5 Injuries that Changed WWE Since the Brand Split
By Rob Furness
WWE.com
1. Finn Balor
Since the brand split, no other injury has changed the landscape more suddenly than Finn Balor. The former NXT champion was drafted No. 5 over by Raw General Manager Mick Foley. The pick, shocked the WWE Universe, and was almost certainly a sign of big things to come for the Demon King.
And sure enough, it was. Balor was immediately booked to compete in a series of matches to determine the No. 1 contender for the newly minted WWE Universal Championship. His first match of the night, Balor was able to stand tall above 3 other competitors in a Fatal 4-Way match. In the main event, that same night Balor and Roman Reigns battled it out. His win over Reigns was shocking and sent a clear message to the WWE, Finn Balor is the real deal.
At SummerSlam Balor met the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Seth Rollins to determine would be the first-ever WWE Universal Championship. After an epic and brutal confrontation, Balor was able to land the Coup de Grace on Rollins for the win. But the win didn’t come without its hardships.
The following night on Raw, Balor was forced to vacate the title. Early on in the title match, Balor had separated his shoulder during a running powerbomb. The injury would require surgery and an extended leave from in-ring action. The announcement sent shockwaves through the WWE. The Demon King had ascended to the very top of the WWE before crashing down the very next night.
Kevin Owens won the vacated Universal Title in a Fatal 4-Way a week later. The match created more questions than answers. Triple H showed up to help Kevin Owens win, without any explanation. Two have barely spoke since. This lack of continuity showed the utter confusion that can occur when a main-event story is unexpectedly disrupted due to injury.
Since his return, Finn Balor has not found quit the same success. Though he is continually booked against other top competitors, he still has yet to get a second shot at showing WWE what he is capable as champion.
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Was anyone off the list? What injury do you think had the biggest impact on WWE? Let us know in the comments below!