Finn Balor becomes 1st Universal Champion at SummerSlam

The distinction of being the WWE's first-ever Universal Champion belongs to "The Demon King" Finn Balor.

The Irish-born high-flyer made history on Sunday night at SummerSlam, defeating Seth Rollins for the vacant Universal Championship in front of a sold out crowd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

By doing so, Balor becomes the first superstar to ever capture a World Championship in his debut match on pay-per-view.

The Universal Championship was created by Monday Night Raw general manager Mick Foley and commissioner Stephanie McMahon to be exclusive for the brand after WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown Live.

When the belt was introduced to the live audience, though, the response was less than flattering, with fans chanting "that red belt sucks" throughout the Rollins-Balor match.

The former Shield member delivered a superplex to Balor off the top rope, transitioning directly into a pedigree which Balor immediately countered. With Rollins on the mat, Balor jumped up and came down with a stomp on his opponent's chest.

He then dropkicked Rollins into the corner twice before heading to the top turnbuckle and drilling his signature Coup de Grace to win the belt.

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