Former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor was recently a guest on WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast The Ross Report to discuss the injury that has shelved him for the time being, and his grueling rehabilitation process. You can check out some highlights here:
On his injury being worst than expected:
“Obviously, we get a lot of scans beforehand, which it showed a pretty good labrum tear, but I guess, when they went in with the scope, they found, I guess, a labrum tear that was, like, 180 degrees, which was, like, twice as big as they expected. Plus, there were some bicep issues, some pectoral issues. There were actually some bones broken in there, so they were kind enough to give me the bones in a jar, which I have on my mantle right now. It’s a nice little decoration.”
On the earliest he can return:
“I guess the original diagnosis was four to six months, but, I guess, when they found out the extra problems in there, they said it’s going to be a hard six. Now, I could try and shave some time off that, but I’m not going to. If I’m ready before six months, I’m going to make sure, when the time comes around and six months is there, I’m going to be better than ever.”
On how WWE handled the injury:
“Oh my God, the way the WWE treated this situation has just blown me away. Obviously, I only found out on Monday before RAW, at 5 pm, that I was going to need surgery. And then, by, I think, 9 pm, they had it all set up that I was getting operated [on] the next afternoon, so I had to check out of the hotel at 3 am. We had a 5 am flight to Birmingham, Alabama. We’re in the hospital by, I want to say, 9 am, getting prepped for the surgery. So my hat’s off to WWE. They couldn’t have done a better job making sure, like, not only was I getting the best treatment, but obviously the most prompt as well.”
On his rehabilitation process:
“I’ll be doing two sessions of rehab at the Performance Center. You know we’ve got an incredible medical team down at the Performance Center in Orlando, so I’ll be in with those in the morning, I’ll rest for lunch, [and] come back in in the afternoon. That’s the plan for the next four weeks, I think. And then, we’re going to reassess. I’ll probably head back out to Birmingham to do some stuff out there with their Champion Rehabilitation. That’s what they told me.”
(All transcribed quotes courtesy of Wrestling Inc.)
