After training at NWA UK Hammerlock, Devitt made his professional wrestling debut on 23 November 2001.[17] He quickly won theNWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship. After graduating, his wrestling career started quickly, and he began touring Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In mid-2002, Devitt, along with Paul Tracey, opened NWA Ireland, his own wrestling promotion based in Ireland. The promotion soon became the sister group of NWA UK Hammerlock as both promoted under the NWA banner. As part ofNWA Ireland, Devitt trained future WWE competitorBecky Lynch, futureEuropean Heavyweight Champion andICW Zero-G Champion Andy Roberts and futureNXT Cruiserweight ChampionJordan Devlin.[18][19][20][21]
The day after losing the British Commonwealth Championship, Devitt signed a contract withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in March 2006.[22] In April 2006, he made his NJPW debut againstEl Samurai, using thering name Prince Devitt.[25][unreliable source?] Devitt later stated in an interview withPowerSlam Mag that New Japan renamed him Prince Devitt because nobody Japanese could pronounce his actual name. He was originally going to be called King David until people started questioning why the 24-year-old would be a king already. Eventually, Simon Inoki came up with the name Prince Devitt, which Devitt himself also preferred.[26] In May 2006, New Japan started holding brand–exclusive events, and Devitt was assigned to the Wrestle Land brand, debuting under amask as the second Pegasus Kid, which led to comparisons between Devitt and the original Pegasus Kid,Chris Benoit.[27]
During his tour of New Japan in late August and early September, he started competing again as his Prince Devitt identity, utilizing an Irish superstar gimmick. He eventually turned heel and started teaming with the Control Terrorism Unit (CTU) in an apprentice–type role. While teaming with CTU, he began a losing streak, aggravating his teammates to such a degree that they did not want anything to do with him anymore. This led to him being given one final chance on 6 October, where he rose to the occasion and impressed his CTU teammates enough to continue his association with them. To solidify his status with the stable, Devitt teamed with CTU leader,Jushin Thunder Liger to take onWataru Inoue andRyusuke Taguchi. In a huge twist, Devitt was the one to make the final cover on Inoue following a stiff brainbuster. From then on he was officially recognized as a member of the CTU.
His momentum was halted in January 2007, when he suffered a serious knee injury, sidelining him from in-ring action in New Japan until early May of that year. Following the injury, he returned to action, showing great improvement and was touted by fellow CTU teammate,Minoru, as the future winner of the 2007 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. However, when the tournament was held in June 2007, Devitt scored no points and was eliminated early from the competition. Following the folding of CTU in August 2007,[1] Devitt and Minoru joined the newRISE stable, forming a tag team named "Prince Prince", a reference to both Devitt's ring name and Minoru's nickname, "Black Prince".[28] In November 2007, TNA made a tour of Japan, during which Devitt and Minoru were defeated by TNA wrestlersSenshi andChristopher Daniels.
On 27 January 2008, Devitt and Minoru won theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, this served as Devitt's first major tag title reign.[28][29] They lost the championship toAkira and Jyushin Thunder Liger in February, before regaining the title on 21 July.[29] After a near three-month reign they lost the championship toNo Limit (Tetsuya Naito andYujiro) in October.[29]
Devitt teamed with Ryusuke Taguchi asApollo 55 (アポロ・ゴー・ゴー,Aporo Gō Gō)[30] and on 5 July 2009 atCircuit 2009 New Japan Soul they defeatedThe Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley andChris Sabin) to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[31] On 30 May, Devitt entered the2009 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. After winning his block in the round-robin stage of the tournament, Devitt advanced to the semifinals, where he defeatedKota Ibushi. In the end, Devitt was defeated in the finals of the tournament byKoji Kanemoto.[32] In December, Devitt entered the2009 Super J-Cup. After defeatingAtsushi Aoki,Danshoku Dino andYamato, Devitt was once again defeated in the finals of the tournament, this time byNaomichi Marufuji.[33] On 4 January 2010, atWrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome, Devitt and Taguchi successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship againstAverno andÚltimo Guerrero.[34] On 21 April, Devitt and Taguchi were stripped of the title, after not defending them for 30 days.[35] On 8 May, the two entered theSuper J Tag Tournament in an attempt to regain the championship, but were defeated in the finals by the team of El Samurai and Koji Kanemoto.[36]
On 30 May, Devitt entered the2010 Best of the Super Juniors tournament and two weeks later finished second in his block with five victories, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.[37][38] On 13 June, Devitt first defeatedTaiji Ishimori in the semifinals and then Kota Ibushi in the finals to win the tournament and earn a shot at Naomichi Marufuji'sIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[39] On 19 June atDominion 6.19, Devitt defeated Marufuji to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time.[40] Eleven days later, Devitt, Taguchi andHirooki Goto won the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament, defeatingHiroshi Tanahashi,TAJIRI andKushida in the finals.[41][42] Devitt made his first successful Junior Heavyweight Championship title defense on 11 July, defeating Pro Wrestling Noah's Atsushi Aoki.[43] Just over a week later, on 19 July, Devitt and Taguchi defeated Koji Kanemoto and El Samurai to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the second time as a team.[44] In August Devitt entered New Japan's biggest tournament of the year, theG1 Climax, as a substitute for the injured Naomichi Marufuji.[45] Devitt managed to win four out of his seven matches in the round-robin stage of the tournament, including a major victory over former four-timeIWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, but finished fifth in his block and missed advancing to the finals by a single point.[46][47] On 3 September, Devitt made his second successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, defeatingDDT Pro-Wrestling representativeKenny Omega, that he won on 11 November 2012.[48] Omega and Kota Ibushi, the team known collectively as theGolden☆Lovers, came back on 11 October atDestruction '10 and defeated Devitt and Taguchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[49]
On 11 December, Devitt made his third successful IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defense, defeating another New Japan outsider,Davey Richards.[50] On 4 January 2011, atWrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Devitt successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi, avenging the loss from the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.[51][52] On 23 January atFantastica Mania 2011, a New Japan andConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) co–promoted event in Tokyo, Devitt and Taguchi defeated Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, making Devitt a double IWGP champion for the second time.[53][54] Devitt continued his streak of defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against New Japan outsiders, when he successfully defended the title againstTaka Michinoku on 20 February and Kushida on 19 March.[55][56] In May, Devitt took part in theInvasion Tour 2011, New Japan's first tour of the United States, during which he successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Low Ki on 14 May inNew York City and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against the Strong Style Thugz (Homicide and Low Ki) on 15 May inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.[57][58] On 26 May, Devitt entered the2011 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. After losing his opening match against Davey Richards, Devitt went on a seven match winning streak to finish first in his block in the round-robin stage of the tournament.[59][60] On 10 June, Devitt was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by his own tag team partner, Ryusuke Taguchi.[61] On 18 June atDominion 6.18, Devitt lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Best of the Super Juniors winner, Kota Ibushi, ending his reign at 364 days.[62][63]
On 23 June, Devitt, Taguchi and Hirooki Goto won their second J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament in a row by defeating the team ofGiant Bernard, Jushin Thunder Liger and Karl Anderson in the finals of the three-day-long tournament.[64] On 24 July, Devitt received his rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship atRyōgoku Peter Pan 2011, but was unable to regain the title from Ibushi.[65] This led to a match on 14 August, where Apollo 55 successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against the Golden☆Lovers.[66] On 11 September, Apollo 55 defeatedTaichi and Taka Michinoku to make their seventh successful IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship defense, breaking the record for most defenses during a single reign.[67] When Kota Ibushi was forced to vacate the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship after dislocating his left shoulder, Devitt, as the previous champion, was ushered into a decision match to determine a new champion.[68] On 19 September, Devitt defeated Kushida to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time.[69] On 10 October atDestruction '11, Devitt and Taguchi lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to theNo Remorse Corps (Davey Richards andRocky Romero).[70] Devitt made the first successful title defense of his second IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship reign on 12 November atPower Struggle, defeating Taka Michinoku,[71] and followed that up by defeating the man who had pinned him for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, Davey Richards, in his second defense on 4 December.[72] On 23 December, Devitt defeated the other half of No Remorse Corps, Rocky Romero, to make his third IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defense.[73] On 4 January 2012 atWrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, Devitt and Taguchi defeated Richards and Romero to once again regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, starting Devitt's record-breaking sixth reign as one half of the champions.[74] On 12 February atThe New Beginning, Apollo 55 lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to the No Remorse Corps in their first defense.[75] This led to a match on 10 March, where Devitt defeated Davey Richards to make his fourth successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[76]
On 14 March 2012, Devitt traveled to Mexico for his first tour of the country with the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre promotion, as part of a working relationship between New Japan and CMLL.[77][78] After being sidelined from in-ring action due to a calf injury for his first week in Mexico, Devitt made his CMLL debut on 23 March, teaming withMarco Corleone andRush in a six-man tag team main event, where they facedMephisto, Último Guerrero andVolador Jr. After pinning Volador Jr. for the win, Devitt challenged him to a match for theNWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.[79][80] On 30 March, Devitt defeated Volador Jr. to become the new NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion.[81][82] On 3 May atWrestling Dontaku 2012, Devitt lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Low Ki in his fifth defense, ending his second reign at 227 days.[83] On 27 May, Devitt entered the2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, which he started off with losses against Kushida and Taichi.[84][85] Devitt bounced back, winning five out of his six remaining matches, including a win over Jushin Thunder Liger in the final round-robin match of the tournament on 9 June, to finish second in his block and advance to the semifinals of the tournament.[86] The following day, Devitt was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by Low Ki.[87] On 8 July, Devitt defeated Taichi to make his first successful defense of the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.[88] His second successful title defense took place on 29 July, when he defeated previous champion Volador Jr. in a rematch in the main event of a New Japan event inKorakuen Hall.[89] On 12 September, Devitt returned to Mexico for another tour with CMLL.[90] Devitt wrestled his first match back in CMLL two days later at the79th Anniversary Show, where he,Atlantis andMístico II were defeated in a six-man tag team match byDragón Rojo Jr.,Negro Casas and Último Guerrero, when Rojo pinned Devitt for the win.[91][92] On 21 September, Devitt was again pinned by Rojo in a six-man tag team match, where he teamed withBlue Panther andLa Sombra to face Rojo,Mr. Águila and Taichi. Afterwards, Devitt accepted Rojo's challenge for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.[93] On the28 September CMLL Super Viernes show, Devitt lost the title to Rojo, ending his reign at 182 days.[94][95]
Devitt returned to New Japan on 8 October atKing of Pro-Wrestling, challenging IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Low Ki to a title match, after he had regained the title from Kota Ibushi.[96][97] On 21 October, Apollo 55 entered the2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament, defeatingChaos World Wrestling Warriors (Brian Kendrick and Low Ki) in their first round match.[98] On 2 November, Devitt and Taguchi defeated the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, theForever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero), to advance to the finals of the tournament, where, later that same day, they were defeated by theTime Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida).[99] On 11 November atPower Struggle, Devitt defeated Low Ki to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the third time.[100][101] On 4 January 2013 atWrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Devitt defeated Low Ki and Kota Ibushi in a rare three-way match for his first successful defense of the title.[102][103] Following his win, Devitt accepted a challenge for the title made by his tag team partner, Ryusuke Taguchi.[104] On 3 February, Devitt picked up a big win, when he pinned reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi in a tag team match, where he and Karl Anderson faced Tanahashi and Taguchi.[105] Seven days later, Devitt defeated Taguchi atThe New Beginning for his second successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[106] On 3 March, Devitt main evented New Japan's 41st anniversary event, losing to Hiroshi Tanahashi in a non-title match.[107] Following the loss, Devitt began portraying a more cocky and villainous persona, regularly disrespecting both partners and opponents, with the exception of Ryusuke Taguchi, whom he tried to get to go along with his new attitude.[108][109] On 5 April, Devitt defeated Alex Shelley for his third successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[110] Two days later atInvasion Attack, Apollo 55 unsuccessfully challenged Time Splitters for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, after which Devitt turned on Taguchi, ending the longtime partnership between the two, and debutedBad Luck Fale as his new "bouncer", while also dubbing himself the "Real Rocknrolla".[111][112]
The first match between the former members of Apollo 55 took place on 3 May atWrestling Dontaku 2013, where Devitt and Fale defeated Taguchi andCaptain New Japan in a tag team match.[113] Later in the event, Devitt and Fale were joined by Karl Anderson andTama Tonga for an attack on Hiroshi Tanahashi.[114] The new group was subsequently named "Bullet Club".[115][116] On 24 May, Devitt entered the2013 Best of the Super Juniors, where he ended up winning his block with a clean record of eight wins,[117] though often using outside help from his Bullet Club stablemates to win his matches.[118][119][120] On 9 June, Devitt first defeated Kenny Omega in the semifinals and then Alex Shelley in the finals to win his second Best of the Super Juniors.[121][122][123] Following his win, Devitt challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi, while also naming his next goal; becoming the first wrestler to hold the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight Championships simultaneously.[124][125]
On 22 June atDominion 6.22, Devitt defeated Tanahashi with help from Bullet Club to earn his first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[126] Later in the event, reigning IWGP Heavyweight ChampionKazuchika Okada accepted Devitt's challenge for his title on the condition that he first defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against his Chaos stablemateGedo.[126][127] On 5 July, Devitt defeated Gedo in his fourth successful title defense, advancing to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Okada.[128][129] The title match between the two took place on 20 July and saw Okada defeat Devitt, despite interference from the rest of Bullet Club, to retain his title.[130][131][132][133] On 1 August, Devitt defeated Okada, with help from Fale, in the main event of the first day of the2013 G1 Climax.[134] Despite three other big wins over former IWGP Heavyweight Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi,[135]Satoshi Kojima,[136] andTogi Makabe,[137] Devitt failed to advance from his block, finishing with a record of five wins and four losses.[137] The rivalry between Devitt and Tanahashi culminated in aLumberjack Deathmatch on 29 September atDestruction, where Tanahashi was victorious.[138]
With the Tanahashi rivalry behind him, Devitt moved onto a new rivalry with Togi Makabe, who played a big part in him losing the Lumberjack Deathmatch.[139] Meanwhile, Devitt also found himself a new challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, recent NJPW signee Kota Ibushi, who pinned him a tag team match on 9 November atPower Struggle, where he and Bad Luck Fale were defeated by Ibushi and Makabe.[140] From 23 November to 7 December, Devitt and Fale took part in the2013 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of three wins and three losses, with a loss against the previously winless Captain New Japan and Hiroshi Tanahashi on the final day costing them a spot in the semifinals.[141][142]
On 4 January 2014 atWrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, Devitt's fourteen-month reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion came to an end when he lost the title to Kota Ibushi in his fifth defense.[143][144] Devitt wrestled the entire match in a full face and body paint, which he continued using for his bigger matches for the rest of his NJPW run.[144][145] The following day, Devitt was attacked by the returning Ryusuke Taguchi, who had been sidelined with an injury for the past seven months, re-igniting the rivalry between the two former partners.[146] On 6 April atInvasion Attack 2014, one year after the break-up of Apollo 55, Devitt faced Taguchi in a singles grudge match. During the match, Devitt repeatedly toldThe Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), the two newest members of Bullet Club, not to interfere in the match, which eventually led to them turning on him. In the end, Taguchi defeated Devitt, after which the two men shook hands, ending their rivalry with each other.[147] The following day, New Japan announced Devitt's resignation from the promotion.[148][149]
On 15 May 2014, Devitt was reported to have signed withWWE and would joinNXT, then the promotion'sdevelopmental territory, once he obtained a visa.[150] On 28 July, WWE officially confirmed Devitt's signing, announcing he would report to NXT that same day.[151][152] On 24 September, his new ring name was revealed to be Finn Bálor,[153] derived from Irish mythological figuresFionn mac Cumhaill andBalor (the latter is also Gaelic for "Demon King").[2][154][155] Bálor made his NXT debut on 6 November, aidingHideo Itami againstThe Ascension (Konnor andViktor).[156] In his debut match on 23 October, he and Itami defeatedJustin Gabriel andTyson Kidd in a tag team match.[157] After feuding with The Ascension, Bálor and Itami defeated them atNXT TakeOver: R Evolution on 11 December, where he also debuted his signature body paint.[158] Bálor then entered anNXT Championship number one contender's tournament, defeatingCurtis Axel in the first round,[159] Itami in the semi-finals[160] andAdrian Neville in the finals on 11 February atNXT TakeOver: Rival.[161] Bálor received his title match againstKevin Owens on 25 March, but was unsuccessful.[162]
On 19 July 2016, Bálor was drafted to theRaw brand as the fifth overall pick in the2016 WWE draft,[180][181] later declaring that he should have been the first pick.[182] He made his first appearance for the brand on 25 July episode ofRaw (on his 35th birthday), where he won the right to compete for the newly establishedWWE Universal Championship atSummerSlam by first defeatingRusev,Cesaro, andKevin Owens in afatal four–way match and then defeatingRoman Reigns, who had won a similar fatal four–way match.[183] At SummerSlam on 21 August, Bálor defeatedSeth Rollins to become the inaugural Universal Champion and win his firstworld title.[184] Since then, WWE reported that he sustained a shoulder injury during the match and an MRI revealed a labrum tear that would require surgery, which was successful.[185] Because of this, it was expected that Bálor would be out four to six months, thus Raw General ManagerMick Foley later announced on Twitter that Bálor would be relinquishing his newly won WWE Universal Championship due to his injury after just 22 hours of holding it.[186][187] While recovering from his injury, Bálor would appear on theWWE Network–exclusiveUnited Kingdom Championship Tournament event.[188][189]
In the weeks leading up toSummerSlam, Bálor began a feud withElias after he inadvertently interrupted one of his performances.[198][199][200] This led to aNo Disqualification match between the two, which Bálor lost after interference from Bray Wyatt.[201] This led to a match between the two, where Wyatt defeated Bálor.[202] AtSummerSlam on 20 August, Bálor returned his "Demon King"character and defeated Wyatt in a rematch.[203] The feud between the two continued throughout the following months and led to another match on 24 September atNo Mercy, where Bálor once again defeated Wyatt.[204][205] The two were also set to face in a rematch between Bálor's "Demon King" and Wyatt's "Sister Abigail" atTLC on 20 October. However, Wyatt was ruled out for the event due to anillness, and was instead replaced byAJ Styles.[206][207] Bálor defeated Styles, and following the match, the two showed mutual respect, gesturing the "Too Sweet" hand symbol to each other.[208] At theSurvivor Series event on 19 November, Bálor took part in the traditionalinter-brand five–on–five elimination match as part of Team Raw where he was the fifth man eliminated byRandy Orton, although his team was ultimately victorious.[209][210]
After theMoney in the Bank pay–per–view, Bálor engaged in a feud withBaron Corbin, whom he defeated on two different occasions—on 15 July atExtreme Rules[219] and on 19 August atSummerSlam under his "Demon King" persona.[220] The next night onRaw, Bálor was finally awarded with hisUniversal Championship rematch against newly crowned champion Roman Reigns, but was unsuccessful in regaining the title.[221] Throughout the next few months, Bálor would compete in various matches against competitors[222] such asJinder Mahal,[223][224][225] andBobby Lashley.[226][227] Bálor then started a feud withDrew McIntyre who saved him from an attack by Lashley only to attack Bálor himself.[228][229] During that time, Bálor was announced as part of Team Raw for the traditional interbrand five–on–five elimination match atSurvivor Series on 18 November, where he was the first man from the team to be eliminated byRey Mysterio.[230][231][232]
Intercontinental Champion (2018–2019)
On 16 December atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Bálor gained revenge over McIntyre, defeating him in a singles match after interference by McIntyre's former allyDolph Ziggler.[233][234] After the match, Ziggler attacked Bálor backstage after the latter implied that he did not need his help to beat McIntyre.[235] This sparked a match between the two that took place the following night onRaw, which ended in a no contest as McIntyre would attack both of them.[236][237] On 17 December tapings of 24 December edition ofRaw, Bálor defeated Ziggler and McIntyre in a triple threat match, ending the feud.[238] On 12 January 2019 atNXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, Bálor made a surprise appearance asTravis Banks's replacement in his match againstJordan Devlin, as Banks was attacked by Devlin earlier that day, and subsequently defeated Devlin.[239] On 14 January episode ofRaw, afterBraun Strowman was removed from his Universal Championship match againstBrock Lesnar at theRoyal Rumble after damagingVince McMahon's limo, Bálor was booked in a fatal-four way match against Drew McIntyre,John Cena andBaron Corbin to determine who would take Strowman's place against Lesnar at the pay-per-view, in which Bálor emerged victorious after pinning Cena.[240][241] On 27 January at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Bálor was defeated by Lesnar via submission. After the match, Lesnar attacked Bálor with threeF-5s.[241]
On theRaw episode of 28 January, Bálor was interrupted byIntercontinental ChampionBobby Lashley andLio Rush while addressing his loss and was subsequently attacked by Lashley, sparking a feud between the two. On 17 February at theElimination Chamber pay-per-view, Bálor defeated Lashley and Rush in a two-on-one handicap match to capture the Intercontinental Championship after Bálor pinned Rush.[242] Bálor faced Lashley on 11 March edition ofRaw in a rematch, where he lost the title to Lashley following interference from Rush.[243] On 25 March edition ofRaw, Bálor defeated Lashley andJinder Mahal in a handicap match to gain a rematch for the Intercontinental title atWrestleMania 35.[244] Bálor, using his "Demon" persona, went on to defeat Lashley on 7 April at WrestleMania and regained the Intercontinental Championship. The following night onRaw, Bálor defeated the returningSami Zayn in an impromptu title defense. On 15 April episode ofRaw, he lost a non-title match to the debutingAndrade after interference fromZelina Vega. In the2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Bálor moved to the SmackDown brand, making his debut on 16 April episode ofSmackDown, defeatingAli in a non-title match. AtSuper ShowDown on 7 June, Balor successfully defended his title against Andrade under his "Demon" persona. At theExtreme Rules kick-off show on 14 July, Bálor lost the championship toShinsuke Nakamura. The following night onRaw, Bálor was assaulted by "The Fiend"Bray Wyatt, culminating in a match atSummerSlam on 11 August, where Bálor was defeated by Wyatt.
After a near two-month absence from television, Bálor made his return to WWE programming on 2 October episode ofNXT, confrontingNXT ChampionAdam Cole following the latter's title defense againstMatt Riddle and officially announced his return to NXT (as it had grown from a developmental territory in Bálor's first stint into a third global brand within WWE).[245] On 23 October episode ofNXT, Bálor turnedheel when he aidedThe Undisputed Era by injuringJohnny Gargano and attackingTommaso Ciampa.[246] Bálor began a feud withMatt Riddle the next month leading to a match between the two being scheduled forNXT TakeOver: WarGames on 23 November,[247] where Bálor emerged victorious.[248] Following this, Bálor challenged Adam Cole for the NXT Championship on 18 December episode ofNXT, which he lost after a distraction from the returning Johnny Gargano.[249] Afterwards, Gargano challenged Bálor to a match atNXT TakeOver: Portland on 16 February 2020,[250] which Bálor won.[251]
On 22 April episode ofNXT, Bálor was scheduled to have a match againstVelveteen Dream, but Bálor was knocked out by an unknown attacker before he could leave his dressing room.[252] Two weeks later, Bálor concluded that there was a "snake hiding in the long grass back there" and that whoever attacked him wanted a push. Bálor assured the audience that it would not be a push, but rather a squash. Later that night, he got into an altercation withCameron Grimes,[253] leading to a match between the two on 13 May episode ofNXT, whereDamian Priest cost Bálor the match by using a nightstick behind the referee's back. Priest then revealed that he was the one who knocked out Bálor three weeks prior, thus turning Bálorface once again.[254] AtTakeOver: In Your House on 7 June, Bálor defeated Priest.[255] AtNXT TakeOver XXX on 22 August, Bálor defeatedTimothy Thatcher.[256]
On 8 September atNXT: Super Tuesday II, Bálor defeated Adam Cole to win the vacant NXT Championship for the second time.[257] AtNXT TakeOver 31 on 4 October, Bálor made a successful title defense againstKyle O'Reilly.[258] It was revealed he had suffered a broken jaw during the match and was forced to undergo surgery.[259] Bálor made his return on 9 December episode ofNXT where he was confronted by O'Reilly,Pete Dunne,Damian Priest andScarlett (on behalf ofKarrion Kross).[260][261] Balor would then successfully defend the championship in a rematch against O'Reilly on 6 January 2021 atNXT: New Year's Evil. He would also defend the championship againstPete Dunne and Adam Cole atNXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day on 14 February and on 10 March episode ofNXT respectively with both times successfully defending it. AtNXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on 8 April, Bálor lost the championship toKarrion Kross, ending his second reign at 212 days.[262] Balor would face Kross in a rematch for the title on 25 May episode ofNXT, but was defeated; his rematch with Kross would mark Bálor's final match in NXT.[263]
On 28 February 2022 episode ofRaw, Bálor defeated Damian Priest to win theWWE United States Championship for the first time in his career.[272] On 18 April episode ofRaw, Bálor lost the United States Championship toTheory, ending his reign at 49 days.[273]
At theRoyal Rumble on 28 January 2023, Bálor entered the Royal Rumble match at number 20 but was eliminated by the returning Edge. Afterwards, Bálor and Priest eliminated Edge with help from Dominik, despite already being eliminated.[283] AtElimination Chamber on 18 February, Bálor and Ripley lost to Edge andBeth Phoenix in amixed tag team match.[284] At Night 2 ofWrestleMania 39 on 2 April, Bálor, in his "Demon" persona, lost to Edge in aHell in a Cell match. During the match, Bálor suffered an injury after getting hit by a ladder thrown by Edge and had to be medically treated in the ring.[285] Bálor would then be selected amongst a group of Raw superstars to participate in a tournament to crown a newWorld Heavyweight Champion atNight of Champions. On 8 May episode ofRaw, Bálor defeatedCody Rhodes andThe Miz in atriple threat match in the first round of the tournament, but lost to eventual championSeth "Freakin" Rollins in the semifinals later that night.[286] Bálor failed to win the title from Rollins atMoney in the Bank on 1 July andSummerSlam on 5 August.[287][288]
After Priest won theWorld Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL, Bálor began teaming with McDonagh. On 13 May episode ofRaw, they won afatal four-way match with help fromCarlito, who began inserting himself into the group, to become the number one contenders for the newly renamed World Tag Team Championship the following week,[301] but they failed to win the titles from Awesome Truth afterBraun Strowman prevented Carlito from interfering.[302] On 24 June episode ofRaw, with help from Liv Morgan, Bálor and McDonagh defeated Awesome Truth to win the titles.[303] AtSummerSlam on 3 August, Bálor turned on Priest, costing him his World Heavyweight Championship againstGunther.[304] Bálor lost to Priest atBad Blood on 5 October[305] and failed to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Gunther in a triple threat match also involving Priest atSaturday Night's Main Event on 14 December.[306] On 16 December episode ofRaw, Bálor and McDonagh lost the World Tag Team Championship toThe War Raiders (Erik andIvar) after interference from Priest, ending their reign at 175 days.[307] On 13 January 2025 episode ofRaw, Bálor lost to Priest in a Street Fight match despite assistance from Carlito and McDonagh, ending their feud.[308]
After working under his real name, Devitt changed his ring name to Prince Devitt when he went to New Japan Pro-Wrestling because nobody Japanese could pronounce his actual name. He was originally going to be called King David until people started questioning why the 24-year-old would be a king already. Eventually, Simon Inoki came up with the name Prince Devitt, which Devitt himself also preferred.[26] During his time in Japan, Devitt started to use body paint during some matches.[313]
When he signed with WWE, Devitt worked under two characters: Finn Bálor (named after the legendary Irish heroFionn mac Cumhaill andBalor of the Evil Eye, an antagonistic character from Gaelic mythology)[314] and The Demon (sometimes the Demon King), a darker and more aggressive otherworldly alter-ego.[315][316][317] After Devitt returned to NXT in 2019, he said he will use the character of The Demon less as its overuse had ruined the element of surprise.[318]
Devitt uses a double foot stomp named "Coup de Grace"[319] as a finisher.[320] He also uses a lifting single underhook DDT (named "Bloody Sunday" in NJPW and "1916" in WWE) as a finisher.[321][322]
Devitt holds afirst-degree black belt in IBF submission wrestling.[23] He is good friends with fellow professional wrestlers AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Tama Tonga, Jordan Devlin and Dru Onyx.[337] He is an avid comic book reader and collector ofLego, and has worn face and body paint inspired by comic book characters when wrestling.[145] He is a supporter of English football teamTottenham Hotspur FC.[338]
^"SummerSlam (2016) (Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins)".SummerSlam. 21 August 2016. 200 minutes in.WWE Network.Finn Bálor becomes the first Superstar to ever win a world title in his debut match on a pay-per-view.
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