US Champion Finn Balor gets pinned in a crushing defeat before WrestleMania 38
Finn Balor appeared on SmackDown this week for two unsuccessful matches. He was already announced for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and he eliminated Damian Priest before Madcap Moss got the better of him and won the annual match. However, in a bout later in the show, Balor suffered a pinfall loss.
It was in the context of the Pat McAfee-Austin Theory feud on the blue brand. While McAfee was nearly fired by Vince McMahon, it didn't stop Balor from helping the commentator out by attacking Theory before their six-man tag team match.
The match on SmackDown had Finn Balor teaming up with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs to face Austin Theory and The Usos. While the babyfaces came close to winning, Austin Theory ultimately won the match for his team by pinning the US Champion.
Don't throw it all away, @PatMcAfeeShow! @austintheory1
#WrestleMania #SmackDown https://t.co/EIjYl5edqs
Balor was the second champion that Austin Theory had pinned this week. He beat Intercontinental Champion Ricochet on RAW in two minutes, sparking outrage among some fans.
Finn Balor will not be defending the US Title at WrestleMania 38
As of this writing, no match has been announced for Finn Balor at WrestleMania. With a readymade feud with Damian Priest, it makes little sense to omit the US and Intercontinental Championships from the WrestleMania card.
.@FinnBalor is here trying to help out @PatMcAfeeShow.
#WWE #WrestleMania #ManiaWithSK #SmackDown https://t.co/KZEPt0JcsD
Last year, Damian Priest was in a celebrity bout as he teamed up with Bad Bunny in an epic tag team match against The Miz and John Morrison.
It's hard to believe that nearly nine months have passed since Balor's return to the main roster, yet he still doesn't have a match at The Show of Shows. Hopefully, post-WrestleMania will have better opportunities for The Prince.