Add as a preferred source on Google Finn Bálor has once again opened up about one of the most important moments of his WWE career — winning the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2016 against Seth Rollins.
In a recent interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Bálor revealed that during the match, he actually asked Rollins if he wanted to switch the finish, after realizing how serious his shoulder injury was.
“I must give Seth credit, because there was a point, we were outside the ring and I was rolling him back into the ring, and I said, ‘Dude, I’m hurt. I don’t think I’m gonna be wrestling for a while. Do you want to switch to finish?’ And he said, ‘No, stick to the plan.’ I just rolled him back in, and we stuck to the plan. I often wonder what that would have done for my career if we had switched the finish.”
The match took place on August 21, 2016, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and crowned the first Universal Champion in WWE history. Bálor made it to the match after defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of the July 25 episode of Raw, earning the right to face Rollins at SummerSlam.
In the end, Bálor beat Rollins and made history. However, the title win also marked the start of one of the biggest frustrations of his career, as he was forced to vacate the title the following night because of the injury.
Bálor also revealed that he has never rewatched the match. The Irishman said he even avoids watching clips of the moment he got injured, because he doesn’t like reliving it.