It seems like Finn Bálor still couldn’t shake off the setback of his 2016 SummerSlam injury.
For almost a decade, Bálor has been one of WWE’s most steady and dependable stars. From making a huge impact in NXT to becoming a member of The Judgment Day on RAW, he has built a solid fanbase.
At SummerSlam 2016, Bálor defeated Seth Rollins to become the first-ever Universal Champion. It should have been the biggest moment of his WWE run. Instead, it turned into a heartbreak. During the match, he dislocated his shoulder and had to give up the title the very next night. His championship reign lasted just one day.
Since then, Bálor has done almost everything else. He has won the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, multiple Tag Team Titles, etc. He even returned to NXT to become a two-time NXT Champion. The only thing missing is another world title win.
Finn Bálor Reflects on 2016 SummerSlam Injury and Career Legacy
In a recent appearance on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez, Bálor talked about how that 2016 injury still sticks with him. It also came back to mind after watching AJ Styles retire.
Bálor has looked up to Styles forever. So watching him step away made Bálor reflect on his own career and how much time he might have left. He said that no matter what he achieves, people still bring up the “stain” of SummerSlam 2016.
“It got me thinking about how, for the last 10 years, every time I do any kind of media, I get asked, ‘What if you didn’t get hurt and what if you didn’t have to relinquish the title?’. I felt like there’s a stain on my career for the last 10 years that I need to remove, and no matter how hard I try to remove it be it; multiple time Tag Champion, Intercontinental Champion, US Champion, going back to NXT, being a two-time champion in NXT, no matter how hard I try to remove that stain of that injury from that night in SummerSlam in 2016, people just aren’t satisfied unless I win the big one,” Bálor said.
But instead of feeling discouraged, he feels motivated. “I feel like I’ve realized with AJ retiring, that I don’t have much time to remove this stain, that I need to fix it now. I feel like it’s kind of lit a fire under me so to speak, a new drive, a new motivation and a new goal to really stop those questions of ‘What Ifs’ and for me, it’s a question of when, when am I gonna be champion, and the only person that can answer that is me,” Bálor added.
Finn Balor's reaction to AJ Styles Retirement on RAW.
— Adrian Hernandez (@AdrianRadio93) February 27, 2026
Finn Balor on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez is out now. pic.twitter.com/bX3JGJ1Xcs
Read More: Finn Balor Reacts To WWE Fans Who Say He Doesn’t Belong In WrestleMania Main Event
