While you might know him as Prince Devitt, “The Real Rock ‘n’ Rolla” or “The Real Shooter”, one thing’s for sure: Finn Bálor will offer the WWE Universe something they’ve never seen before. Born and raised in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland; Finn is not your average WWE superstar as he brings the wrestling experience of a man who competed in places like Mexico, the UK and Japan. He might not be the “Prince” anymore, but that won’t stop Finn Bálor from claiming his throne in the WWE as the resident Demon King on the Raw brand.
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Sam Roberts and Katie Linendoll talk to Finn Balor on Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, about his TNA Crotch Chop, breaking the ceiling, not going to the main roster, Young Bucks, and more.
– Karl Anderson spoke with Sean Ross Sapp of WrestlingInc promoting Wrestle Kingdom 10 and more. Check out the highlights:
On Finn Balor’s success: “It’s great. Ferg is one of my best buddies in the world. It’s awesome. WWE is WWE. It’s cool, it’s huge, it’s great, I have a lot of friends there. I loved it, I’m glad they made Balor Club. You never know, one day it might be cool to join Balor Club.”
Fresh from retaining his WWE NXT title at Wembley Arena last night, pro wrestler and keen Spurs fan Finn Bálor stopped by at Hotspur Way today (Thursday, December 17).
The 34-year-old Irishman, famed for his athletic in-ring style and signature body paint, chatted with Kyle Walker before being taken on a tour of our world-class training facilities by the England international right-back.
“It’s great to be here and just looking around, on first impressions it’s very similar to what we have in Florida at the WWE Performance Centre,” said Balor, who has been main-eventing WWE NXT’s first-ever UK tour this week.
“It’s so important to invest in the future in any kind of business or sport and obviously this training facility is a perfect example of what Spurs are doing, so I think the future is very bright for the club.
“I personally became a Spurs fan from a young age. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s my brother Colin was a Spurs fan and of course we had a great team then with the likes of Lineker and Gascoigne and the FA Cup victory of 1991. That era was what really sucked me in.”
Of course, Balor has a hectic schedule in the United States, but he confirmed he still keeps a keen eye on our performances from across the Atlantic.
“Neville (WWE wrestler and former NXT Champion) is a big Newcastle fan and of course I got a text from him last week saying ‘get in there son!’ when that last-minute winner went in, so that was heartbreaking,” he added.
“I always follow the results on Twitter and the online apps and I try to catch the games as much as I can. I pay for a package out in the States that gives me all the matches, but it’s rare that we have a Saturday off!”
NXT is WWE’s developmental arm, with a steady stream of grapplers called up to the mainstream WWE roster over recent years including Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens.
Balor won the NXT title, the brand’s top prize, back in July by defeating Owens, who made his WWE main roster debut earlier this year and recently held the prestigious Intercontinental Title.
He successfully defended the belt against Samoa Joe at the NXT TakeOver London event at Wembley Arena on Wednesday evening – and he’s determined to see us enjoy success in that vicinity again soon.
“Spurs have had a lot of great victories at Wembley – last night was a tough night at Wembley Arena and I’m feeling it today, but it’s all good,” he said.
“It’s great to meet Kyle – he’s been here a long time and I’m a big fan. I’m obviously a big Harry Kane supporter and a huge Jan Vertonghen fan as well. He’s rock solid!”
NXT Championship Match: Finn Bálor (c) vs Samoa Joe
Bálor comes out in a Jack the Ripper outfit. Joe and Bálor lock up and go through a long feeling out process, until Bálor kicks Joe in the face. Joe retreats to the outside. Bálor destroys Joe with a running penalty kick. Bálor sends Joe careening into the ring steeps after a running drop kick. Bálor misses the double foot stomp on the steel steps. Joe uranage suplexes Bálor onto the floor. Joe rolls Bálor back into the ring. Joe elbows Bálor in the head before driving Bálor into the corner. Joe hits a punch combo, but Bálor fight out with a few chops. Joe almost KO’s Bálor with a right hand. Joe crushes Bálor with his back elbow falling enzguri combo.
Bálor and Joe trade punches, but Joe nearly takes Bálor head off with a clothesline. Chop combo and jumping knee by Joe for a two count. Bálor gets face washed in the corner. Bálor eyes are glazed over. The referee asks Bálor if he can continue. Joe inverted atomic drops Bálor, then boots Bálor in the head. Joe misses a running senton. Bálor goes to the apron for and kicks Joe in the head. Bálor tries to spring board, but Joe chops him in the air. Joe hits the ropes and dives to the outside, obliterating Bálor in the process.
Joe powerbombs Bálor. Bálor kicks out and Joe transitions into a Boston crab. Joe then transitions into a crossface. Joe then turns that into a rings of Saturn. Joe attempts a short arm clothesline, but Bálor reverses it into a DDT. Bálor chops Joe into in the corner a few times. Joe dodges Bálor’s last attempt. Joe sits up on the top rope, but Bálor kicks him in the head. Joe falls to the outside. Bálor somersaults over the top into Joe. Back in the ring, Bálor hits a double foot stomp off the top to Joe’s back. Bálor almost hits the bloody Sunday, but Joe fights out. Bálor misses the running drop kick and Joe tries the muscle buster. Bálor reverses it into a pin but Joe kicks out.
Bálor Pele kicks Joe in the head. Both competitors struggle to their feet. They exchange punches and elbows. Bálor tries the Pele kick again, but Joe turns it into the coquina clutch. Bálor gets the ropes. Bálor goes out to the apron, but Joe grabs him in the clutch and pulls him back into the ring. Joe tries to sit down in the clutch, but Bálor rolls through and double stomps him. Bálor hits multiple running drop kicks. Bálor goes up for the muscle buster, but Bálor fights out of it. Joe tries to muscle buster Bálor off the top rope but Bálor pushes Joe off the top rope. Bálor hits the coup de grâce for the win!
That rumble you can hear in the not-so-far-away distance, that huge buzz of excitement making it’s way across the country, leaving people trying to tell their friends about something cool that’s happening but leaving them without the words to do so?
Well, that’s WWE NXT, hitting the UK on their first-ever tour over here (full dates and ticket info below), leaving jaws well and truly embedded in the ground. Bringing you the stars of tomorrow, today, WWE’s developmental brand is the place to see the next Triple H; the next Roman Reigns; and the next Paige. How about we let current NXT Champion, Finn Bálor, tell you more about how NXT is the “rock’n’roll wrestling show” and why you either get it, or you never will…
Hey, Finn! You’re essentially the ‘face’ of NXT, being the current NXT Champion – especially all painted-up and in your instantly-recognisable attire. So, how important has NXT been in developing you as a superstar, and how vital is NXT in general for the wrestling world?
“I think NXT has morphed from being developmental into what I consider the most influential brand in all of wrestling, and I think that all of the superstars at NXT have the responsibility to serve everybody in wrestling with the most exciting and ground-breaking product that’s out there right now. I’m very happy to be at the forefront in leading the charge of this wrestling revolution that we’re causing, and I’m very proud to be champion.”
Apart from yourself, of course, who are your top picks from the NXT roster to go onto superstardom in the WWE?
“I think there’s some very obvious ones, like Apollo Crews, but two for me that have really started to stand out in recent times are Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, as a tag team. I think someone who I don’t think gets enough credit is Aiden English, and I think in the future he’s definitely one of the unsung heroes of NXT – and I think he has a very bright future, be it as a tag-team wrestler, as he is currently, or as a singles wrestler in the future.”
So then, to the people heading down to an NXT show, or considering getting down to one, what’s to be expected?
“Well I always like to describe NXT as more of a rock’n’roll wrestling show. It has that kinda underground, indie feel that I was so accustomed to in the independent circuits that I loved so much. So, for me, it’s been a beautiful coming together of working with the WWE but also still having that raw organic feel of being an independent, so that’s the one thing that makes NXT so different than anywhere else. It’s kinda having the hybrid of both very different styles.”
You just said you feel NXT is a “rock’n’roll wrestling show”. Rock and wrestling is a combo that’s been super-strong for years and years. Why do you feel that is?
“I guess the high-tempo, high-energy, adrenaline, buzz, testosterone, but I kind of got it the opposite way. I know a lot of people who like to listen to rock’n’roll music to amp themselves up in the locker room before a match. I’ve been notorious for going and listening to some real ambience like Ulrich Schnauss or The Album Leaf before I go out, because I like to be nice and mellow and chilled-out when I go out there.”
So, which one band would you want to play while you made your entrance to the ring?
“It would really depend on what music I’m gonna come out to, ’cause if I’m gonna come out to my own music, I would love to have a collection of my friends from home [Bray, Republic Of Ireland] that are all local independent artists, like Big September or Columbia Mills, playing my current WWE tune. I’m a huge Miles Kane fan, I could really picture myself walking out to Come Closer or Inhaler. I like The Kooks, too… Or maybe even some Action Bronson with some hip-hop. The most important thing is that you have an emotional connection with the piece of music, it has to change your mind-set – it has to be an ‘on’ switch that lets me know, ‘Okay, it’s business time… Finn is here!’”
A super-important one now… what is your all-time favourite wrestling entrance? What gets the hairs on your neck standing, without fail?
“Stone Cold Steve Austin, when the glass breaks. It just gets you every time, doesn’t matter if it’s a small house show or a big-bang show, just once the glass breaks it gets everyone riled-up, so that’s easy!”
Finally, then, say if someone has stumbled across this page, interested by your cool ring get-up, but aren’t yet fans of wrestling. Why should they get involved, especially with NXT?
“Well, for me, I was always under the impression that for people that get sports entertainment, no explanation is necessary. And for people that don’t get sports entertainment, no explanation will ever do. So, I think that I like to keep an open mind with everything in life, and to close yourself off from something as beautiful as the art that we perform in the ring – and that’s what it is; I consider it art – it’s very close-minded, so I would say open your mind to some full-blown adult-orientated action, violence, sports-entertainment art!”
NXT Champion Finn Bálor, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley and General Manager William Regal talk about NXT’s growth at a Superstar Panel held in Manchester, England.
