{"id":230715,"date":"2026-02-28T00:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T00:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/28\/finn-balor-on-his-wwe-universal-title-win-for-me-its-a-great-memory-for-everyone-else-its-a-what-if\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T00:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T00:10:13","slug":"finn-balor-on-his-wwe-universal-title-win-for-me-its-a-great-memory-for-everyone-else-its-a-what-if","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/28\/finn-balor-on-his-wwe-universal-title-win-for-me-its-a-great-memory-for-everyone-else-its-a-what-if\/","title":{"rendered":"Finn Balor on his WWE Universal Title win: &#8220;For me, it&#8217;s a great memory, for everyone else it&#8217;s a &#8216;What if'&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5130835\" data-slug-id=\"2743089\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>2016 WWE was an interesting time. The Shield had been broken up for a bit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/news-wwe-champion-drew-mcintyre-reveals-brock-lesnar-inspired-make-major-personal-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Brock Lesnar<\/a> had captured the WWE Championship a few times, and the promotion was introducing a new top title to the RAW brand. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/aew\/news-forget-aj-styles-44-year-old-star-one-jump-ship-wwe-aew\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Finn Balor<\/a> was selected to lead the new charge, and while his SummerSlam win ended tragically, he considers it a good memory.<\/p>\n<p>WWE kicked off another brand split that year, and with Dean Ambrose taking the WWE Title to SmackDown, the flagship brand needed its own prize. At SummerSlam, Finn Balor faced Seth Rollins to crown the inaugural Universal Champion. Balor had already beaten Roman Reigns, clean, to earn the opportunity, and when he put Rollins down with the Coup de Grace, fans knew that a new era was upon us.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"template__newsletter-inline-banner-form-combo-widget\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p><img id=\"subscribe-img\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\nThanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, Balor would dislocate his shoulder during the match, forcing him to vacate the title the next day. As a guest of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/podcasts\/the-ringer-wrestling-show\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">The Masked Man Show,<\/a><\/em> Balor was asked about that moment, and while he&#8217;s ready to prove he can still get to the top, he doesn&#8217;t look back on that SummerSlam in a negative way. <\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/embed\">\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">                    <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;The Demon&quot; Finn B\u00e1lor makes an awe-inspiring entrance: SummerSlam 2018 (WWE Network Exclusive)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ancDmmkMFlg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube\" data-embed=\"ancDmmkMFlg\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img height=\"370\" width=\"660\" data-img=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/ancDmmkMFlg\/sddefault.jpg\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/ancDmmkMFlg\/sddefault.jpg\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;For me, it&#8217;s a great memory. For everyone else, it&#8217;s this what if. For me, I&#8217;m an Irish kid growing up in a small town in a country that has no wrestling industry. No wrestling promotions, no wrestling schools, no wrestling, nothing, barely wrestling on the TV. So to have one wrestling match, that was my goal.&#8221; [1:43:35-1:43:52]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While that&#8217;s all said and good, Balor knows he has an opportunity to do something big at the Elimination Chamber, and not many more chances after that.<\/p>\n<h2>Finn Balor knows the clock is ticking on his WWE career <\/h2>\n<p>Balor spoke about the recent retirements of John Cena and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/aew\/news-aew-star-reacts-personal-update-aj-styles-confirms-wrestling-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">AJ Styles<\/a>, and how that one-two punch of legendary departures affected his process as of late. At WWE Elimination Chamber in Chicago this weekend, Balor has an opportunity to get revenge on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/news-i-want-next-boys-ghost-cm-punk-s-past-makes-clear-coming-wwe-title\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">CM Punk<\/a> and win his first World Heavyweight Championship. However, if he doesn&#8217;t get it done here, there might not be many more opportunities left. <\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/embed\">\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">                    <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CM Punk: \u201cThe Judgment Day have dragged Finn B\u00e1lor down\u201d: Raw highlights, Feb. 16, 2026\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0P09Vnv2Edc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube\" data-embed=\"0P09Vnv2Edc\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img height=\"370\" width=\"660\" data-img=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/0P09Vnv2Edc\/sddefault.jpg\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/0P09Vnv2Edc\/sddefault.jpg\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Seeing [AJ Styles] retire made me realize the clock&#8217;s ticking for me, too. The reality is that retirement is just around the corner, and I seem to have had this giant stain on my career for the last ten years with this injury that cost me the Universal Championship. I feel like no matter how hard I try to remove that stain by winning Intercontinental Championships, US Championships, multiple time tag team champions, going back to NXT and winning the championship there, there&#8217;s always this question of&#8230; what if?&#8221; [1:40:47-1:41:27]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Finn Balor is in the best shape of his life, it seems, at 44 years of age. Can he truly turn the clock back and return to the top of the mountain, where he was destined to be all along? Or will we continue to wonder what if?<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Greg Bush<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/news-finn-balor-wwe-universal-title-win-for-me-great-memory-everyone-else-what-if\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2016 WWE was an interesting time. The Shield had been broken up for a bit, Brock Lesnar had captured the WWE Championship a few times, and the promotion was introducing a new top title to the RAW brand. Finn Balor was selected to lead the new charge, and while his SummerSlam win ended tragically, he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":230718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-230715","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}