Real Reason Why Finn Balor Did Not Return as the Demon King at the Royal Rumble 2023

The Elimination Chamber saw The Judgement Day’s defeat at the hands of Edge and Beth Phoenix. Initially, Edge was the leader of the faction but was later usurped by Finn Balor. The Irish wrestler has been instrumental along with the others in the success of one of WWE’s villainous factions, The Judgement Day. For months, Edge and Finn have been feuding for bragging rights but, did you know that Finn Balor was originally booked to face Edge at the Royal Rumble as the Demon? 

Finn Balor first introduced his Demon gimmick in a match against Seth Rollins in 2016. Interestingly, Finn Balor became the first-ever Universal Champion in his Demon persona after defeating The Visionary, Seth Rollins, at SummerSlam 2016.

Finn Balor’s Demon persona came from his stint with NJPW, when he’d cosplay his favorite comic book characters. The Demon look is inspired by Marvel’s Venom. 

Finn Balor almost made his return at the Royal Rumble as the Demon

According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE had almost booked Finn Balor to make his return as the Demon King at the Royal Rumble. The idea was to pit him against Edge in a Hell in a Cell match. However, the plan never came to fruition due to a conflict with Edge’s filming schedule.

This led to WWE scrapping a gimmick match between Brood Edge and Demon Balor. Fightful Select also noted that people backstage were not of the opinion that Balor would fit The Judgement Day as the Demon King. 

However, with WrestleMania fast approaching, there is still a chance to catch Finn Balor bringing back the Demon gimmick. Although Edge and Beth Phonix defeated Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley at the Elimination Chamber, Edge, and Finn Balor’s rivalry is far from over. 

Finn Balor costs Edge his United States Championship match on Raw

Austin Theory is truly the reigning and defending United States Champion. After successfully defending his United States Championship at the Elimination Chamber, Theory issued an open challenge on Raw. Edge accepted the challenge and the duo went to blows.

During the closing moments, it appeared as though Edge was going to dethrone Theory, but Finn Balor attacked Edge while the official was distracted.

This allowed Austin Theory to retain his championship. Following the match, Balor added insult to injury by hitting Edge with three Coup de Graces. 

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