Finn Balor’s night at SummerSlam didn’t end the way plenty of fans expected, but he’s not holding it against the man who changed his plans.
Balor was originally slated to face Sami Zayn in a singles match on August 2 to determine the next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Nick Aldis had other ideas, first adding Gunther to the bout before also welcoming back Kevin Owens, who went on to win the newly formed four-way and earn the number-one contender’s spot in his first match back in 17 months.
Speaking with NinaDrama during a livestream at Zuffa Boxing 1o, Balor made it clear that he holds no resentment toward how things played out.
Finn Balor Is Happy For Kevin Owens
He explained that Owens is one of his oldest friends in the business, and that after the serious neck injury that kept Owens out for nearly a year and a half, seeing him make it back to the ring was something that made Balor happy purely on a personal level, professional stakes aside.
Kevin Owens, one of my oldest friends in the business, he had a very serious neck injury. He was out for almost a year and a half, so just the fact that he was able to return to the ring made me very happy for him as a person.
Balor also described what it was like standing in the ring when Owens’ music hit, admitting the moment pulled him out of competitor mode entirely and let him experience the crowd’s reaction like any other fan watching at home.
But as a professional… He returned as a surprise at SummerSlam, I was standing in the ring and when I heard the pop that the crowd made when his music hit, it was absolutely incredible.
“It kind of took me out at the moment, where I could become a fan again and just stand there and watch the live audience react to Kevin Owens’ entrance. I was very, very happy to be there.
Some fans had pegged Balor as a potential next challenger for CM Punk’s title before Owens’ return shifted those plans. Still, Balor has made clear in the past that his brief run as Universal Champion back at SummerSlam 2016 already represents having reached the top of the mountain in WWE, regardless of what comes next.
