3 WWE Superstars who refused to change a finish mid-match and 3 who agreed
The process of putting together a WWE match is very complicated. Not only do the Superstars involved have to agree on the outcome, but every match has a producer who has to approve the finish before the Superstars go out to the ring.
In most cases, everything runs smoothly and the finish goes according to plan. However, when a WWE Superstar suffers a serious injury or somebody backstage has asked for a change to be made, the in-ring competitors have to quickly come to an agreement on how to finish their match.
On one occasion, WWE’s decision-makers even told the referee to let the Superstars in the ring know that the winner of the match had changed, while one person switched his own finish at a WWE live event because he wanted his opponent to win instead.
In this article, let’s take a look at three WWE Superstars who refused to change a finish during a match, as well as three who agreed.
#6 Seth Rollins refused to defeat Finn Balor (WWE SummerSlam 2016)
Finn Balor became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion when he defeated Seth Rollins for the title at WWE SummerSlam 2016, but the match is best remembered for the Irishman suffering a serious shoulder injury early on in the 19-minute encounter.
Speaking on The Impressionable Hour With Al Foran (56-minute mark), Balor explained that his shoulder popped out three times during the match. As a result, he and Rollins agreed to cut out a sequence at the end that could have made the injury worse, while he even asked his opponent if they should change the finish.
“I said, ‘Just cut all that out, I’m too hurt. To be honest, dude, I’m not going to be able to wrestle tomorrow. I think you should go over as champ.’ He goes, ‘No, stay the course, stay the course.’”
Balor clarified that the injury, which occurred when Rollins threw him against the barricade with a buckle bomb, was nobody’s fault and he even praised his opponent for being professional enough to stick to the original outcome.
“Looking back, him not capitalizing on that opportunity, with me offering, and him being so cool to say, ‘No, dude, be calm, the office will sort it out.’ Because in my mind, I’m thinking I’m hurt, I’m not going to wrestle tomorrow, I don’t want the office to have to figure all this out and explain why Finn’s not here, he’s injured.”
The former WWE NXT Champion said he instructed the referee not to raise his right arm after his victory because it could have done even more damage to his shoulder.
However, he was left with little choice but to risk the injury moments later when a cameraman said WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wanted him to hold the WWE Universal Championship above his head with both hands.
Balor revealed he could hear his shoulder making a “crunch, crunch, crunch” noise as he lifted the title higher and higher above his head.