Finn Balor's move to the WWE's main roster turned heads around the world last summer, before a shoulder injury halted his progress less than a month into his run.
Crowned as the first WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam, Balor (whose real name is Fergal Devitt) gave up the belt, the following night.
Almost six months to the day from when he last stepped foot in a WWE ring, Balor returned overnight, at a WWE NXT taping in Florida. NXT is where Balor shone in the WWE before his promotion last summer.
BREAKING: Although not medically cleared, @finnbalor makes a return tonight in Florida @WWENXT!
A post shared by WWE (@wwe) on
The Bray native returned to the ring, in what was advertised only hours before hand, to help Shinsuke Nakamura fight off the NXT Champion Bobby Roode, and Andrade "Cien" Almas.
Balor has yet to reappear on Raw, but his appearance at NXT points towards the 35-year-old featuring at this year's WrestleMania in April. He teased as much at the event, when speaking in the ring after his comeback.
After the event, Balor seemed delighted to finally return to a WWE ring.
Holy Smokes I missed NXT @WWENXT @UCFKnights @ShinsukeN @TripleH #FinnsBack #NotMedicalyCleared 😂 pic.twitter.com/1r390TzfBq
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) February 23, 2017
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