Finn Balor missed WWE Royal Rumble due to work visa renewal

  • Ian Carey
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WWE U.S. Champion Finn Balor missed this year’s Royal Rumble and over a month of action after having to travel home to Ireland to renew his work visa. 

The 40-year-old was gone from WWE from January 17 through February 21.

“I didn’t want to take any time off. 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,” Balor told BT Sport. “Legally, my visa needed to be renewed and I needed to go home to Ireland and go to the US Embassy to get a new visa.”

“That’s why I wasn’t at the Royal Rumble and that’s why I wasn’t there for a month.”

Balor returned to WWE on the February 21st Raw, teaming with Tommaso Ciampa in a win over The Dirty Dawgs. The following week, he defeated Damian Priest to win the U.S. title.

“It was strictly a legal paperwork issue that had to be rectified,” Balor continued. “It had kind of been pushed and pushed and pushed on through COVID because we couldn’t travel. A window opened up and we said, ‘Look, we are going to have to do it eventually. Let’s just do it now.'” 

“The time off was taken reluctantly in January to take care of that paperwork but thank God it’s all taken care of now for the next ten years.”