMania return, and he’ll almost certainly resume his monster push whenever he gets back, but the injury couldn’t have come at a crueller time.