WWE Rumors: Finn Balor To Return At ‘Royal Rumble’ 2017 Match In January?
A recent tweet from Finn Balor may be a clue that the WWE superstar is returning at the Royal Rumble 2017 match in January. There have been months of speculation about the timetable for Balor’s return to the ring with Balor himself indicating he was pushing to be back in time for WrestleMania 33. However, on Friday he tweeted out a cryptic image and message that seems like it could be a clue about him returning in time for the big elimination match in San Antonio, Texas.
There have been plenty of WWE rumors for the Royal Rumble, as reported here at the Inquisitr and other websites. Among those rumors are The Undertaker returning at the big match and winning it on the 10th anniversary of his other Rumble win in San Antonio. The speculation there is that he’d challenge either John Cena or AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight title from the SmackDown roster. There had also been rumors Taker might go up against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, but a few other superstars from the Raw brand seem more appropriate there. Finn Balor could be one of them, and if his recent tweet is any sort of hint, he’ll be part of the Rumble.
As WWE Leaks reported on Friday, Balor sent out a tweet of the date December 30 next to the number 30. The website indicates that “The Demon” has sent out other cryptic tweets in the past which have ended up having some relevance. In this case, it’s being speculated that Balor tweeted out 30 because there are 30 days until the Royal Rumble takes place in San Antonio. Could that mean it’s his official return to the ring and could 30 also be his entry spot in the big match?
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) December 30, 2016
As of right now, Balor is among the favorites to win the Rumble. While Goldberg has been the overall favorite ever since he threw his name into the entries for the match, Balor is not far behind. He has 5 to 1 odds at several online sportsbooks including Paddy Power and BetFair as of this report. However, the WWE Leaks site also speculates that from a storyline standpoint, Balor doesn’t seem to make too much sense as a winner for the 2017 edition of the match. The website notes that it appears that someone from Raw‘s roster will win the Rumble to headline Mania in the Universal Championship match, but not Balor.
As of right now, the top picks seem to be either Chris Jericho or Braun Strowman winning the Rumble from Raw. If Jericho wins, it would put him into the championship picture against Kevin Owens. The other possibility being talked about is Roman Reigns defeating Owens for the championship at the Rumble, and Braun Strowman winning the Rumble match. That would set up Strowman vs. Reigns for WrestleMania 33.
Of course, the third possibility is that Finn Balor enters the Royal Rumble match and wins it. In that instance, it would set up either Balor vs. Owens or Balor vs. Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Keep in mind that Owens won the championship and mocked Balor’s one-day reign, calling himself the longest reigning Universal Champion. So it could make sense that Balor returns to retrieve the belt from Owens, who has been the top heel on Raw ever since Balor’s injury forced him out of action.
WWE seemed to make a pretty big deal out of Balor winning the new Universal Championship at SummerSlam, but the unfortunate injury cut his time as new champion short. While he’s been consistent in saying he was planning to return for WrestleMania, it seems it could be a smokescreen. There have been other superstars who made their big returns at the Royal Rumble including John Cena and Chris Jericho. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to hear Balor’s music hit as the buzzer sounds to bring out entry number 30 at the 2017 edition of the Royal Rumble.
WWE fans, do you think Finn Balor will return to the Royal Rumble in January and win it? Who will he face for the title at WrestleMania 33 if he wins, Kevin Owens or Roman Reigns?
[Featured Image by WWE]
