The WWE seriously needs to be commended on all the incredible talent they’ve continuously been signing to their developmental territory (NXT). They have signed some of the biggest names in the realm of professional wrestling including Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, KENTA (currently known as Hideo Itami), and most recently Kevin Steen (currently known as Kevin Owens). Since it first began, NXT has consistently delivered nonstop action packed programming and has quickly become the best reason to pay the (say it with me now) $9.99 per month to watch it weekly on the WWE Network.
This past July the WWE announced that they had officially signed the international superstar Fergal Devitt to NXT. Prior to his signing with the WWE, the man formerly known to audiences around the world as “Prince Devitt” was considered one of the hottest free agents in the entire industry of professional wrestling. The news of his signing to NXT sent shockwaves throughout the IWC (or Internet Wrestling Community). As was the case with all of his contemporaries, Fergal Devitt was forced to change his name before making his official debut for the WWE. For this reason, Devitt chose to honor his heritage by taking on the names of two enduring Irish myths — the warrior Finn McCool and Balor, the king of the Fomorians who could cause wanton destruction simply by opening his fearsome eye.
On the November 6th episode of NXT, Finn Bálor finally made his debut on NXT by coming to the aid of his good friend Hideo Itami in his battle against The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor). Since making his first appearance on NXT, the WWE Universe has been buzzing about the international sensation and understandably so. Make no mistake about it, Finn Bálor is the future of NXT and is definitely poised to be a massive star in the WWE for many years to come. Whether you’ve heard of Finn Bálor previously or not there are a few things you definitely need to know about the WWE’s next breakout star.
First and foremost, Finn Bálor made his professional wrestling debut at the age of 18 in NWA UK Hammerlock during the summer of 2000. He won the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship shortly thereafter and immediately began touring all across Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In 2002, after only two years in the business, Bálor opened his own wrestling promotion (aptly named NWA Ireland) with fellow NWA UK Hammerlock graduate, Paul Tracey. His decision to open the company is a testament not only to his passion and love for the business but also his willingness to support and facilitate the industry’s continued growth in his native Ireland. As part of NWA Ireland, Bálor also helped train a number of wrestlers including Rebecca Knox (who currently performs in NXT under the name Becky Lynch).
Finn Bálor eventually attracted enough attention from his superior work that he was welcomed to train at the prestigious New Japan Inoki Dojo located in California. After impressing numerous promoters and trainers he was then extended the invitation to train at New Japan’s main dojo (located in Japan) where he began training in the Japanese style of professional wrestling in early 2006. Finn Bálor would spend the next eight years in Japan where he would rise to his greatest prominence to date performing under the name “Prince Devitt”.
During this period of time Bálor would win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship three times, numerous IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, and even win New Japan’s Best Of The Super Juniors Tournament – the same tournament won by a slew of future superstars including: Eddie Guerrero, Jushin Liger, and Chris Benoit -twice, in 2010 and 2013. It should also be noted that Finn Bálor actually went undefeated in the 2013 edition of New Japan’s Best Of The Super Juniors Tournament.
In 2013 Bálor formed the infamous faction known as “The Bullet Club”. The rebellious group of gaijin (Japanese term meaning foreigner or outsider) featured Finn Bálor as the top heel and also included “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows (formerly known as Luke Gallows), Tama Tonga (son of Haku and brother of Camacho), The Young Bucks, and Bad Luck Fale (the one exception to the gaijin theme). This group quickly rose to prominence in Japan becoming one of the most popular stables in professional wrestling history. In many ways The Bullet Club is reminiscent of the early incarnation of the nWo (New World Order) and huge impact they made in WCW (World Championship Wrestling) during the Attitude Era.
It was during this tenure in New Japan that Finn Bálor successfully reigned as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for a remarkable and unprecedented 14 months. A common complaint amongst fans of the WWE and their current product is the state of their championships. Many fans feel the championships simply don’t mean what they used to. This is not the case in New Japan; the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is one of the most valued and respected titles in the promotion and is actually viewed as a stepping-stone to their top title (the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship). For any professional wrestler to hold this championship for that length of time shows that New Japan clearly has faith in them and obviously feels that they best represent the company as a whole. Possibly even more impressive than his 14-month reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is that it was actually Finn Bálor’s third reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion (the first reign lasted 11 months and the second reign lasted eight months).
With NXT TakeOver: R Evolution behind us, the entire WWE Universe has finally gotten a small taste of the kind of elaborate entrances and pageantry that Finn Bálor has become internationally known and loved for. We urge any of our readers previously unfamiliar with these entrances to go on YouTube and check out a few of them (especially if you enjoy comic books). Bálor has been known to make surprise entrances dressed as a variety of famous heroes and villains including The Punisher, Carnage, Venom, Bane, and The Joker (just to name a few of them). These extravagant entrances only serve to further convey Bálor’s natural and innate charisma. They will definitely become one of the more exciting aspects to witnessing a Finn Bálor entrance and will consistently have the WWE Universe and wrestling fans alike eagerly waiting and anticipating what could potentially be in store for them at each individual appearance. Bálor will surely be able to utilize and capitalize on these methods to further connect with NXT and the WWE’s audience similar to how former talent like Rey Mysterio Jr. have done in the past through the use of colorful masks and fancy costumes. We all know how WWE loves to amp up entrances at WrestleMania. Just how epic will a Finn Bálor WrestleMania entrance be?
Another thing that really helps to diversify and truly make Finn Bálor standout amongst his peers is that he’s proven himself in various promotions as both a heel and a face. At first glance Bálor naturally comes across as a face; he has that standard clean-cut good guy look that’s easy to love. Fans immediately feel that they can trust him and support him. Moreover, fans of NXT have only seen him in this light. With that being said, Finn Bálor can just as easily become the most despicable personality NXT and the WWE Universe has ever seen. While serving as the leader of The Bullet Club, he quickly became New Japan’s top heel. He was willing to break all the rules and didn’t care who he hurt in the process. Finn Bálor’s ability to transition seamlessly between these two roles is something the WWE desperately needs and will allow Bálor to easily pave his way to stardom in NXT and eventually in the WWE. Too often, wrestlers can only seem to master one side of the fence, unable to embrace their dark side or get popular enough with the fans to became a face.
Most importantly, if you look at the current roster the man currently known as Finn Bálor is a perfect fit. Whether he is placed in the role of a heel or a face the roster has a place for him. He’s the perfect individual to have embroiled in a feud with anyone. Bálor’s proven himself fighting giants who have a more brawling style (as seen in his feud with The Ascension) and is naturally accustomed to fighting smaller opponents with a faster paced style. Not to steal Lex Luger’s nickname here, but Finn Bálor really is “The Total Package”. At only 33 years old, he has an incredible 15 years experience wrestling professionally all over the world. He’s learned various styles from his international experience and combined them into a move set that can satisfy any audience. That's experience you can't buy and that's a rare commodity with so many of WWE's superstars having only been taught the so-called "WWE style." Past stars like Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero wrestled all around the world before getting a shot in the WWE. He has all the physical attributes, skills, and charisma needed to excel in NXT and the WWE. Finn Bálor has a lot going for him that others don't. He is the future.