WRESTLING star Finn Balor is on his way back to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment and he wants what was cruelly taken from him last September.

 

Balor became the first ever WWE Universal Champion in his first main brand pay-per-view main event at Summerslam 2016.

 

But it was all stripped away just hours later, after the wrestler received a devastating shoulder injury during his title match with Seth Rollins. Scans showed the injury was severe and he was immediately made to vacate the title on the following night’s Monday Night Raw program and spent the next six months recovering, only returning in April this year.

 

Now he’s back and firing, he wants his crown returned.

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar currently wears the Universal Title around his waist, but that does not concern Balor.

 

“Perhaps considering the fact I never actually lost the Universal Title, maybe at some point I’ll be granted a rematch — maybe against Samoa Joe or Brock Lesnar,” Balor told news.com.au

Balor showed incredible courage just to finish the match with Rollins at Summerslam, dislocating his shoulder after being crunched into a ringside barrier.

 

Balor says he knew the injury was bad immediately, but he also knew he had to complete the match.

 

“It was kind of a weird moment,” Balor said. “I kind of just shook my head and thought to myself, ‘You know what, you’re always putting another obstacle in your way.’

 

“Obviously I hit the deck, my shoulder was out of place and it was kind of a make or break moment. Do you call for the doctor, abandon the match, be the guy who is forever remembered as the guy who blew an opportunity at Summerslam? Or with your left hand reach down, grab your right arm, pull it back into place and go and finish the match?

 

“I wasn’t about to sacrifice many years of hard work for a little bit of a scratch on the shoulder.

 

“Obviously it turned out a lot worse than first expected, but the show must go on and I’m glad I did what I did.”

 

The injured shoulder not only cost him his title dream, but Balor missed out on performing at the biggest event on the WWE calendar — WrestleMania.

What made it even more painful was the fact he had been medically cleared to return weeks prior to the showpiece event, but he was still forced to watch from the sidelines. He instead made his official return at the Raw event on the night after WrestleMania.

 

“It was quite an interesting scenario, because the reality was I actually was fit and I was ready and I was back wrestling, there was just no space on the card at WrestleMania,” Balor revealed.

 

“Obviously I had done my part in the rehabilitation, but it was kind of too late situating anything to do with the card. There was literally no space left, no opponents left, that was the reality of it.”

 

Balor and the rest of the Raw roster will head to Australia in September this year for a three-city tour.

 

The wrestling stars will visit Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on their yearly sojourn down under. It’s something Balor says is a personal highlight for him, given the crazy reception the Australian public provides.

 

“I remember last year coming down to Australia, it was three of the best night’s wrestling we had all year,” Balor said.

 

“The crowd down in Australia is always so energetic, some of the best crowds in the world to perform in front of. I’m looking forward to performing down there again.

 

“I’m sure all the boys are excited to come down there too. The Australian crowd always brings so much energy and I think it’s reflected in the boys’ work in the ring. It really does make for a good night.”

 

Balor also took time to discuss why we haven’t seen him as The Demon since his return from injury, whether he wants to reform The Bullet Club (The Club in WWE) and just how to get abs like the WWE star.

 

THE DEMON CHARACTER
“The Demon character is something I draw on occasion. It’s something that requires a lot of focus to tap into and really requires the right situation for me to sort of draw on that darker side of my personality,” Balor said.

“Since I’ve been back on Raw, the opportunity hasn’t really presented itself to tap into that side and I’ve had such a good time being back I haven’t wanted to change.

“I quite like walking out in my sweet new Balor club jacket. popping my collar and being Mr Cool.”

REFORMING THE CLUB IN WWE
“It’s something that comes up every now and again, whether we should reform The Club,” Balor said. “To me it was a moment in time. That moment for me was four years ago. A lot has changed in those four years.

“Myself, Luke, Karl have a lot of history together and AJ (Styles) is on Smackdown, the possibility of perhaps reuniting in the future, sure it’s tasty to a lot of people. I think individually right now we’re all stronger on our own paths.

“Maybe that will change in the future. We may need to reassemble the troops, but for now I think we’re all doing fine.”

 

HOW TO GET KILLER ABS
“It’s a very simple answer, how to get my abs so defined,” Balor said. “I have a very healthy diet of a lot of laughter. If you laugh all the time, you’re consistently flexing your abdominals all the time.

“You can be doing abs all day long. Watch a lot of comedy, listen to funny TV shows and podcasts and have a general positive outlook on life and Bob’s your uncle.”