Finn Bálor

At 42 years old, Finn Bálor has this physical status:

Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler better known by the ring name Finn Balor.

He has signed WWE, where he appears on the NXT brand. Devitt is best known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he competed for the title three times with Minoru and four times with Ryusuke Taguchi.

He has been a two-time champion of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in 2010, and 2013, as well as being a founding member and the original head of the Bullet Club team.

Devitt competed at the Mexican Universidad de Lucha Libre (CMLL), winning the NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion for the first time.

Bálor also competed for a number of independent promotions, beginning with the NXT, a one-time RPW British Cruiserweight Champion, and a two-time NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, becoming a one-time NXT champion and a two-time NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, with his tenure spanning two decades (although WWE acknowledges it at 293).

During his time in NXT, Bálor became the first co-winner of the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Samoa Joe.

Bálor became the first wrestler in WWE history to win a world championship in their pay-per-view debut, as well as becoming the first wrestler to win a world championship at 27 days following his main roster debut in SummerSlam 2016.

Early life

Fergal Devitt was born in Bray, County Wicklow, on July 25, 1981, and the son of Leonie and Fintan Devitt. He has one older sibling and three younger siblings. He attended St. Cronan's School in Bray. He competed in association football and Gaelic football before deciding to become a professional wrestler. When growing up, he loved watching World of Sport and WWF (now WWE) shows and was a fan of the British Bulldogs, Shawn Michaels, Mr. Rick Rude, Savio Vega, and Koko B. Ware are among the many things that make this amazing.

Personal life

In a private celebration in Tulum on August 19, Devitt married Mexican sports journalist Vero Rodro. During an interview at the UEFA Champions League final in June, the two couples announced their friendship in June, and Devitt proposed to Rodrez the following day. They live in Orlando, Florida.

Devitt is the first black belt in IBF submission wrestling. Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Tama Tonga, and Dru Onyx are all good friends. He is a huge Lego enthusiast and collector, and has used face and body paint inspired by comic book characters to fight. He is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur FC, an English football team.

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Professional wrestling career

Devitt made his professional wrestling debut on November 23, 2001, after being trained at NWA UK Hammerlock. He took the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship with a snap. After graduating, his wrestling career began quickly, and he began touring Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Devitt and Paul Tracey founded NWA Ireland in mid-2002, which was his first wrestling promotion based in Ireland. As both promoted under the NWA banner, the promotion quickly became the NWA UK Hammerlock sister group. Becky Lynch, a future WWE competitor, was trained by Devitt as part of NWA Ireland.

Devitt defeated Dru Onyx for his second British Commonwealth title on October 8, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the NWA 57th Anniversary Exhibition. Both participants were ferried to the New Japan Inoki Dojo in Santa Monica, California, to train. Devitt joined the Millennium Wrestling Federation in late 2005 (MWF). On November 5th, he made his debut in a triple threat match at Soul Survivor III, battling for the MWF Television Championship against champion Eddie Edwards and R. J. Brewer. In a match against Osiris, he made his television debut on the November edition of MWF Ultra. After impressing many promoters and coaches, he was invited to train in Tokyo's most popular dojo, where he began training in the Japanese style of professional wrestling in early 2006. In March 2006, he lost the British Commonwealth Championship to Karl Anderson.

Devitt competed in "Reclaim the Glory" tournament for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), which was to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion in June 2007. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) had been governing the championship for many years, but NWA's 2007 deal with TNA was terminated. Devitt defeated Australian wrestler Mikey Nicholls in the first round, but Bryan Danielson fell in the second round to Bryan Danielson.

Devitt signed New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in March 2006, the day after losing the British Commonwealth Championship. Prince Devitt was his first NJPW debut against El Samurai in April 2006. In an interview with PowerSlam Mag, Devitt later stated that New Japan renamed Prince Devitt because no one in Japan could say his precise name. When people started questioning why the 24-year-old would be a king soon, he was supposed to be King David. Prince Devitt came up later, a name Devitt himself preferred. Devitt was sent to the Wrestle Land brand in May 2006, debuting under a mask as the second Pegasus Kid, resulting in comparisons between Devitt and Chris Benoit, the original Pegasus Kid.

He began competing as his Prince Devitt identity during his tour of New Japan in late August and early September, utilizing an Irish superstar gimmick. He eventually turned heel and began working with the Control Terrorism Unit (CTU) in an apprentice-type role. While working with CTU, he started a losing streak, enrageing his coworkers to the point that they no longer wanted to do with him. He had one last chance on October 6th, where he rose to the occasion and impressed his CTU colleagues well enough to keep their friendship with them. Devitt teamed with CTU president Jushin Thunder Liger to face Wataru Inoue and Ryusuke Taguchi to solidify his place in the stable. Devitt was the one to make the final cover on Inoue following a tumultuous brainbuster, which was a big surprise. He was officially accredited as a member of the CTU from then on.

His momentum was stifled in January 2007 after he sustained a serious knee injury, excluding him from in-ring action in New Japan until early May of this year. Following the injury, he returned to action, displaying strong growth and being praised by fellow CTU teammate Minoru as the next winner of the 2007 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Devitt, however, earned no points and was suspended early from the tournament when the tournament was held in June 2007. Devitt and Minoru joined the new RISE stable after CTU's folding in August 2007, establishing "Prince Prince" as a reference to both Devitt's ring name and Minoru's nickname, "Black Prince." TNA wrestlers Senshi and Christopher Daniels defeated Devitt and Minoru in November 2007, TNA's first trip to Japan in November 2007.

Devitt and Minoru won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 27, 2008, marking Devitt's first major tag title appearance. They lost the championship to Akira and Jyushin Thunder Liger in February and then regained the title on July 21. They lost the championship to No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) in October after a near three-month reign.

Devitt competed for Apollo 55 (Aporo G. G), and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships were won by Devitt, who teamed with Ryusuke Taguchi on July 5, 2009 (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) and defeated the New Japan Soul's (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) on July 5, 2009 (Japan) on Saturday. Devitt qualified for the 2009 Best of the Super Juniors tournament on May 30th. Devitt advanced to the semifinals after winning his block in the tournament's round-robin stage, defeating Kota Ibushi. Devitt was defeated by Koji Kanemoto in the tournament's finals. Devitt became the 2009 Super J-Cup in December. Devitt was once more disqualified in the finals of the tournament after defeating Atsushi Aoki, Danshoku Dino, and Yamato, this time by Naomichi Marufuji. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship was successfully defended by Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome, Devitt, and Taguchi on January 4, 2010 against Averno and ltimo Guerrero. Devitt and Taguchi were stripped of the title on April 21 after not opposing them for 30 days. The two teams entered the Super J Tag Tournament on May 8th in an effort to regain the title, but the team of El Samurai and Koji Kanemoto defeated the team in the finals.

Devitt won the 2010 Best of the Super Juniors tournament on May 30th and finished second in his block two weeks later, advancing to the tournament's semifinals. Devitt first defeated Taiji Ishimori in the semifinals and then Kota Ibushi in the finals on June 13 to win the tournament and guarantee a spot at Naomichi Marufuji's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Devitt won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time on June 19th at Dominion 6.19. Devitt, Taguchi, and Hirooki Goto won the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament, defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi, TAJIRI, and Kushida in the finals 11 days later. Devitt defeated Pro Wrestling Noah's Atsushi Aoki in his first competitive Junior Heavyweight Championship title defense on July 11th. Devitt and Taguchi won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the second time as a team just over a week ago. Devitt entered the G1 Climax, New Japan's biggest tournament of the year, as a substitute for the injured Naomichi Marufuji. Devitt won four out of seven matches in the tournament's round-robin phase, including a major victory over former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, but he finished fifth in his block and missed out by a single point. Devitt won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on September 3rd, defeating DDT Pro-Wrestling representative Kenny Omega, who lost on November 11, 2012. Omega and Kota Ibushi, the Golden Lions' collectively, returned to Destruction '10 on October 11th and defeated Devitt and Taguchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

Devitt's third good IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defense came against Davey Richards, another New Japan outsider. Devitt defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2011, venging the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match. Devitt and Taguchi, a joint venture of New Japan and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), co-promoted an event in Tokyo on January 23rd, making Devitt and Taguchi the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship champion for the second time. Devitt continued his streak of defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against New Japan strangers, when he successfully defended the title against Taka Michinoku on 20 February and Kushida on March 19th. Devitt competed in the Invasion Tour 2011, New Japan's first tour of the United States, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Low Ki on May 14 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, against the Strong Style Thugz (Homicide and Low Ki). Devitt qualified for the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors tournament on May 26. Devitt was on a seven match winning streak to finish first in his block in the tournament's round-robin stage after losing his first match against Davey Richards. Devitt's own tag team partner, Ryusuke Taguchi, was kicked out of the tournament in the semifinals on June 10th. Devitt lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Best of the Super Juniors winner Kota Ibushi on June 18th, ending his reign at 364 days.

Devitt, Taguchi, and Hirooki Goto won their second J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament in a row on June 23 by defeating Giant Bernard, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Karl Anderson in the finals of the three-day tournament. Devitt had his rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Rygoku Peter Pan 2011, but he was unable to regain the trophy from Ibushi on July 24. This culminated in a match between Apollo 55 and the Golden Lovers on August 14, where the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship was successfully defended by the latter. Apollo 55 defeated Taichi and Taka Michinoku on September 11th to win their seventh IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship defense, setting a record for most defenses in a single reign. When Kota Ibushi was forced to leave 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. Devitt won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time on September 19th. Devitt and Taguchi suffered the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to the No Remorse Corps on October 10th, 11 to the No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards and Rocky Romero). Devitt's second successful title defense of his second IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship appearance, defeating Taka Michinoku and then winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, Davey Richards, in his second defense on December 4th. Devitt's third IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship defense took place on December 23ro defeated the other half of No Remorse Corps, Rocky Romero. Wrestle Kingdom VI, in Tokyo Dome, Devitt, and Taguchi defeated Richards and Romero to once more regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, starting Devitt's undefeated sixth appearance as one half of the champions. In their first defense, Apollo 55 defeated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at The New Beginning on February 12th. Devitt won his fourth successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on March 10th, resulting in a match between him and Davey Richards on March 10th.

Devitt began visiting Mexico on March 14 for his first tour of the country with the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre promotion as part of a New Japan-CMLL working relationship. Devitt made his CMLL debut on March 23rd, teaming with Marco Corleone and Rush in a six-man tag team main event, where they met Mephisto, ltimo Guerrero, and Volador Jr. for the win. Devitt defeated Volador Jr. on March 30 to become the newest NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion. Devitt lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Low Ki in his fifth appearance, his second in his second tenure at 227 days, on May 3rd. Devitt qualified for the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors tournament on May 27th, beginning with defeats against Kushida and Taichi. Devitt bounced back from five out of six remaining matches, including a victory over Jushin Thunder Liger in the tournament's final round robin match on June 9th, where he finished second and advance to the semifinals of the tournament. Devitt was disqualified from the tournament by Low Kiose on the following day. Devitt won his first defender of the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship on July 8th. On July 29, he defeated former champion Volador Jr. in a rematch in the main event of a New Japan tournament in Korakuen Hall for his second successful title defense. Devitt returned to Mexico on September 12th for another tour with CMLL. Devitt played his first match back in CMLL two days later, when Rojo, Atlantis, and Mstico II were defeated in a six-man tag team match fought by Dragón Rojo Jr., Negro Casas and ltimo Guerrero, when Rojo pinned Devitt for victory. Devitt was pinned by Rojo in a six-man tag team match on September 21st, where he competed with Blue Panther and La Sombra to face Rojo, Mr. guila and Taichi. Devitt then accepted Rojo's challenge for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship. Devitt lost the title to Rojo on September 28, ending his reign at 182 days.

Devitt returned to New Japan on October 8th, as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Low Ki was facing him in a championship match after he had regained the title from Kota Ibushi. Apollo 55 defeated Chaos World Wrestling Warriors (Brian Kendrick and Low Ki) in their first round match on October 21st, 2011. Devitt and Taguchi defeated the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero, on November 2nd to advance to the tournament's finals, where they were defeated by the Time Splitters later the same day. Devitt defeated Low Ki for the third time on November 11th in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Devitt defeated Low Ki and Kota Ibushi in a rare three-way match in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2013 for his first good defense of the title. Devitt accepted a challenge by his tag teammate, Ryusuke Taguchi, following his victory. Devitt won the big game on February 3rd when he defeated reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi in a tag team match, where he and Karl Anderson defeated Tanahashi and Taguchi. Devitt defeated Taguchi at The New Beginning, his second strong defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Devitt main celebrated New Japan's 41st anniversary by defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi in a non-title match on March 3rd. Devitt began portraying a more cocky and villainous persona after the tragedy, with the exception of Ryusuke Taguchi, who refused to go along with his new attitude. Devitt defeated Alex Shelley in his third successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on April 5th. Apollo 55 unsuccessfully challenged Time Splitters for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship two days later, after which Devitt returned to Taguchi, bringing an end to the two teams' long-term friendship, and debuting Bad Luck Fale as his new "bouncer" and also referred to himself as "Real Rocknrolla."

Devitt and Fale defeated Taguchi and Captain New Japan in a tag team match on May 3rd at Wrestling Dontaku 2013. Devitt and Fale were joined by Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga later in the case for an assault on Hiroshi Tanahashi. The new group was subsequently referred to as "Bullet Club." Devitt won his block with a clean track of eight victories on May 24th, 2013 Best of the Super Juniors, although he did win his matches with outside help from his Bullet Club stablemates. Devitt first defeated Kenny Omega in the semifinals and then Alex Shelley in the finals on June 9th to win his second Best of the Super Juniors. Devitt defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, while simultaneously naming his next target: becoming the first wrestler to hold both the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight Championships simultaneously.

Devitt defeated Tanahashi with support from Bullet Club on June 22nd, his first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championships. Devitt's resurgent IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada accepted Devitt's challenge for his title on condition that he first defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Chaos stablemate Gedo later in the tournament. Devitt defeated Gedo in his fourth title defense on July 5th, advancing to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Okada. Despite opposition from the rest of Bullet Club, Okada defeated Devitt to keep his title in the title match between the two teams on July 20th. Devitt won the main event of the 2013 G1 Climax on August 1st. Fale was aided by Fale. Despite three other big victories over former IWGP Heavyweight Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Satoshi Kojima, and Togi Makabe, Devitt continued to lose, posting a record of five wins and four losses. Devitt and Tanahashi's rivalry culminated in a Lumberjack Deathmatch on September 29th, where Tanahashi was victorious.

Devitt entered a new rivalry with Togi Makabe, who was instrumental in him losing the Lumberjack Deathmatch. Devitt, however, met his new challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with recent NJPW signee Kota Ibushi pledging him a tag team match against Power Struggle, where he and Bad Luck Fale were defeated by Ibushi and Makabe on 9 November. Devitt and Fale competed in the 2013 World Tag League, winning three victories and three losses, with a loss to newly promoted Captain New Japan and Hiroshichi Tanahashi on the final day, guaranteeing them a spot in the semifinals from 23 November to December 7.

Devitt's fourteen-month tenure as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion came to an end when he lost the title to Kota Ibushi in his fifth defense on January 4, 2014. Devitt fought the entire match in full face and body paint, which he continued to use for the remainder of his NJPW matches. Devitt was struck on the following day by returning Ryusuke Taguchi, who had been hospitalized with an illness for the previous seven months, reigniting the rivalry between the two former lovers. Devitt defeated Taguchi in a singles grudge match on April 6th, one year after the break-up of Apollo 55. Devitt begged The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), the two newest members of Bullet Club, not to interfere in the match, which culminated in them turning on them. Taguchi defeated Devitt in the end, putting an end to the two guys' rivalry against each other. Devitt resigned from the promotion the following day.

Devitt was reported to have signed WWE and will join NXT, then the promotion's geographic area, after obtaining a visa. Devitt's signing was officially announced by WWE on July 28th, announcing that he would report to NXT on the same day. Finn Bálor, derived from Irish mythological figures Fionn mac Cumhaill and Balor, was revealed to be the king of Finn Bálor on September 24 (the latter is also Gaelic for "Demon King")). Bálor made his NXT debut on the next day, assisting Hideo Itami against The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor). He and Itami defeated Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd in their debut match on October 23. Bálor and Itami defeated them at NXT Takeover: R Evolution on December 11, where he also introduced his signature body paint, after feuding with The Ascension. Bálor then advanced to the NXT Championship number one contender's tournament, beating Curtis Axel in the first round, Itami in the semi-finals, and Adrian Neville in the finals at NXT TakeOver: Rival. On March 25, Bálor lost their championship match against Kevin Owens, but was dissatisfied.

Since defeating Tyler Breeze in the NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, Bálor received another title shot against Owens and at The Beast in Tokyo, Japan, where they defeated Owens and Pálor to win the NXT Championship. On Saturday, Bálor defeated Owens in a ladder competition to keep the title at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Bálor later joined the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament in August, working with Samoa Joe and defeating The Lucha Dragons in the first round, Enzo Amore and Scott Dawson in the semi-finals, and Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the finals at NXT Takeover: Respect to win the tournament. Bálor defended the NXT Championship against Apollo Crews on November 4th, but the game came to a no contest after Baron Corbin interfered, attacking both men. Joe came out and chased Corbin away before turning on Bálor and attacking him, igniting a feud between the two teams. At NXT TakeOver: Bálor defeated Joe to keep the title. In a rematch with Joe, NXT Takeover: Dallas, Bálor, retained the NXT Championship on April 1st. Bálor's longest-serving NXT champion in history (the record was recently broken by Adam Cole in 2020) by beating Neville's previous record of 287 days. On April 21, Bálor lost the NXT Championship to Joe at a live event in Lowell, Massachusetts, bringing an end to his reign at 292 days. In the first NXT steel cage match ever fought in a rematch for the NXT Championship, Bálor lost to Joe, his first Takeover loss and then his first defeat under his "Demon" persona. On July 30, Bálor faced Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe in his last NXT match.

Bálor was drafted as the fifth overall pick in the 2016 WWE draft on July 19, 2016, later announcing that he should have been the first pick. He made his first appearance on Raw on July 25th (on his 35th birthday), where he defeated Rusev, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens first in a deadly four-way match and then defeated Roman Reigns, who had won the right to compete for the newly established WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Bálor won his first world title at SummerSlam, defeating Seth Rollins to become the inaugural Universal Champion and debut his first world title. Since then, WWE reported that he sustained a shoulder injury during the match, and that an MRI revealed a labrum tear that would necessitated surgery, which was successful. Because of this, Raw General Manager Mick Foley announced on Twitter that Bálor will be resurrecting his recently won WWE Universal Championship due to his injury after just 22 hours of being on the field. Although recovering from his injury, Bálor will appear at the WWE Network-exclusive United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

On February 22, 2017, Bálor returned to NXT to assist Shinsuke Nakamura, who had been outnumbered by Andrade "Cien" Almas and Bobby Roode. Bálor returned to action in a live match on Wednesday, defeating Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Triple H. Bálor, who teamed with Chris Jericho and Sami Zayn to defeat Owen Owens, Samoa Joe, and Triple H. Bálor made his television debut on March 10th, where he teamed with Seth Rollins as the two defeated Owens and Joe in a tag team battle on a tag team match on Thursday. Bálor will win over Jinder Mahal and Curt Hawkins over the coming weeks, while Bray Wyatt sent an alert and confronting Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Bálor defeated Bálor in a thrilling five-way extreme rules match on Thursday to determine the top contender for Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship, which Bálor lost after being barred from Samoa Joe's Coquina Clutch.

Bálor began a rivalry with Elias in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, after he mistakenly interrupted one of his performances. Elias defeated Bálor after interference from Bray Wyatt, resulting in a No Disqualification match between the two teams. This resulted in a match between the two teams, where Wyatt was able to win by a narrow margin over Bálor. Both teams clashed in a rematch at SummerSlam, where Bálor restored his "Demon King" role and defeated Wyatt. The feud between the two groups lasted for several months, culminating in another clash at No Mercy, where Bálor beat Wyatt once more. At TLC, the two were also due to face each other in a rematch between Bálor's "Demon King" and Wyatt's "Sister Abigail," but Wyatt was later disqualified from the competition, but AJ Styles took over, and not a rematch. Despite beating Styles, the two men displayed mutual admiration and waved the "Too Sweet" hand symbol to each other after the match. Bálor was a participant in the Survivor Series's November 2005 battle, but his team was eventually victorious.

In a six-man tag team match on January 1, 2018, Raw, Bálor's Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson teamed with Elias and The Miz Touareg (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas). The threesome reunited and formed "Bálor Club" the following week, an homage to their former stable. They defeated Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns and Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan in a six-man tag team match on Friday. On January 28, Bumbleton's first Royal Rumble match at number 2 lasted over 57 minutes and excluding four participants before being disqualified by John Cena. Bálor played in an Elimination Chamber match at the namesake pay-per-view, where he finished second, but Braun Strowman eliminated him second. Bálor's Short Bálor Bárn started a short feud with The Miz and Seth Rollins over the Intercontinental Championship, resulting in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 34 (also Bálor's Wrestlemania debut) in which Rollins claimed the title. Bálor has been unsuccessfully competing for the Intercontinental Championship in a tumultuous four-way ladder match against Rollins, Miz, and Samoa Joe three weeks later. Bálor took part in a Money in the Bank ladder match in June, but Braun Strowman took the game eventually.

Bálor was embroiled in a feud with Baron Corbin, whom he defeated twice before he lost in July (at the Extreme Rules event) and August (at the SummerSlam festival under his "Demon King" persona), as a result of the money in the Bank's pay-per-view. Bálor was finally recognized with his Universal Championship rematch against recently crowned champion Roman Reigns on August 20th, but he was unsuccessful in regaining the title one night after SummerSlam on August 20th. During the next few months, Bálor will face opponents such as Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley, and even Bálor himself in November. During that time, Bálor was announced as part of Team Raw, the traditional interbrand five-on-five elimination match at Survivor Series, in which he was the first man from the team to be disqualified by Rey Mysterio.

After interference by McIntyre's former ally, Dolph Ziggler, in a singles match on December 16th, Bálor claimed revenge against McIntyre. After the game, Ziggler would strike Bálor backstage after the latter claimed that he didn't need his help to defeat McIntyre. This sparked a match between the two teams on Raw the night before, which resulted in a no contest as McIntyre would face both of them. Raw, Bálor's third round tapings ended the feud on December 17th and McIntyre's last battle on December 17th. NXT UK Takeover: Bantu's Takeover (British Bank) vs. Blackpool, Bálor's replacement in his match against Jordan Devlin, although Devlin hit Banks earlier that day, beating Devlin later that day. After Braun Strowman was booted out of his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble after damaging Vince McMahon's limousine, Bálor was scheduled against Lesnar in a fatal four way match against whom Bálor defeated Lesnar on January 14th, in which Bálor emerged victorious after winning the title at the pay-per-view. Bálor was defeated by Lesnar via submission at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Lesnar struck Bálor with three F-5s after the match.

When discussing his death, Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush were interrupted by Lashley and Lio Rush, igniting a feud between the two teams on the 28th January episode. After Bálor pinned Rush, Bálor defeated Lashley and Rush in a two-on-one handicap match at the Elimination Chamber's pay-per-view on February 17th. Bálor defeated Lashley on Monday, when he lost the title to Lashley due to Rush's interference. Bálor defeated Lashley and Jinder Mahal in a handicap match on March 25 in a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 35. Bálor defeated Lashley 4-0 at WrestleMania and regained the Intercontinental Championship, with his "Demon" persona. In an impromptu title defense, Bálor defeated Sami Zayn the following night. He lost a non-title match to his debuting Andrade in the 16th edition of Raw after Zelina Vega interfered. Bálor travelled to SmackDown, making his debut in the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up series, defeating Ali in a non-title match in a non-title match. In a rematch against Andrade that was the following week, Bálor was victorious. Balor defended his title against Andrade under his "Demon" persona at Super Showdown. Bálor lost the championship to Shinsuke Nakamura on the Extreme Rules kick-off show. After his match, Bray Wyatt 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt assaulted Raw, Bálor" Bray Wyatt. Bálor was defeated by Wyatt in a singles match at SummerSlam.

Following Bálor's title defense against Matt Riddle in his first stint as a non-violent brand within WWE, Bálor returned to WWE coverage on October 2nd, confronting NXT Champion Adam Cole following the latter's title defense against Matt Riddle and a third international brand within WWE). When he aided The Undisputed Age in NXT, Bálor turned heel by injuring Johnny Gargano and attacking Tommaso Ciampa on October 23rd. Bálor initiated a feud with Matt Riddle in November, resulting in a match between the two teams being called NXT TakeOver: WarGames, in which Bálor emerged victorious. Following this, Bálor challenged Adam Cole for the NXT Championship on December 18, which he lost after a distraction from returning Johnny Gargano. Gargano met Bálor in a match at NXT Takeover: Portland on February 16, 2020, which Bálor won.

Bálor was supposed to face Velveteen Dream in the NXT episode on April 22, but an unknown attacker had knocked him out before he could leave his dressing room. Two weeks later, Bálor discovered a "snake hiding in the long grass behind him" and that whoever assaulted him needed a push. Bálor assured the audience that it would not be a push but rather a squash. Cameron Grimes became involved in an altercation later that night that culminated in a match between the two teams the following week. Damian Priest cost Bálor the game by using a nightstick behind the referee's back, and Priest Bálor later revealed that he was the one who beat Bálor three weeks earlier, putting the Bálor face anew. At Takeover: Bálor defeated Priest Bálor in Your House. Timothy Thatcher was defeated by NXT TakeOver Two months later in NXT TakeOver: XXX, Bálor defeated Timothy Thatcher.

Bálor defeated Adam Cole for the second time on September 8th at NXT: Super Tuesday II. Bálor's title defense against Kyle O'Reilly was a success at NXT TakeOver 31, Bálor made a fruitful title defense against him. He had broken his jaw during the game and was forced to have surgery. On the 9th episode of NXT, Borrowalor performed his return, where he was confronted by O'Reilly, Pete Dunne, Damian Priest, and Scarlett (on behalf of Karrion Kross). Balor would then win the championship in a rematch against O'Reilly at NXT: New Year's Evil. At NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day and Adam Cole respectively, he will defend the championship against Pete Dunne and Adam Cole, while others will defend it. Bálor lost the championship to Karrion Kross, ending his second stint in 212 days at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver. On the 25th May episode of NXT, Balor will face Kross in a rematch for the title but was disqualified. Bálor's final match in NXT will be decided after his rematch with Kross.

Bálor made his return on July 16th episode of SmackDown after a two-month absence from television. On two occasions, once at SmackDown and the second at Extreme Rules, he was disqualified. Bálor was recruited to the Raw brand, where he appeared in the King of the Ring tournament, but was disqualified in the finals by Xavier Woods at Crown Jewel. For the first time in his career, Bálor defeated Damian Priest on February 28, 2022 episode of Raw, Bálor defeated him to win the WWE World Championship for the first time in his career. Brazil will lose the United States Championship to Theory on April 18, bringing an end to his reign at 49 days.

On June 5th, Bálor teamed with AJ Styles and Liv Morgan to face The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) in a six-person mixed tag team match at Hell in a Cell, but lost. Edge introduced Bálor as the newest member of The Judgment Day for the first time on the main roster, but Bálor, Priest, and Ripley immediately assaulted Edge, effectively ending his Bálor's heel turn and cementing Bálor's heel turn.

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