WWE’s first universal champion, Finn Bálor joined the promotion in 2014 after started having wrestled in small companies in the British Isles and several years in Japanese wrestling, having shone in NXT before ascending to the main roster .
Born on July 25, 1981 in the town of Bray, about 20 kilometers south of the Irish capital Dublin, Fergal Devitt played football – he is a Tottenham fan – and Gaelic football before deciding to become a professional wrestler , looking to follow in the footsteps of idols The British Bulldogs, Shawn Michaels , Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Koko B. Ware and Savio Vega.
After training and emerging in the NWA UK Hammerlock, he participated in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) events and had an eight-year contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he wrestled under the ring name Prince Devitt and led the Bullet Club. original. In 2014, he signed with WWE, where he used the ring name Finn Bálor, in allusion to two figures from Irish mythology: the hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill and the demon king Balor.
After a first reign as NXT champion between July 2015 and April 2016, he ascended to the main roster and became the first universal champion in history at SummerSlam 2016 , although he relinquished the title the following night due to a knee injury. shoulder. After returning to the ring, he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the NXT Championship once more. That’s why it’s worth checking out our list of the ten best Finn Bálor matches in WWE, in chronological order.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn (August 22, 2015)
Ladder match for the NXT Championship:
Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens
At NXT TakeOver: Rival in February 2015, Kevin Owens beat Sami Zayn to become NXT Champion, while Finn Bálor won a tournament to become the main contender by defeating Adrian Neville in the finals . On the March 25 episode of NXT , Owens retained the title against Bálor, taking advantage of a leg injury to the Irishman. However, Bálor gained another title shot at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable in May by beating Tyler Breeze .
At The Beast in the East event on July 4, Bálor introduced himself as “The Demon” and defeated Kevin Owens to become NXT Champion. However, it was announced during San Diego Comic-Con on July 9 that Bálor would defend the NXT Championship against Kevin Owens at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn . On the August 5 episode of NXT , Owens asked for the match between the two to be a ladder match , fearing that NXT General Manager William Regal would cost him the title in a similar situation to the Montreal Screwjob.
Monday Night Raw (May 1, 2017)
#1 Contender – WWE Intercontinental Championship :
The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
The day after he beat Samoa Joe at Payback 2017 , Seth Rollins said on Raw that he had turned his attention to universal champion Brock Lesnar , but was interrupted by Finn Bálor, who recalled being the inaugural champion and never losing the title, for what should be the next fighter to face Lesnar. However, Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose appeared and criticized Lesnar for not appearing or defending the title often, noting that his Intercontinental Championship was Raw ‘s main title. However, The Miz appeared and said that he should face Ambrose for the title . That said, a match was scheduled between Rollins , Bálor and Miz to determine the new main candidate for the Intercontinental Championship.
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2017
Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles
A kind of dream match , which didn’t even have a big story behind it. And in this case there was no special stipulation. Basically, Finn Bálor was involved in a feud with Bray Wyatt and both had a match scheduled for TLC . However, Bray Wyatt was injured and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle contacted SmackDown counterpart Daniel Bryan so that AJ Styles could replace Wyatt and face Bálor at the pay-per-view.
Monday Night Raw (April 2, 2018)
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
After failing to win the Elimination Chamber match to determine the main contender for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34 during Elimination Chamber 2018 , Intercontinental Champion The Miz demanded to defend the title in the biggest event of the year . Seth Rollins showed up and beat The Miz , just like Finn Bálor was to do.
The following week, both Rollins and Bálor faced The Miz , which led to a handicap match between the duo consisting of Rollins and Bálor and the trio The Miz and Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel), which ended with Rollins making the settlement. in The Miz.
That said , Raw General Manager Kurt Angle selected The Miz to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 34. For the last episode of Monday Night Raw before the biggest event of the year , on April 2, a duel was scheduled between Rollins and Bálor, with The Miz at the commentator’s table.
Monday Night Raw (April 30, 2018)
WWE Intercontinental Championship :
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
At WrestleMania 34, Seth Rollins defeated The Miz and Finn Bálor in a triple threat match to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship, which belonged to The Miz .
Meanwhile, Rollins retained the title against Miz, Bálor and Samoa Joe in a fatal four-way ladder match at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Three days later, on Monday Night Raw , Finn Bálor interrupted a Seth Rollins promo and recalled that in four matches between the two, they each won two, challenging the intercontinental champion to put the title on the line for a fight that same night..
NXT (December 18, 2019)
NXT Championship:
Adam Cole (c) vs. Finn Balor
NXT won the battle of brands at Survivor Series 2019 , and on theNXT weekly showthat followed, the entire roster (including NXT UK) celebrated the victory. However, The Undisputed Era interrupted the party, with NXT champion Adam Cole saying thatNXT ‘s victory was due to the stable it leads.
In response, Tommaso Ciampa Cole recalled that his team beat The Undisputed Era at the eve of War Survivor Series , and said he was focused on winning NXT. Championship. Finn Bálor interrupted him, but Ciampa challenged him to combat, with Bálor getting the better of him after Cole interfered. However, after the fight Bálor applied to Pelé Kick on the champion. On the December 10 episode of NXT, Bálor beat Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee in a triple threat match to determine the title contender.
NXT TakeOver: Portland (February 16, 2020)
Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano
On the October 23, 2019 episode of NXT , Finn Bálor teamed up with The Undisputed Era to attack Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, which resulted in the latter injuring his neck after Bálor gave him a 1916 on the ramp.
Gargano returned nearly two months later, on the December 18 episode, by distracting Bálor in a match for Adam Cole’s NXT Championship, causing him to lose. After the match, Gargano attacked Bálor with a chair. On the January 8, 2020 edition of NXT , Bálor challenged Gargano to a match at NXT TakeOver: Portland and Gargano accepted.
NXT TakeOver 31 (October 4, 2020)
NXT Championship:
Finn Balor (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
On the September 23 episode of NXT , Kyle O’Reilly won the gauntlet eliminator match in which Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Kushida and Timothy Thatcher also participated to earn the right to fight for the NXT Championship from Finn Bálor at NXT TakeOver 31.
NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14, 2021)
NXT Championship:
Finn Balor (c) vs. Pete Dunne
On the February 3 episode of NXT, Pete Dunne demanded that NXT champion Finn Bálor give him a title shot. Bálor then went to the ring and told Dunne that he would give him the title shot at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
At the same time , 2021 men’s Royal Rumble winner Edge said he would be looking out for the match between Bálor and Dunne because he had never won the NXT Championship but also because he was still deciding which world title to fight for at WrestleMania 37 .
Monday Night Raw (October 25, 2021)
Ladder Match
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rey Mysterio
At the beginning of the October 25, 2021 episode of Raw , Seth Rollins interrupted the promo for champion Big E to challenge him to a match for the WWE Championship . Meanwhile, Rey Mysterio , Finn Bálor and Kevin Owens also took to the ring to claim a title shot . That said, authority figure Sonya Deville appeared on stage and announced that Rollins , Mysterio , Bálor and Owens would face off that same night in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match to determine the main contender for the WWE Championship.
