Ireland has a storied history in the business of pro wrestling. Although few have been quite successful in the American sports entertainment landscape, many athletes for the last 100 years or so have been bred straight from the land o' the green and orange.

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Throughout the rough history of the last century on the third-largest European island, Ireland has established itself as a nation of brute, tough, and thick-skinned fighters. To identify "The Fightin' Irish" in the wrestling ring, do not just look for a red-haired lad. Instead, look for a fighter with a smile on their face and a love for fighting.

Updated on September 14, 2021, by Shawn S. Lealos: There have not been that many Irish professional wrestlers who have made their name in the big leagues. However, those who have really made a difference in the industry. In 2021 alone, three of the biggest Irish names in WWE have proved week in and week out why they are the best. Sheamus is putting on fantastic matches every time he steps in the ring, Finn Balor has brought back the demon and is chasing Roman Reigns, and Becky Lynch returned from maternity leave to prove she hasn't lost a step since stepping away from WWE in 2020.

8 Jordan Devlin

Jordan Devlin in NXT UK.

Jordan Devlin is one of the young fighters as part of the NXT UK brand of WWE. A bright talent with nothing but potential, Devlin is currently in the position to help spark a professional wrestling boom out of the United Kingdom.

Jordan Devlin is from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. He is only 30-years-old and has already emerged as a superstar in the UK by holding the NXT Cruiserweight Championship for 130 days from January to June 2020. As the young Irishman has plenty of oxygen left in the tank, he is definitely the wrestler with the most potential on this list.

Devlin made his return to NXT in 2021 and finally had the one-on-one with the interim Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, where he finally lost the title. WWE lists Devlin's very impressive reign at 438 total days for the Irish professional wrestler.

7 Killian Dain

Killian Dain in ICW.

This powerful wrestler is from Belfast, North Ireland. Killian Dain, also known as Big Dano or Damion O'Connor, might be the most intimidating-looking Irishman in pro wrestling. Not only is he billed at 6'4" in height and 322 lbs., but he is also sporting a giant beard that doesn't seem like it's going anywhere.

Killian is currently on the NXT brand of WWE, but he had a one-year stint on SmackDown. What makes Dain a special isn't entirely what he has done in the ring. He has been a great proponent of professional wrestling being a uniting sport despite the recently rough history of his native Northern Ireland. Killian Dain could be a part of a special movement in the future of Northern Ireland's culture.

WWE finally released Irishman Killian Dain from his contract in June 2021 when they made massive layoffs, cutting countless wrestlers from their contracts. When released, Dain was in a running storyline with Drake Maverick as his tag team partner.

6 Finlay

Fit Finlay in WWE.

His name is Finlay, and he loves to fight. A classic, old-school-style wrestler from Northern Ireland, Finlay never shocked people with athleticism, size, or strength. Finlay was just more aggressive than anyone he faced and was the epitome of a blue-collar wrestler.

RELATED: WWE: 5 Best European Champions Ever (& 5 Worst)Finlay is now a producer for WWE. He is definitely a guy that isn't spectacular at one specific thing, but is passionate and succeeds at everything he does in the professional wrestling business. His best moments were with Hornswoggle. Finlay needed Hornswoggle just as much as Hornswoggle needed Finlay.

After his retirement, Finlay has worked behind the scenes as a backstage producer. He was very successful in this role. Even after WWE cut him during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company brought him back at the end of 2020 to return to his role.

5 Velvet McIntyre

Velvet McIntyre in WWE.

Not only was Velvet McIntyre one of the first diva superstars in WWE history, but she was also one of the first WWE superstars in general. In the early 80s, McIntyre grasped how to feud with the top competitors and, more importantly, how to defeat the top competitors.

McIntyre hails from Dublin and was trained by Sandy Barr, a legendary promoter and trainer who worked with legends like Harley Race and Andre the Giant. She wrestled in the same era as some of the diva greats such as The Fabulous Moolah, Sensational Sherri, and Victoria. Velvet defeated The Fabulous Moolah to win the WWF Women's Championship in 1986 and also held two reigns with the original WWF Women's Tag Team Championship.

4 Finn Balor

Finn Balor in WWE.

Born in Bray, Finn Balor has made his presence in WWE known since 2016, when he defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 to become the first-ever WWE Universal Champion. Unfortunately, he only held the title for one day before he had to vacate it because of a shoulder injury.

Since his fall from the main event, he has held the Intercontinental Championship twice. He is most praised for the charismatic presence that he has brought to wrestling. He has introduced a notable alter-ego to the business known as "Demon King". Currently, Balor went to the NXT brand after leaving RAW in 2019. The young Irishman is still fresh and has an entertaining and successful future.

Finn Balor has since returned to the main roster after winning the NXT title from Adam Cole and then losing it to Karion Kross. Since his return, WWE has positioned Balor as a top star once again, pitting him against Roman Reigns as Balor tries to regain the Universal Championship he never lost.

3 Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch in WWE.

Becky Lynch has become the face of women's professional wrestling. At one point in 2019, she held both the Raw and SmackDown Women's titles, cementing her superstar status already at the age of 32. Born in Dublin, Lynch has wrestled since 2002 and eventually became a historic superstar.

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At WrestleMania 35, she made history for being involved in the first-ever women's main event at 'Mania, alongside Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey. She later defeated Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36 and held the RAW Women's Championship for over a year. Even though she recently relinquished her title due to being pregnant, Becky Lynch likely has much more left in the tank for more historic runs. Not only is Becky Lynch historic to Irish wrestling, but to women's wrestling as well.

In 2021, Becky Lynch made her surprise return at SummerSlam when Sasha Banks had to pull out of her match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship. Lynch immediately turned heel for the first time in years and won the title after sucker-punching champion Bianca Belair. As a fresh heel, Lynch continues to build her name as one of the top Irish-born wrestlers in WWE history.

2 Sheamus

Sheamus as WWE Champion.

The Celtic Conqueror, The Celtic Warrior, The Great White. Whatever people want to call him, Sheamus has done very well for himself in his decade-long WWE career. Hailing from Clonsilla, Dublin, he has held the WWE Championship three times along with one World Heavyweight Championship.

Sheamus is best known for dominating his opponents with the Brogue Kick. Arguably, his best Brogue Kick came on The Grandest Stage of Them All. At WrestleMania 28, Sheamus challenged Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship. In a short 18 seconds, Sheamus delivered a Brogue Kick to Bryan, winning himself his first and only World Heavyweight Championship.

Sheamus has continued to prove that he is one of the biggest and best Irish-born wrestlers in the business. With a position on WWE Monday Night Raw, Sheamus has turned in great matches with a plethora of wrestlers, from his old friend Drew McIntyre to high flyers like Humberto Carrillo to bruisers like Damien Priest. With another U.S. title reign under his belt, Sheamus remains one of the top Irish stars in professional wrestling.

1 Danno O'Mahoney

Danno O'Mahoney in a promo photo.

Our oldest lad on this list might be the most talented as well. Danno O'Mahoney was born in 1912 on a farm in Dreenlomane, Ballydehob, County Cork. While he was being baptized, the priest was blown away at the strength of the newborn, saying that Danno was the strongest child he had ever seen.

Danno started to train in wrestling and boxing in the Irish army. After a wrestling promoter discovered the young man in army training, he began his historic professional wrestling career. O'Mahoney would go on to become the undisputed wrestling champion of the world at the age of 22. But the most historic part of Danno O'Mahoney isn't an accolade, rather originating the most used wrestling move today, the Irish Whip.