Finn Bálor, living the WWE dream
From Bray to the centre of the WWE Universe — Finn Bálor is the latest Irish superstar to make a name for himself on pro-wrestling’s biggest stage.
During WWE’s peak period of the ‘Attitude Era’ at the turn of the millennium, the idea of hearing an Irish accent cutting promos on Monday Night Raw might have seemed a bit far-fetched. For young fans growing up in Ireland at the time, impersonating a made-up WWE superstar in their back garden would probably sound more like a mimic of The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin than anything close to their native dialect. Even a child, imagining that they were a participant in a ‘fake’ sport, might have to draw the line at the ridiculousness of using the word ‘arse’ rather than ‘ass’ when letting their opponent know exactly which part of their anatomy was about to get kicked.
Talking trash in anything other than an American accent would just sound a bit weird. Nowadays its almost impossible to read the words ‘trash-talk’ and not hear a Conor McGregor verbal assault running through your head. Irish voices dominating American arenas might be the new norm, but in the fantasy world of WWE, hearing the ring announcer introduce one of its top stars as hailing “from Bray…County Wicklow…Ireland….” can still seem a bit surreal.
Last week, the WWE Network premiered its latest documentary feature from the superb ‘WWE 24’ series, which profiled the journey of Finn Bálor as he returned from a six month injury lay-off having torn his labrum in the same match where he became the first ever Universal Champion in his WWE pay per view debut. Bálor’s ascent to main event status was almost as sudden as his retreat to rehab, and ‘24’ took fans behind the scenes to see the rollercoaster of emotions he experienced as his dream was snatched away just as soon as it had been realised.
The story behind his rise from teenager performing wrestling moves in his back garden in Bray, through the UK independent wrestling scene, to international exposure in New Japan Pro Wrestling, to ultimate superstardom in NXT & WWE — is made all the more endearing by Bálor (born Fergal Devitt) himself, who away from the ring is soft-spoken, humble, human, a far cry from the larger than life, cartoon personas normally associated with WWE. Hearing his parents describe how they had been supportive of his career choice from an early age, its hard not to wonder if they ever really expected to one day find themselves sitting ringside surrounded by 20,000 fans in New York as their son, covered in a mixture of sweat and body paint, chooses to pop his dislocated & torn shoulder back into its socket so that he can finish the match and realise his dream.
After relinquishing the title the following night Finn’s dream is put on hold, and his recovery takes him back to Ireland, now with a thriving independent wrestling scene that has developed over the last decade. When he visits a local wrestling gym to share some of his experience with a group of aspiring stars of the future, Bálor describes a time in his early career when the notion of landing an opportunity with WWE seemed as unattainable or fanciful as “a unicorn flying over a mountain”. Yet in recent years WWE has undergone a global expansion, which has seen an increasing number of talents recruited from independent scenes all over the world, including three current stars from Ireland — Bálor, Sheamus and Becky Lynch — all of whom have enjoyed success as prominent superstars on the roster, featuring in main events and winning multiple championships between them. This expansion has opened the door for the likes of Bálor to make it on the big stage and live his dream, as we now see him sharing a ring with Chris Jericho seventeen years after being photographed in a Jericho t-shirt on a Devitt family holiday to Paris.
The fantasy world that a young Fergal Devitt had been obsessed with is now his reality, and the euphoric highs and crushing lows that he has already experienced in his short time with WWE are all just part and parcel of the circus life he has chosen. Yet sixteen years into his pro-wrestling journey, the feeling is that there are many more highs than lows still to come. Very few performers get to win a World Title in their first ever WWE pay per view event, and this is a measure of how highly regarded Bálor is amongst the decision-makers behind the scenes.
Finn is a special talent, who combines charisma with an exciting in-ring style that has made him hugely popular with the fans. But the key ingredient that may help him stand out and cement his position at the top of the card is his ability to sell the emotion and physicality of his matches, which makes him the type of storyteller that WWE often give their backing to over the long term.
The ‘kayfabe’ era of wrestling promotions and performers protecting the business and refusing to break character in public is long dead. This documentary is an example of the new direction in WWE content, where pulling back the curtain and presenting the real-life personalities behind the characters is an effective way of getting their talents ‘over’ with the audience — and Bálor right now is over.
The cruel timing of his injury may yet prove to be as important as his title win in establishing him as a fan favourite for many years to come. While from this side of the Atlantic, knowing the real life story of how a boyhood obsession turned something that once seemed so distant into a reality, following his career in WWE will be just as fascinating as it is surreal.
