Finn Balor Relinquishes WWE Universal Championship Due to Shoulder Injury

The Demon King's reign lasted less than 24 hours. Raw general manager Mick Foley announced Monday night before Raw that Finn Balor is surrendering the WWE Universal Championship.

Balor defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam on Sunday night to be the first Universal champion. But WWE confirmed Monday he suffered a shoulder injury during the course of the match:

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"He hit the wall during the match, dislocated his shoulder and was able to put it back in himself in a split second," said ringside physician Dr. Chris Robinson. Balor was able to finish the match, but Dr. Robinson noted that an MRI yielded results earlier today showing "a possible labrum tear."

The champion is currently scheduled to receive a surgical consult that will determine the extent of Balor’s injury and what his recovery time will be. If surgery and rehab are required, Robinson said, Balor could be facing a recovery time of "anywhere from four to six months."

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WWE shared a replay on Twitter of Rollins delivering a Powerbomb on Balor that resulted in the injury:

SmackDown Live announcer Mauro Ranallo was disappointed to hear the news:

In 2014, the company declined to strip Daniel Bryan of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship until it had no other recourse. Having Balor vacate the Universal Championship already is almost certainly a sign WWE is confident he's set to miss an extended period of time. 

The timing is obviously terrible for the former NXT champion. The fact he rose so quickly to the main event after his WWE call-up is a testament to how much faith management had in his talent and potential.

WWE, meanwhile, will have to figure out what it is doing with the Universal Championship one night after crowning the first-ever champion.

Whatever WWE now has planned for Raw's top title, it likely won't wait too long to find a new holder for the belt. Raw's next pay-per-view, Clash of Champions, isn't until Sept. 25, and WWE's flagship show can't go another month without having a world champion.