Finn Balor is unlikely to make his television return before WrestleMania 33. Just last week, it was reported that he has been advertised for WWE Live events in March, which had spurred on rumours that he will be making an early return.

However, it now seems that the Demon King will only return at the Show of the Immortals in April.

In case you didn’t know…

Finn Balor sustained a shoulder injury during last year’s SummerSlam. During his WWE Universal Championship match against Seth Rollins, a turnbuckle powerbomb from Rollins resulted in Balor’s shoulder getting dislocated. He did pop his shoulder back into place and even went on to win the match but his joy was shortlived.

The following day, the doctors informed Balor that he had a partial tear in his labrum, which is a piece of rubbery tissue attached to the rim of the shoulder socket. The labrum keeps the ball of the shoulder joint in place. The tear occurred when Balor’s shoulder suffered the impact from the powerbomb into the guardrail.

The initial prognosis was made and it was suggested that it would take four to six months for Balor to return to action. However, during the operation, the doctor found a litany of other issues near Balor’s shoulder, which pushed back his return.

The heart of the matter

Balor has been advertised for Live events in Buffalo, New York on 10 March, Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 11 March and White Plains, New York on 26 March. He has also been advertised for the European tour in May but that is after WrestleMania.

However, it is expected that he won’t have an actual match even at the Show of the Shows. Rumours suggest that the WWE have no plans of rushing him back from his injury and are not taking any risks, much like the case of Seth Rollins, who has reinjured his knee.

What’s next?

All the advertisements and promotion suggest that the WWE wants Balor to return as soon as possible. With just six editions of Monday Night Raw left before WrestleMania 33, Balor could be cutting it really close.

Sportskeeda’s take

As fans of pro wrestling, we are frustrated to see so much uncertainty surround one of our favourite wrestlers. There are so many rumours abound that we do not know what to trust and what not to. Moreover, Balor himself is teasing fans on social media.

WWE should not rush the Demon King back to action. Perhaps, it would be best in everyone’s interests to hold off until the Raw after ‘Mania.