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Finn Balor, real name Fergal Devitt, was born on July 25, 1981. Hailing from County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland, Balor is currently signed to the WWE, where he is a former NXT Champion, one-time Universal Champion, and two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Balor began wrestling in the year 2000 at the age of 18, soon winning the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship.
Since then, Balor has not looked back and has worked on almost every major wrestling promotion in the world before joining the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.
During his rise in the wrestling industry, many wrestling experts and fans have viewed him among the best wrestlers in the world, which is a great achievement for the superstar.
Also, check out the 6 Best Matches of “The Demon” Finn Balor
His character and performance in NXT helped the brand reach new heights too which speaks volumes about his popularity.
Since Finn Balor is one of the biggest names in WWE today, we will look at 5 lesser known facts about the former Universal Champion
#5 His iconic entrance
One of the best things about Finn Balor’s overall gimmick is his entrance. His entrance is so good that it leaves the WWE Universe with goosebumps.
Initially, during his days in NXT and later on the main roster, his demon entrance was considered the best and even to this day fans look back at his best entrances as The Demon. Whenever a big event or pay-per-view is held, WWE goes back on calling out The Demon in Finn Balor to entertain the crowds a little bit more.
On regular shows, Balor now sports his cool Balor Club jacket to the ring as he raises his arms in the air with the fans following suit, much like a concertmaster.
The visual of the entire crowd throwing their hands in the air with Balor is great to showcase his popularity.
While this entrance is as good as any other in WWE, it only came into being after Balor unexpectedly did it while painted as The Demon in NXT. The fans caught on so quickly that it became a part of his entrance no matter what, and Triple H decided it should become a fixture in his entrance.
#4 He’s a submission specialist
Yes, you read that right. While you may have rarely ever seen Finn Balor submit his opponents on the WWE Network, he is indeed a submission specialist.
Balor has always had a deep interest in wrestling and has tried his hand at learning different forms of martial arts. This led to him joining the International Budo Federation (IBF) during his time in England.
At the IBF, Balor focused primarily on submissions and striking. He earned a first-degree black belt in submission wrestling while training at the federation.
This shows that not only does Balor know a few killer submission moves, but has perfected them enough to earn himself a black belt in the discipline.
Balor’s professionalism clearly shows as he hasn’t forced submission holds into his current gimmick, and rather believes he’s better off with his striking moves to keep his character unique.
#3 His ring-name is inspired by his father
There are only a handful of wrestlers in WWE who have been allowed to use their real names while fighting in the ring. Most of these superstars became megastars under their real names such as John Cena, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar. Some got to keep their real names because they were extremely popular from the past, such as Ronda Rousey.
In the latest WWE NEWS, Balor’s name prior to entering WWE was Prince Devitt, which he used in New Japan but was not allowed to use in WWE and was forced to come up with something completely different.
After some thinking, Balor came up with his first name Finn which is inspired by his father. Balor’s dad is named Fintan Devitt, and it’s the perfect way to honor a loved one.
The name Balor comes from the name of a demon in Celtic mythology. This inspired him to come up with the Demon persona.
#2 The body paint in WWE was a former WWE superstar’s idea
In the latest WWE NEWS, One of the major factors that made Finn Balor a megastar in WWE is his Demon persona. What set him apart from the rest of the WWE roster is the body paint he uses which makes him turn into something completely different.
While Balor only brings out The Demon within for special events, the body paint became attached to his name during the end of his independent run when he experimented with different comic book characters.
What fans don’t know, and probably won’t believe, is that Enzo Amore talked him into painting himself during a photo shoot. Finn didn’t really believe WWE had any interest in using the painted character when he signed with the company.
When Triple H came across Balor and the photos, he decided that the paint would be needed for special occasions.
While Enzo may be one of the most hated former WWE superstars today, he did give us the gift of The Demon Balor and his bodypaint.
#1 The Prizefighter’s best friend
In WWE every single superstar has at least one good friend to lean on and get support from in their times of need.
Since Finn Balor is a lovable guy, he has managed to form friendships with almost every other superstar who’s crossed his path. Balor is known to have been great friends with former NJPW superstars AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson. Apart from those three men, Balor has been close to Neville, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, and Bayley.
However, it’s the friendship between him and Kevin Owens that seems to be the strongest. Both men had highly successful careers outside of WWE in different promotions before meeting for the first time in NXT. Both men have a large number of mutual friends which surely helped them become closer during their time in the developmental brand.
Owens stated Balor was the only wrestler he told about getting called up for his match with Cena and has referred to Finn as his best friend in multiple interviews. Balor has expressed the same feelings for the Prizefighter on multiple occasions.
