Line #26 Wrestling/FergalDevitt


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/finn_68.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The Prince.]]
3	[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Bálor in his Demon King form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/balor.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
4
5	->''"This is Bálor Club, right here in TV Tropes Wiki!"''
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7	Trained by André Baker, Fergal Devitt (born July 25, 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler best known for his work in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling under the ring name Prince Devitt, where he was a former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He has the distinction of being the co-founder and original leader of Wrestling/BulletClub, which has gone on to become one of the most popular and iconic wrestling factions in the world. The group originated as a two-man tag team formed after Devitt [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] by betraying his tag team partner Ryusuke Taguchi and aligning with Wrestling/BadLuckFale, becoming a full-fledged PowerStable after Devitt and Fale swayed [[Wrestling/GuerrillasOfDestiny Tama Tonga]] and "The Machine Gun" Wrestling/KarlAnderson to their side. In his last match with NJPW, Devitt would ultimately be expelled from Bullet Club by his teammates after taking the high road and refusing to let them intervene in an emotionally charged match with his ex-partner Taguchi, [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]] in the process.
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9	He would then go on to sign into the Wrestling/{{WWE}}, where he would wrestle in its developmental division [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] under his current ring name Finn Bálor. He was selected by ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' during the 2016 draft and became the first-ever WWE Universal Champion at ''[=SummerSlam=]'', defeating Wrestling/SethRollins. Following an injury that forced him to vacate the title the night after winning it, Balor would go on to have a fairly unremarkable year before finally receiving another high-profile push in late 2018, culminating in his winning the Intercontinental Championship at ''Elimination Chamber 2019''.
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11	But [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot that only bought him a few months]] - along with a short feud against Wrestling/BrockLesnar for the Universal Championship [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun that he never lost]] - and it wasn't long before Finn found himself adrift again. A return to his stomping grounds of [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] plus a FaceHeelTurn back into his "[[MythologyGag Prince]]" persona have shown him capable of great things again. He became a two-time [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-nxt.html NXT Champion]] while he was there, putting away serious competition from Wrestling/AdamCole, Pete Dunne, Timothy Thatcher, and Wrestling/KyleOReilly, but fell victim to Karrion Kross. He returned to the main roster on July 16th, 2021 on ''Smackdown'', making the swap back to ''Raw'' early the next year and securing his first United States Championship shortly afterward.
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13	In the middle of 2022, after initially feuding with them, Bálor joined the heel faction, Wrestling/TheJudgmentDay and replaced [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler Edge]] as its leader. During this period, he had won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions twice with Damien Priest.
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15	Among other the enterprises he earned title belts in are Wrestling/{{N\|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA UK Hammerlock, Revolution Pro Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling, and Wrestling/{{CMLL}}.
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17	----
18	!! "I'm bringin' some tropes you've never seen before":
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder: General]]
23	* BashBrothers: With Paul Tracey in the NWA, as they worked together to win the British Common Wealth title belt and even started up and ran the NWA Ireland wrestling school together. When not with Minoru or Ryusuke he tended to team with Hirooki Goto or Karl Anderson afterwards, though he dropped Goto after the whole Bullet Club thing.
24	* BigBrotherMentor: He was apparently this to Wrestling/BeckyLynch in RealLife when they were both starting out in the Irish indies, but WWE has never acknowledged that on screen. He is also one to Jordan Devlin/JD [=McDonagh=], which is often referenced during their tenure in Wrestling/TheJudgmentDay.
25	* BigEntrance: Is '''fond''' of this.
26	** As Prince Devitt he could often be seen either in a dark jacket with an RNR (Real Rock-N-Rolla) emblem on the back being walked down the ramp on Bad Luck Fale's shoulders before getting off at ringside, then getting off, standing in the center of the ring, and turning on the jacket's Jericho-esque neon lights as the arena goes dark in an impressive show worthy of a young rising BigBad, or using an elaborate paint job and/or costume along with unique theatrics to emulate the arrival of any number of famous fantastical characters as though said character had briefly possessed his body to wrestle as him. [[labelnote: Examples include]]a zombie limp as ComicBook/{{Carnage}}, a straightjacket as Franchise/HannibalLecter, clown makeup and a purple suit as ComicBook/TheJoker, ''beating up charging crew members as ComicBook/{{Bane}}'', ominously flashing the blade claws as [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] and even ''keeping them on to use against his opponent!''[[/labelnote]]
27	** As Finn Bálor, his normal entrance is already predated by a heavy breathing sound transitioning into epic rock music, ominous red lighting with moments of bright pulsation, a constant switch between walking and creeping down the ramp, and a crawl up the steel steps to get to the ring. When he puts on the demon paint, the whole thing gets turned up to eleven. The true beginning of his entrance theme comes in the form of a loud pulse with dramatic chords reminiscent of a movie scene eventually leading to said heavy breathing transition. He outright crawls through fog and pulsating lights, at certain points seeming to break into an animalistic FlashStep. And the paint and wig ensemble is deliberately styled with gigantic monster teeth and RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver, creating the dramatic illusion that the ancient demon king who forms half his namesake is actually what's coming down to wrestle.
28	** Recently Finn's non-demon entrance has been tweaked to include a new dark techno-style intro, a Bálor Club graphic motif, and a leather jacket which he regularly opens to flash his abs and/or NXT Championship—all [[ShoutOut clear allusions to his Real Rock-N-Rolla run]], stealthily capitalizing off the popularity of Bullet Club. In early 2016, he started doing the gun point at live events, teasing certain buzz about his friends for all its worth. And then they appeared.
29	* ContinuityNod / ShoutOut: Despite the way he left the Bullet Club he still seems to be on good terms with them, as he and the Club's new DragonInChief Wrestling/AJStyles have each adopted one of the other's {{signature move}}s—Bálor uses a variation of AJ's Pelé kick on NXT, while Styles has taken to using Devitt's Bloody Sunday DDT. He also has adopted Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi's Slingblade as a signature after moving to WWE. Confirmed via the WWE Network documentary ''Finn Bálor: The Demon Revealed'', segments of which were shown as a series of weekly short vignettes on NXT heading into his ''Beast in the East'' NXT title shot against [[Wrestling/KevinSteen Kevin Owens]]. Several parts of the documentary related to his time in New Japan as Prince Devitt and/or his then-upcoming return to Japan at ''Beast in the East'' include background photos of him and Karl Anderson, as well as couple quick clips of him showing off some Bullet Club gear and even a clip of him and Anderson reuniting and sharing a Too Sweet greeting. This eventually resulted in a one-on-one encounter with Styles which ended in a post-match Too Sweet and an official Bálor Club reunion with both Anderson and Luke Gallows, nearly two years after the three in question joined him in WWE. All four alumni would affirm their support for the BCOG/Firing Squad members in the wake of the faction's civil war, and in 2019 Bálor tweeted the name of Wrestling/JayWhite after he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as the newest leader of Bullet Club.
30	* CoolTeacher: Back before Japan, he and his tag team partner Paul Tracey founded NWA Ireland and then opened a wrestling school for the promotion, in the process becoming this to a young Wrestling/BeckyLynch. She explicitly states in WWE's series of videos about his past that she wouldn't be where she is today if it weren't for him, all while tearing up, and expresses how immensely grateful she is to him for it. Even while he was in Japan, Fergal would still make trips back to Ireland and occasionally help out training at the same school (now renamed Fight Factory Pro Wrestling).
31	* DavidVersusGoliath:
32	** NJPW usually makes an effort to keep the Super Juniors away from the heavyweights, making Apollo 55 managing to tie for second place in their block and then qualify for the semi-finals of the 2009 G1 Tag League over Great Bash Heel's Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma this trope. They'd go on to beat CHAOS members Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura and Toru Yano but it was averted with their loss in the finals to Bad Intentions (Karl Anderson and Giant Bernard).
33	** On NXT he's got his series against Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship, mainly because Owens, despite the girth, is [[{{Acrofatic}} just as athletic as he is]] and was dominant up to that point.
34	** This is also the case in his matches against Samoa Joe, Wrestling/BaronCorbin, Wrestling/BraunStrowman, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre and Wrestling/BobbyLashley.
35	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Gallows and Anderson in New Japan. Recently, Wrestling/DeanAmbrose, who has rubbed Finn's abs and exhorted him to "for the love of God, eat a carb, man!".
36	* FightingIrish: Although as Finn Bálor the Irish is seemingly downplayed in favor of the fighting—that, or the Irish is used to '''accentuate''' the fighting.
37	* FacialMarkings: Is known for occasionally marking his face and upper body with elaborate paint jobs for big matches. As Prince Devitt these were usually homages to existing comic book characters, while on NXT as Finn Bálor it's a means of channeling the ancient Fomorian king that is his latter namesake.
38	* FinishingMove: Pre-WWE he had Bloody Sunday (a lifting single underhook DDT), Devitt's End (a high-angle Fujiwara armbar), Prince's Throne (a fireman's carry or Canadian backbreaker rack into a double knee gutbuster), and Reverse Bloody Sunday (a lifting inverted DDT which he now uses as a signature on NXT), and [[FinishingStomp a huge diving foot stomp]] from the top turnbuckle…and, man, does he get ''[[DeathFromAbove up]]''). Initially the only one that stuck as a finisher on NXT was the big foot stomp, now called Coup de Grace—though he did use both versions of Bloody Sunday as signature moves (the reverse shows up more regularly than the original, which is kept for specials). Starting in 2016, the original Bloody Sunday went back to being a finisher again under the name 1916, though largely went unused during his main roster tenure.
39	** In his second NXT run, he went back in using the 1916 as his main finisher, just like the later part of his first NXT run, though he still can score pinfall wins using the Coup de Grâce. And in 2021, he introduced a [[Wrestling/AdrianNeville Rings of Saturn/Brutalizer]]-esque submission finisher to force Wrestling/KyleOReilly to tap out.
40	* GoshDangItToHeck: Had quite the potty mouth in his Bullet Club days, but due to WWE's PG rating, he's been trying to watch the profanity. He spent most of his WebVideo/UpUpDownDown FIFA 18 appearances [[LastSecondWordSwap yelling "OH SH-SUGAR"]].
41	* HappilyMarried: To Fox Sports Mexico reporter Veronica Rodriguez in 2019.
42	* HeterosexualLifePartners: He and Wrestling/KarlAnderson have been best friends since before NJPW and he will talk up Karl as his favorite wrestler the moment he gets a chance in any relevant context.
43	* OddFriendship: His former travel partner? ''[[Wrestling/EnzoAndCass Enzo Amore]]''.
44	* OlderThanTheyLook: It would be extremely tough to tell just by a glance that he's 42. Even with facial hair, he looks a full ten years younger than that.
45	* PaintItBlack: This was his initial idea behind the body paint. He mentions in a podcast how he initially was simply going to paint himself solid black, but after the airbrush artist put up a bit of a protest, he realized a simple solid black would be wasting the girl's talents, so the elaborate paint jobs were born.
46	* RedBaron: Devitt's been called the Irish Captor, the Real Rock-N-Rolla, and the Real Shooter. As Bálor he gets referenced as the Demon King and the Prince (or "Prinxe").
47	* SelfDeprecation: Engages in a lot of this in interviews. He once said that the reason that he thought he could make it as a wrestler is because he was an average athlete in school and below average at everything else. He also said that the primary motivation behind using the bodypaint was that he wanted to extend his career by covering up for the fact that he has 'one match'.
48	* StartMyOwn: His own NWA promotion in Ireland, which doubled as a wrestling school Devitt served as top trainer of for five years.
49	* TallDarkAndHandsome: Post-unmasking in New Japan he quickly became one of the most popular gaijins in Japanese wrestling simply for his promotional appearances. On NXT the most recent tweak to his entrance involves flashing his abs out of a leather jacket.
50	* TheRival:
51	** Dru Onyx, who like Devitt is known by a few different names, going by Son Of Wrestling/{{Abdullah\|TheButcher}} when they were feuding over the British Common Wealth Title belt in Europe. It was Onyx whom he won the belt for the second time in the USA.
52	** A somewhat friendly case as a wrestler and promoter against fellow Irishman Joey Cabray's and No Limit Wrestling vs NWA Ireland.
53	** Not first but most definitely foremost are The World Class Tag Team, Gedo and Jado. He ran afoul of them almost from the start of his New Japan run, frequently teaming with their established foil Ryusuku Taguchi not helping matters, although he and Taguchi both teamed with them at Wrestle Land. Devitt then joined them officially as part of CTU but became their antagonist again in RISE. Then Apollo 55 went against Gedo and Jado's "Complete Players" stable, then Great Bash Heel, then CHAOS. Then Devitt was with Fale against them in Bullet Club against CHAOS again.
54	** Just behind Gedo and Jado in encouter frequency was Taichi Ishikari, who alternated between fighting with and teaming Pegasus Kid #2 until Devitt unmasked and joined CTU. After Devitt's face turn, he and Ishikari ended up as frequent opponents in NJPW's junior heavyweight tag team division, Devitt with Taguchi, Ishikari in Unione with Devitt's former CTU and RISE stablemate Milano Collection AT.
55	** Samoa Joe in NXT and WWE proper.
56	* TournamentArc
57	** Came out of Block A to defeat Kota Ibushi in the 2010 "Best Of The Super Junior" final. Later that June he'd go on to win the "NJPW J Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Tournament" with Hirooki Goto and Ryusuke Taguchi
58	** Devitt, Taguchi and Goto would repeat in the 2011 J Crown 6 Man Tournament.
59	** Defeated Alex Shelley on day ten to win "Best Of The Super Juniors XX" in 2013.
60	* WarriorPrince: Referred to himself as "Prince" both when he was in Japan (Prince Devitt) and in his current gimmick in WWE (The Prince). Subverted, as he is not a real prince, and it is more of a RedBaron rather than a title.
61	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Since being joined in WWE by AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke "DOC" Gallows, Finn has kept his ties to them and the larger Bullet Club intact behind the lines despite being the least inclined of the four to actively join forces within the WWE Universe. When Styles found himself repeatedly targeted by Edge and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day in 2022, Bálor finally appeared to have Styles' back and even recruited Liv Morgan to the cause after Rhea Ripley betrayed Morgan to join The Judgment Day. Except only a month later, Finn would take the first opportunity available to join the dark faction as well as seize power within it, convincing Edge's own "saints of fate" to turn against him and act as "equals", allowing The Prince to gradually position himself as the group's unspoken leader while leaving Styles and Morgan in the lurch. He did later approach Styles and try to convince him to join the group, but by that point two months had already passed and Ripley had corrupted Dominik Mysterio to Judgment Day's side solely to torment Rey Mysterio and Edge, which AJ, being a father of four, naturally didn't take kindly to. Bálor's recruitment approach quickly turned from friendly to aggressive, leading the gang in beating up AJ repeatedly while still calling himself a friend, making it clear this wouldn't stop until AJ gave in. When Styles came to them talking about being his brother's keeper, knelt before Bálor and then embraced, it appeared AJ had finally given in...
62	** ...only for Styles to [[WhamLine reveal]] that his "brother" references weren't about Bálor, when Anderson and Gallows, seven months after being formally welcomed back into Bullet Club, came out to back up The Phenomenal One against The Prince and his crew. The cross-promotional fallout from this had several active BC members, not the least of which being active leader Jay White, showing support for The Good Brothers' return to WWE and even helping to protect Anderson's ongoing NEVER Openweight Championship run while he was away. Finn, meanwhile, made numerous mocking references to the Too Sweet and the fact that he started The Club in the first place and has since moved on from it, claiming that AJ and the others have been living off his legacy ever since. With his actions in joining and fronting Judgment Day, Finn threw away his ties to not only AJ Styles, but also The OC, and even beyond that, the entire Bullet Club.
63	[[/folder]]
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65	[[folder: As Prince Devitt]]
66	* BigBad: Was the first leader of the Wrestling/BulletClub.
67	* BigGuyLittleGuy: His most frequent partner after forming Bullet Club was Bad Luck Fale, who was nearly twice Devitt's size. Fale was known for frequently carrying Devitt on his shoulders.
68	* {{Bookends}}: Devitt's HeelFaceTurn saw him leave the group in the exact reverse situation from the one that caused his initial FaceHeelTurn that started Bullet Club in the first place.
69	* CoolMask: When he became Pegasus Kid [[LegacyCharacter #2]].
70	* DarkIsEvil: As the first boss of the Bullet Club, whose favorite attire color was black and who reveled in being cool villains. When in a New Japan ring, he carried a twisted, sinister air about him fitting of a burgeoning despot.
71	* EvilIsPetty: Arguably a defining trait of Wrestling/BulletClub-era Devitt. He ''loved'' taunting his opponents in childish ways, especially during his 2013 G1 Climax run.
72	** His EstablishingCharacterMoment right after [[FaceHeelTurn betraying Taguchi]] was him goading Alex Shelley and Kushida into a fight and yelling "come on, bitches!" right before Bad Luck Fale sneak-attacks them both.
73	** Often bullies reporters during post-match interviews with the rest of Bullet Club.
74	** Has mocked both Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi and Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger by stealing their entrance gear and copying their poses.
75	** Mocked Tanahashi's signature air guitar entrance in particular by bringing a ''real'' guitar to the ring, which he bashes Tanahashi in the head with later. (Though Tana does return the favor by mocking Devitt's "ride on Fale's shoulders" entrance with Captain New Japan.)
76	** Mocked Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura with his own "good vibrations" taunt, complete with crotch grab.
77	** Made fun of Togi Makabe's RedBaron [[note]]"The Unchained Gorilla"[[/note]] by coming into the ring wearing a gorilla mask.
78	** In one of his funniest heel moments, he showed up to his match against former MMA fighter Wrestling/KatsuyoriShibata armed with ''boxing gloves.''
79	-->'''Referee:''' No boxing, no boxing!
80	-->'''Devitt:''' I'm gonna fooking knock him out!
81	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTpCVhggPJQ His entire pre-match interview]] right before challenging Wrestling/KazuchikaOkada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. "[[Wrestling/KarlAnderson Machine Gun]]! Show me the Rainmaker!"
82	* FaceHeelTurn: He'd been a face for a long time in New Japan before losing a champion vs. champion match to Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi[[note]]Devitt was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion while Tanahashi was ''the'' IWGP Heavyweight Champion[[/note]], which gave him a combination of ego and frustration that eventually led to him turning on Ryusuke Taguchi, who wouldn't turn heel with him, ending Apollo 55 and forming the Bullet Club.
83	* HeelFaceTurn: After Ryusuke finally came back after him for revenge, the grudge match would take place at NJPW Invasion Attack 2014. During it, Bullet Club members the Young Bucks repeatedly tried to interfere on Devitt's behalf, but during this, he had a change of heart, [[LeaveHimToMe refusing their aid]] to the point that they attacked him. Renouncing his evil ways, he continued the match with Ryusuke and ended up on the losing end, resigning from both NJPW and the Bullet Club the next day.
84	* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: How his matches with Wrestling/LowKi tended to play out, likely on account of both being in RISE.
85	* JapaneseRanguage: He was the British Commonwealth Champion as Fergal Devitt. The origin of "Prince Devitt" comes from the fact it only has one r in it. Fergal Devitt has an r and an l in it, which made it difficult for Japanese speakers to pronounce (even though it's rarely stopped them before).
86	* LastNameBasis: In Japan, as elaborated on above.
87	* PowerStable: Has been in a few.
88	** Control Terrorism Unit (CTU)
89	** RISE
90	** His final year in New Japan was kicked off with the genesis of the Wrestling/BulletClub, with Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga.
91	* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite his run with Bullet Club lasting less than a year before he left NJPW for WWE, his influence on the course of the stable's and the company's history can be felt nearly five years following his departure. The foundation he created for Bullet Club with its Kliq-style covenant motif enabled Wrestling/AJStyles to seamlessly step into the front seat the same night he departed and complete the dream of BC winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on its official one-year anniversary. The camaraderie, cool T-shirt, and general badass antics of the Club, all of which were established by Devitt and his friends, combined with the high-profile presence of Styles in his stead, made them a worldwide phenomenon so powerful that taking the name of Bullet Club as a cash cow became a central part of Wrestling/KennyOmega and Wrestling/TheYoungBucks' "world-changing" agenda when it was time for Styles and The Good Brothers to leave; and even after The Elite's antics became too much to be sustainable within the group's core values, rather than dying out or letting them fully absorb the title of Bullet Club, the core members he started with were able to band together and hatch a successful plan to take The Club back. The biggest seed of Devitt's influence, however, would come where Wrestling/JayWhite, the young man who tagged with Devitt once in the United Kingdom and impressed him so much that The Prince got Jay in touch with Bad Luck Fale to bring him into NJPW, would step forward and take his place at the front of Bullet Club as the culmination of both the BCOG/Firing Squad scheme and White's personal mission to sabotage rival faction CHAOS. White would then bring the same IWGP Heavyweight Championship back to Bullet Club in short order, winning it from Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi just over a month after Tanahashi claimed the title from a departing Omega, validating his ascent as The Club's true weapon of choice to succeed Devitt after Styles. And Devitt responded by Tweeting his name and wearing the same color ring gear as him. This has only strengthened with the addition of KENTA at the end of the 2019 G1 tour; see the Finn Bálor folder for the significance of that.
92	* TagTeam: [[RepetitiveName Prince Prince]] with Minoru Tanaka as a heel in RISE. Apollo 55 with Ryusuke Taguchi as a face in New Japan.
93	* TheLoad: After his FaceHeelTurn which saw him join Control Terrorism Unit, Devitt went on a losing streak that gave the rest of CTU second thoughts about picking him up. However, [[Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger Jushin Liger]] gave him a chance to redeem himself in a TagTeam match and considered Devitt worthy after scored the winning pinfall on Wataru Inoue.
94	* TheWorfEffect: Purposefully applied it to himself in NWA Ireland and UK Hammerlock to put over his student, Adam Abz.
95	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Turned on his tag partner, Ryusuke Taguchi. Came back full circle on his last night with New Japan.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder: As Finn Bálor]]
99	* ArchEnemy:
100	** On NXT, he has Wrestling/SamoaJoe, they have main-evented two NXT Takeover shows in a row in brutal matches over the NXT Championship after Joe turned heel on Finn.
101	** Wrestling/BrayWyatt in summer 2017. They continued the feud in the summer of 2019 after Wyatt brings the new gimmick The Fiend.
102	** Wrestling/BaronCorbin after becoming Constable on RAW.
103	** Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre in fall 2018.
104	** Wrestling/BobbyLashley post Wrestling/RoyalRumble 2019.
105	** Wrestling/JohnnyGargano and Damian Priest since his return to NXT.
106	** Wrestling/RomanReigns since his return to [=SmackDown=].
107	** Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} since becoming the leader of The Judgment Day.
108	** Wrestling/SethRollins seven years in the making from 2016 for vengeance from losing the Universal Championship via injury to going after the World Heavyweight Championship.
109	* BashBrothers: Joined NXT to help Hideo Itami against the Ascension. The two tagged together and wrestled as singles until Itami was injured.
110	* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: The Ascension's entire gimmick revolves around being an unstoppable force of violence that physically and mentally destroy everyone placed in front of them. Starting from the moment he debuted, Finn not only overmatched their physical aggression, but thoroughly freaked them out with his epic entrance at ''[=TakeOver=] 3: R-Evolution''.
111	* BigDamnHeroes: He made his debut saving Hideo Itami from a two-on-one assault by The Ascension.
112	* BoringButPractical: His DeathFromAbove FinishingStomp. Not as flashy as most top-rope moves, but if it works he just planted his feet from 8-10 feet in the air right into the other guy's ribs (which, if done in a proper "shoot" way can actually ''break'' several ribs and cause potentially fatal internal injuries) and if the other guy rolls out of the way he'll just land on his feet instead of [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hurting himself]]. (For context; the frog splash, which was passed down from Art Barr to Wrestling/EddieGuerrero to Eddie's nephew Wrestling/{{Chavo\|GuerreroJr}} (among others), often sees its user do a straight-down senton to roll through smoothly as if they sensed the other guy was gonna move instead of actually doing the frog splash itself when it's meant to miss and hitting the mat up front.)
113	* ChainsawGood: Made his entrance at NXT Takeover in Dallas in his usual Demon get-up...[[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre wielding a chainsaw!]]
114	* CoupDeGrace: The name of his DeathFromAbove FinishingStomp. It's aptly named, as it's only utilized after Finn beats the tar out of his opponent and they can't dodge it (which they often do early in the match).
115	* CurbStompCushion: Had two such championship matches at big-four PPV events in 2019, where one man beat the other in a fairly short match but not without absorbing some vicious offense and knowing he was in a fight. The first time at ''Royal Rumble'' against Wrestling/BrockLesnar for the Universal Championship Finn targeted Brock's ribs due to his history with diverticulitis, but Brock ultimately recovered and beat him after an F5 in under ten minutes. The second time at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' against Wrestling/BobbyLashley for the Intercontinental Championship it was Lashley wearing yellow-eyed demon contacts who ferociously assaulted Demon King Bálor only to go down in a short match following a powerbomb from Bálor and a Coup de Grâce.
116	* DarkIsEvil: After averting this trope for five years, he underwent a FaceHeelTurn upon his return to NXT. Already a combination of dark leather and dangerous charm even without the Demon, Finn still shows additional vice as he's begun incorporating the classic villainous DeathGlare and finger gun pose in his entrance and mannerisms. This is also prominent with him being the new leader of The Judgment Day, he wears black and turned heel after taking over Edge's position as leader of the faction.
117	* DarkIsNotEvil: Pretty firmly a face for over five years, despite the fact that his Demon King entrance would make him look and act like something spawned from the deepest depths of Hell and his non-demon entrance borrowed quite a bit from his time as the pioneer of the very much villainous Bullet Club.
118	* DarkReprise: His entrance theme as leader of the Judgment Day, "I AM DANGER", is this to his previous theme "Catch Your Breath", with the upbeat orchestral rock tune being replaced with a slower EDM and brass tune with chanting choirs.
119	* {{Determinator}}: Definitely this from a character standpoint as he is a smaller guy that can take a surprising amount of punishment, face or heel. His increasingly lengthy record of working through some horrifying legit injuries to finish matches indicates that this is true of the man behind the gimmick as well.[[note]]Examples include: Separating his shoulder not long into his debut PPV match vs. Wrestling/SethRollins, an NXT Championship match against Kyle O'Reilly that saw his jaw broken in several places, and a Hell in a Cell match against Wrestling/{{Edge}} at Wrestlemania where he went into the match itself working through minor injuries and that was ''before'' Edge chucked a ladder at his head and split it open. In the latter case, he got staples ''mid-match'' to get to the finish.[[/note]]
120	* EndearinglyDorky: The primary purpose of the series of NXT's videos about his past seems to be for the deliberate purpose of getting Finn over as this. The man spends his free time making Lego structures.
121	* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
122	** In his NXT debut, he and [[Wrestling/KentaKobayashi Hideo Itami]] [[CurbStompBattle demolished]] The Ascension. And that was only the beginning.
123	** In his WWE Raw debut, he managed to win a four-man match and pin ''Wrestling/RomanReigns'' '''''clean''''', instantly becoming a #1 Contender for the WWE Universal Championship.
124	* FaceHeelTurn:
125	** Upon returning to NXT he attacked Wrestling/JohnnyGargano, leaving Wrestling/TommasoCiampa defenseless against Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra. Then as he left, he gave his old Bullet Club gun taunt. His past has become his future indeed.
126	** In 2022 after Wrestling/HellInACell, Balor joined The Judgement Day with Damian Priest and Wrestling/RheaRipley... but not Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}}. Rather than submit to The Iconoclast's leadership, he convinced them to betray Edge, once again taking point as the unspoken leader of equals.
127	%%* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
128	* GoodIsNotSoft: Oh, Bálor can be a gentleman when he's not fighting, but that hellish face paint job? It's on purpose. He's deliberately tapping into the darkest depths of his mind to be as battle-minded as possible in big matches.
129	* TheHeavy: As a heel, he is this to The Judgment Day.
130	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Bálor is very good friends with fellow NXT wrestler, Wrestling/SamiZayn. So much so, many fans have fun {{Shipping}} the two of them together. But not only does Balor [[https://www.instagram.com/p/BBIoxFBtxhJ/ approve]] of fan-made images but even [[https://www.instagram.com/p/BByJZQANxk8/ indulges]] in it himself.
131	** He seems to have traded in Sami for Wrestling/SethRollins. The two of them have reblogged [[PortmanteauCoupleName Ballins]] fanart and, due to their shared interest in Crossfit, frequently take sweaty post-workout pics together.
132	* HopeSpot: In the main event of ''Extreme Rules 2021'', Finn, after getting speared by Roman Reigns through the barricade, [[HeroicSecondWind suddenly returns to life "supernaturally"]] and proceeds to destroy Roman. With the Usos already been taken care of, it looks like Roman's will lose his Universal Title. However, the top ropes suddenly collapsed when Finn was about to perform a Coup de Grâce, causing Finn to fall and his subsequent defeat.
133	* ItsAllAboutMe:
134	** After his comeback to NXT, Bálor started actively distancing himself from the Bálor Club, saying he was disappointed with how his career was turning out up to that point, and that he doesn't need the backpats from those who felt sorry about him. His new graphics feature either his stylized B logo crossed out or the title of "Prince" with the C crossed out. Despite this, he still occasionally wears Bálor Club trunks, hinting that the ties he's severing are between himself and the fans who he previously welcomed into Bálor Club.
135	** While the above is primarily meant towards the fanbase, stables haven't had much luck with Bálor either. His FaceHeelTurn itself was a prompt slamming of the door against DIY's attempts to form an alliance against The Undisputed Era by blindsiding Johnny Gargano and leaving Tommaso Ciampa defenseless. Then when The OC raided NXT, Finn came down and attacked Matt Riddle, one of their opponents that night, and shared Bullet Club gestures with AJ Styles... but they notably did not use the same gesture, Bálor's finger guns affirming his independence even at that moment, and he stood back smiling when Styles was attacked by Adam Cole. This led to teasing that Finn was on the same page with the Era, including antagonizing both Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee when they tried to come after Cole's NXT Championship. But when Cole finally let his guard down and attempted on his own to welcome Finn into the fold, he was met with a snap overhead kick to his dome piece as The Prince declared his own intentions to go after Cole's title.
136	** This also serves as one of the factors of the grudges he had on his opponents. He targeted Johnny Gargano to prove that he's not the "next Finn Bálor", and one of his points of ire heading into his second with Wrestling/KyleOReilly was that people were more focused on the fact that Kyle broke his jaw rather than Finn retaining despite his injury.
137	* JackTheRipoff: At ''[=TakeOver=] London'', Balor dresses up as the Ripper during his entrance.
138	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When tapping into his dark prince persona, he is arrogant, looks down on everyone on the roster, and is always in an ItsAllAboutMe attitude. However, never ''once'' he insulted the fans, and even if he did put them down, he never continues with it. This is one of the factors why he is still so beloved by them.
139	** It took a lot of effort, but he did come to acknowledge {{Worthy Opponent}}s like Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole.
140	* KickTheDog: In the aftermath of his match against Pete Dunne, [[spoiler: Adam Cole attacked both him and Kyle (a member of Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra just like Cole was). When they both regained consciousness, Finn gave Kyle a DeathGlare and told him to 'clean his own mess' before leaving Kyle alone in despair.]]
141	* KnightOfCerebus: His long-awaited FaceHeelTurn makes him this. With a great amount of arrogance, seriousness, and sadistic brutality, he brings a dark and sinister force that is similar to when he becomes The Demon King, only this time, his very much human "prince" persona is the one giving that.
142	* LaserGuidedKarma: After returning to NXT, he turned heel by attacking Johnny Gargano, leaving him too injured to compete for weeks, and threatening him with worse, simply out of resentment over the fact Gargano and other wrestlers whom Finn considered soft had risen to prominence in his absence. Gargano returned nearly two months later during a title match between Finn and Adam Cole, distracting Finn long enough to cost him the match and then working him over with a chair to start his retribution.
143	* MarkedChange: Finn uses elaborate body paint to transform himself into a weird, pseudo-demonic monster thing. He only breaks it out for special shows and has only lost thrice when in demon form, against Samoa Joe in a steel cage match at ''NXT [=TakeOver=]: The End'', to Roman Reigns in an Extreme Rules match at ''Extreme Rules 2021'', and against Edge in a Hell in a Cell match at ''Wrestlemania 39''.
144	* TheMentor:
145	** The fact that he had a hand in training Wrestling/BeckyLynch is usually referenced in WWE television, being portrayed as LikeBrotherAndSister and having them sometimes exchange ideas in segments backstage.
146	** Also taught NXT UK's Jordan Devlin (later renamed to JD [=McDonagh=]). The two had a well-received match at the first NXT UK Takeover event in Blackpool and this was referenced on commentary, and years later Bálor vouched for his protégé to join the Judgment Day.
147	* MrFanservice: There's no getting around it — the man is unbelievably pretty. His NXT and main roster entrance (when not painted) has him coming out in a leather jacket and flashing it open in time to his music. Ostensibly it's to show off the title belt; realistically, everyone's just staring at his abs.
148	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Inflicts this on Seth Rollins in 6/19/23 Raw leading to not one, not two, but ''THREE'' Coup de Grâce!
149	* OlderHeroVersusYoungerVillain: Most of his second NXT title run, naturally, has seen the near-40-year-old Bálor swatting away challenges from significantly younger competition. Conversely, one of The Judgment Day's mission statements is to humiliate legendary veterans of past eras such as Edge and Rey Mysterio, feeling as though they're leeching onto the current generation for the final scraps of glory.
150	* PhraseCatcher: Whenever Wrestling/DominikMysterio can't get a word in edgewise due to the fans' raucous boos during a Judgment Day promo.
151	--> '''Finn:''' Oi! Let him speak!
152	* PlatonicLifePartners: He and Bayley have a lot of ShipTease moments since NXT to the point they are portrayed as SickeninglySweethearts when they are partnered together in ''Mixed Match Challenge'' season 2.
153	* PowerStable: [[Wrestling/BulletClub Of course]], it's Bálor Club. Later, Wrestling/TheJudgmentDay.
154	* RememberTheNewGuy: Unlike what happened to Hideo Itami (FKA KENTA), the announcers at NXT talked at length about Prince Devitt's indy credentials without ever recognizing that he had once been known as Prince Devitt... up until they did a retrospective of his career in the lead-up to WWE's tour to Japan, where he is, of course, famous as Prince Devitt.
155	** Invoked this on his [[Wrestling/TheJudgmentDay own stable]] in the form of JD [=McDonagh=], who was introduced suddenly in 2023 as a longtime friend of Balor's, who implicitly wanted to join the group.[[note]]This is actually a [[MythologyGag reference to Jordan Devlin having been one of Devitt's wrestling students years ago.]][[/note]] [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Given that he's a main roster rookie whom Balor doesn't seem to have mentioned at all before this point, the rest of the group doesn't welcome him as readily.]]
156	* PyrrhicVictory: His original Universal Championship win and defense of his second NXT Championship both saw him win the match but suffer legit injuries in the process. In the first case, he had to vacate the title, while in the second, he was on the shelf for several weeks with a broken jaw.
157	* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun[=/=]UrExample: Whatever his position on the card might have turned into later, he was the very first WWE Universal Champion. No amount of rollercoaster booking can take that away from him, and for what it's worth, the RAW commentary team won't let anyone forget it, either.
158	* SplitPersonality: He himself describes the normal Finn Bálor and demon-paint Finn Bálor (or simply "the Demon") as being two different people.
159	* SuperMode: Though it certainly resembles a OneWingedAngel. {{Fanon}} dictates that he partially transforms into a demon or is calling upon hell directly for strength.
160	* ThisMeansWarPaint: When it comes time for a big match, Bálor paints his body, giving him a demonic appearance.
161	* TooAwesomeToUse: Apparently [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTHWfslUQFw this is the reason Finn hasn't used his Demon bodypaint in so long]]; Vince [=McMahon=] thinks it needs to be saved for only the most special occasions (Finn didn't even pull it out at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 34'') to make it all the more special when he does, with the implication that it will actually make him almost unbeatable. Most fans have agreed that this is the right decision.
162	* WithUsOrAgainstUs: As the leader of The Judgment Day, he tries to invoke this on Cody Rhodes during the last Raw before the 2023 WWE Draft.
163	-->'''Finn:''' You're either with The Judgment Day or you're against The Judgment Day.
164	* WorthyOpponent:
165	** Wrestling/SethRollins has become one for him after their match at ''Summerslam 2016''. Finn doesn't hold a grudge against Rollins for putting him on the shelf for 9 months, instead looking forward to each bout they have. Their matches/teamups against The Miz leading up to Wrestlemania 34 made this fairly explicit.
166	** Wrestling/BraunStrowman seems to see him as one following their match on Raw on 21st May 2018. After Finn loses to the Monster Among Men, Braun lifts Finn up before putting him in the corner of the ring, allowing Finn to catch his breath.
167	** The one wrestler in NXT that Finn seems to respect is Wrestling/KyleOReilly, both before and ''after'' Kyle broke Finn's jaw at ''Takeover 31''. Finn states in multiple interviews that Kyle is someone who causes him to up his game and relish their matches, but this only resulted in him getting payback at ''New Year's Evil'' and hurting Kyle in return.
168	** Wrestling/AdamCole also earned some of Finn's respect through their various contests over the NXT Championship, with one or the other always managing to throw in a gesture referencing the fact that both were once part of Bullet Club. While this relationship started acrimoniously with Cole's attempt to recruit Bálor to Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra as heels, his bouts with Adam and Kyle after UE started taking a more honorable slant to their actions made the faction as a whole seem like this to him...until Adam Cole himself promptly shattered it like a child by blindsiding Bálor with a superkick and then collapsing the group to attack O'Reilly.
169	[[/folder]]

Context Wrestling / FergalDevitt