Finn Balor missed the Smackville WWE Network event after WWE medical did not clear him to compete. Balor was supposed to face Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental title during the broadcast.
At the start of the show, commentators Tom Philips and David Otunga spoke about why Balor wasn’t there but did not specify what injury or illness kept Balor out of action. Nakamura wanted the match to be awarded to him via forfeit but Ali came out instead and challenged Nakamura for the title. The Japanese Superstar retained the IC title after pinning Ali with the Kinshasa.
Balor is supposed to take on Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown this Tuesday although at this point it’s not clear if he will be allowed to wrestle.
In the other matches on the Smackville show, Kevin Owens defeated Elias, and Kofi Kingston retained the WWE title in a triple threat match when he defeated Samoa Joe and Dolph Ziggler.
