"I wasn’t injured" - Finn Balor details his reason for missing The 2022 Royal Rumble
Why wasn't Finn Balor on WWE programming earlier this year?
The WWE United States Champion recently sat down with WWE on BT Sport to discuss a variety of subjects. When asked about his absence from the 2022 Royal Rumble this year, Balor revealed it had to do with renewing his work visa.
"I haven’t spoken about this, but I didn’t want to take any time off," Finn Balor said. "I didn’t want to miss any shows. I didn’t need any time off. I wasn’t injured. I didn’t need a rest. Legally, my visa needed to be renewed. I needed to go home to Ireland and go to the US Embassy and get my visa. And that’s why I wasn’t at the Royal Rumble, and that’s why I wasn’t there for a month. And everyone’s asking questions, Finn’s not here, Finn’s not there."
A BT Sport exclusive...
"I didn't want to take any time off. I wasn't injured..."
So why did @FinnBalor miss January and the Royal Rumble? 👀 https://t.co/P72OJvB8Oi
Finn Balor had to get his work visa renewed this year
Balor explained that it was something that was put off for a while due to COVID, and they finally got the opportunity to get it taken care of, so they did it.
"It was strictly a legal paperwork issue that had to be rectified and it had kind of been pushed and pushed and pushed through COVID because we couldn’t travel and it was kind of like a window opening and we said look, I know I have to do it eventually. Let’s just do it now, and that’s what happened," Finn Balor continued. "So the time off was taken reluctantly in January to take care of that paperwork. But thank god it’s all taken care of for the next ten years."
In the end, it all worked out for Balor, who returned to WWE RAW in February and quickly captured the United States Championship. It has yet to be revealed who Balor will be defending the title against at WrestleMania 38, but it will most likely be a rematch with former champion Damian Priest.
We have a NEW #USChampion!!!!!!!!!!
@FinnBalor has done it on #WWERaw! https://t.co/ofUgGO3AiE
What do you make of Balor's comments? Are you surprised to hear why he was off WWE programming? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
Thanks to WrestleZone for the transcription of this interview.