Say Hello To Finn Balor

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

People who followed his career leading up to his WWE signing are obviously going to be pissed that his name was changed. But the name itself is not awful. "Dolph Ziggler" is a HORRIBLE name, yet nobody really seems to care, so I don't think "Finn Balor" is going to be any kind of detriment to the guy making it.

 

[DCLXVI]

Dolph actually came up with it... he said a friend suggested the name Ziggler and he liked the name Dolph... As far as Tera Ryzin, Triple H's trainer just gave him that name with no thought before his first match he says.

 

[Kidpolean]

Dolph actually came up with it... he said a friend suggested the name Ziggler and he liked the name Dolph... As far as Tera Ryzin, Triple H's trainer just gave him that name with no thought before his first match he says.

Dude people make the name...the name doesnt make the person

If a wrestler was introduced tomorrow with the name The Rock, people would laugh and make fun of it because it would make absolutely no sense and sound stupid. The Rock made his name work. Dolph Ziggler has made his name work, Daniel Bryan, which sounds like and employee at a law firm, made it work. Names are irrelevant. There has never been anyone that didn't make it because of their name. Stone Cold didn't succeed because of a name change, he did a complete gimmick change and was paired with one of the best heels of all time.

Finn will fail not because of his name but because he brings nothing special ,except for body paint, to the table. He SUCKS on the mic and wrestles like a robot. This is not hate. Devitt was actually my favorite non wwe wrestler. However, I understand that indy wrestling is far different from the wwe. He should have stayed in NJPW.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Dolph actually came up with it... he said a friend suggested the name Ziggler and he liked the name Dolph... As far as Tera Ryzin, Triple H's trainer just gave him that name with no thought before his first match he says.

Ziggler came up with his own name. Chris Hero came Kassius Ohno as well. KENTA came up with Itami. Are you guys not seeing the connection here?



*Hint* Devitt probably came up with this name on his own too.

I like it. Prince Devitt was a real douchey sounding name. Finn Balor is just a name, it isn't obnoxious like Dolph Ziggler or Michael Mcgillicutty. He'll actually have a fighting chance. Count your blessings and quit your bitching.

 

[Darkshadow1234]

The name sucks.
Having a name that stand out.
And good and catchy name is one reason for a wrestlers success.
Marketability.

Having a shitty won't get you far in the wrestling industry.

Devitt is a good wrestler.
But he should of stayed in japan.

 

[Darkshadow1234]

Dude people make the name...the name doesnt make the person

If a wrestler was introduced tomorrow with the name The Rock, people would laugh and make fun of it because it would make absolutely no sense and sound stupid. The Rock made his name work. Dolph Ziggler has made his name work, Daniel Bryan, which sounds like and employee at a law firm, made it work. Names are irrelevant. There has never been anyone that didn't make it because of their name. Stone Cold didn't succeed because of a name change, he did a complete gimmick change and was paired with one of the best heels of all time.

Finn will fail not because of his name but because he brings nothing special ,except for body paint, to the table. He SUCKS on the mic and wrestles like a robot. This is not hate. Devitt was actually my favorite non wwe wrestler. However, I understand that indy wrestling is far different from the wwe. He should have stayed in NJPW.

Having a good and catchy name can make or break a wrestler.
Having a shitty name won't get you far. Its the truth.

I respectfully disagree.

Prince is a very good wrestler..
wrestles better than 90% of the roster.
Never hear him on the mic
But he prob isnt so bad.

They arent many people with good mic skills on the current roster

 

[Mudlup50]

On SVU there is a character referred to as Fin(Ice T's character) so I already connect it as a strong name, personally. As others have said the name doesn't make the wrestler, someone could debut tomorrow as Satan or Bob Belcher, it just depends how they're used and what they do. Think about all the name changes Kane used in the last 2-3 years? What's the difference between corporate Kane and demon Kane? Yea he uses the mask sometimes but it's the same guy under the name.

I'd also like to mention on the list of dumb names:Bryan Danielson changing his name to Daniel Bryan...like that's just lazy. The son at the end made him sound stronger and that's what he dropped.

Hulk Hogan sounds tough because he has Hulk at the front(the Incredible Hulk is a comic book character/movie-star) to someone who asked how his gimmick revolves around his name.

To the Edge name debate, I don't think Edge sounds tough at all. When I hear Edge I think the band U2..so. Same with Sting, I think the Police.

To the Rock debate, wasn't Rocky the family tradition? Like his dad wrestled under the name Rocky also. Plus it has reference to the movie.

If the WWE was doing something like that today, they'd have to have like Drax or Slenderman. But even they don't have that level of appeal. The weird names stopped overall. What was the last band with a member with a name like Edge or Sting?


As I see some poster mention all the time, wrestling is angry bald dude versus less angry bald dude. My point, until we know his character we don't know if the name is an issue. And if it's such an issue the WWE will rebrand the guy like Bray Wyatt or Ryback. So let's relax

 

[DCLXVI]

He was Rocky "The Rock" Maivia and they just shortened it.

 

[DCLXVI]

I would also say I think Dolph Ziggler's name probably held him back some and took a hard time to warm to up to at first and I'm a fan... It's entertainment but just like a band - that's why you have a badass name to make people listen in the first place in the shuffle of a bunch of artists.

 

[DCLXVI]

Even comic books, you names ranging from Wolverine to Luke Cage to Deadpool... all cool names... look at the upgrade from "John Moxley" or whatever to "Dean Ambrose"... cool name.

 

[DCLXVI]

But then we have names like "Chris Benoit" or "Eddie Guererro" which were their real names but they made successful careers off wrestling ability... I'm also wondering why people can't use their real names anymore but were allowed to before. I guess it's the "major label marketing" that has been brought up. We shall see what happens.

EDIT: before I get stoned to death Eddie was great on the mic and segments.

 

[Navi]

I will hold judgement on it until I see him debut. If he has a good entrance theme, can pull it off in the ring, then I don't care.

Just be glad it isn't Clondus Purdle or something like that.

 

[ocekit]

I think it's a perfectly decent name myself. There's some cool mythology behind the name. In the end it's all about the total package and presentation. If he can give us some great in-ring action and some decent promos, then he'll be just fine.

Besides, if they feel later on that the name does for some reason hold him back, they can always change it or give him a cool-sounding nickname relating to his character's personality.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

The name sucks.
Having a name that stand out.
And good and catchy name is one reason for a wrestlers success.
Marketability.

Having a shitty won't get you far in the wrestling industry.

Devitt is a good wrestler.
But he should of stayed in japan.

Yeah, the names Ric Flair and Hunter Hearst Helmsley just roll off the tongue.

The wrestler makes the name not the other way around. Daniel Bryan is as plain as a name can get yet he got over. Why? Because fans loved him not the name.

The name itself is not too bad.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I hate it... but it could have been worse... and better...

Reality is these are "Leo Kruger" names, they probably will change or even revert before they make the main roster.... Finn Balor is crap as a wrestling name, but Finn is a "proper" Irish name (short for Finbar)...

It'd probably get dropped to Finn before long but for the live of me I can't see why Finn Prince wasn't ok...

Hideo will be KENTA when he steps up, it'll be a money move... Hideo won't sell to Japan but KENTA will...

Personally I am hoping against hope they let Steen keep his name, it fits him and I can't imagine another working...

But for all the hate, how many of us hated Seth Rollins over Tyler Black or Dean Ambrose over Jon Moxley? Devitt may well have picked the name himself, could be his grandad's name or more likely a nod to Fit Finlay, who is guaranteed to be an idol of Devitt... let him try it... we'll all still call him Prince at the end of it...just as KENTA will always still be chanted...

Damn... why didn't they call him "Prince" Finlay? even market him as a relative of Fit? Would have been seriously cool to have the two of them together...

 

[WarroBODFan]

For the people who don't like the name change, look at it this way. If Finn Balor was his indy name and it got changed to Prince Devitt, I think some people would hit the roof. The more I think about it, the more I like the Finn Balor name. I can just imagine a hot crowd chanting "FINN, FINN, FINN" when he's about to hit his finisher or something. Whatever his name is, people will support him, and those of us who've watched him in other promotions know he's the man. He'll be fine.

 

[capnwillie]

They're just names and it's business as usual for WWE to create aliases they can trademark and make exclusive in order to protect their brand. Devitt and KENTA are not big names in the US market, so it makes sense that the company would seek to package them with new names as they are essentially introducing them to the mainstream US market. Sometimes, exceptions are made. Ric Flair never had to have a WWE alias because he was the most well-known and popular wrestler outside of the WWE at the time. In fact, a lot of WCW and ECW wrestlers were allowed to keep their original names because they were too well-known to fans to try and start from scratch. Same can be said for CM Punk for that matter. I think there is actually a chance that Kevin Steen will be allowed to keep his name. It sounds good, he's got a big following (in the US) and has shown a lot of success with his own merchandising. Fight Steen Fight/Kill Steen Kill shirts are arguably the best-selling pieces of merchandise for any independent wrestler. WWE wouldn't want to squander the opportunity to capitalize on a ready-made slogan which just so happens to have the right cadence for a good chant.

But even if WWE changes his name, I'm sure he will be able to get over. Tyler Black and Jon Moxley are doing just fine as Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, PAC and Generico are making a good transition as Neville and Zayn and Bryan Danielson won the World Heavyweight title in the main event of Wrestlemania 30 as Daniel Bryan. So really, what's a name matter?

 

[Radical]

Don't like the new name. Don't like the wrestler's look either. Sorry.

When he debuted *spoilers* he didn't even have body paint on. He had black trunks. Bland and boring.

Finn Balor? I wish the name was more interesting.

Look at other guys in NXT that were given good new names:

Leo Kruger, for example, was a great name for the gritty 'big game hunter' character. Makes you think of Leo, like a lion and Kruger like Freddy Kruger. It's a solid name. Sadly, WWE didn't got with it on the main roster so they made him into a party dude. But the point is the name was better.

And even Sami Zayn. It's not El Generico, but since he's not wearing a mask Sami Zayn is a great name. Really fits him AND rolls off the tongue.

Adrian Neville works. It's no PAC, in fact, it's better. It's a name and it works for a British guy.

Tyler Breeze. Perfect. For a self-absorbed model/wrestler the name works perfect and is easy to say.

Kalisto. It's not Samurai Del Sol but is is a good alternative. It sounds pretty badass.


But these new names for KENTA and Devitt, not so good.

KENTA now known as Hideo Itami isn't too bad. I like Hideo more than Itami. Tajiri was an excellent name for that guy but it actually was his name so it can't be repeated better by anyone else. If Yoshi Tatsu had not been in WWE I think KENTA being known as Tatsu would be great. Tatsu is a strong sounding Japanese name and I think if he was a one-named wrestler before he should remain a one-named wrestler. Perhaps he will drop Hideo or Itami before he moves up to the main roster.

As for Devitt becoming Finn Balor. Just doesn't look good to me. They should have kept the random name generator rolling: Frankie Toxic, Zip Dressler, Drago Cross, even Devgar Frett could be better.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

At least its chantable..... FINN FINN FINN FINN

Althought it might not be the best name in the world he now needs to make it work .......

Maybe he needs to drop the last name and keep it to Finn? They seem to like doing that anyways at the E

 

[WarroBODFan]

Don't like the new name. Don't like the wrestler's look either. Sorry.

When he debuted *spoilers* he didn't even have body paint on. He had black trunks. Bland and boring.

Finn Balor? I wish the name was more interesting.

Look at other guys in NXT that were given good new names:

Leo Kruger, for example, was a great name for the gritty 'big game hunter' character. Makes you think of Leo, like a lion and Kruger like Freddy Kruger. It's a solid name. Sadly, WWE didn't got with it on the main roster so they made him into a party dude. But the point is the name was better.

And even Sami Zayn. It's not El Generico, but since he's not wearing a mask Sami Zayn is a great name. Really fits him AND rolls off the tongue.

Adrian Neville works. It's no PAC, in fact, it's better. It's a name and it works for a British guy.

Tyler Breeze. Perfect. For a self-absorbed model/wrestler the name works perfect and is easy to say.

Kalisto. It's not Samurai Del Sol but is is a good alternative. It sounds pretty badass.


But these new names for KENTA and Devitt, not so good.

KENTA now known as Hideo Itami isn't too bad. I like Hideo more than Itami. Tajiri was an excellent name for that guy but it actually was his name so it can't be repeated better by anyone else. If Yoshi Tatsu had not been in WWE I think KENTA being known as Tatsu would be great. Tatsu is a strong sounding Japanese name and I think if he was a one-named wrestler before he should remain a one-named wrestler. Perhaps he will drop Hideo or Itami before he moves up to the main roster.

As for Devitt becoming Finn Balor. Just doesn't look good to me. They should have kept the random name generator rolling: Frankie Toxic, Zip Dressler, Drago Cross, even Devgar Frett could be better.

In all fairness, he only uses the bodypaint on special occasions, so I guess we'll only see it when he wrestles at NXT Takeover shows, and PPVs when he's on the main roster. Can only use so many different paint ideas before you run out, pointless to do it every single time.

The name means something to him, so I get it. It's not a bad name.

 

[Terry Silver]

I have a hard time believing a small man like kenta can beat up the ascension. This is how far wrestling has fallen off.

 

[BigThunder]

Yeah, in a similar vein, I couldn't believe that Hulk Hogan could beat a guy who was so much bigger than him, as Andre was, at the time of their encounter. All the gritty realism of pro wrestling died at Wrestlemania 3.

Also, Finn's entrance music was pretty damn good.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I kinda like name personally and I think it's cool that Triple H allows NXT guys to pick their own. As has been mentioned, the name means something person to Devitt. A Tweet he sent out earlier today gives some insight into why he chose it:

"Finn has risen... Everything is done for a reason. Finn McCool meets Balor. #FinnBálor @WWENXT."

Finn McCool, otherwise known as Fionn mac Cumhaill, is an important character in Celtic Mythology as a legendary hunter and warrior viewed as a hero and protector of the people. Balor, as I mentioned in my original post, was King of the Formorians, viewed as demonic in most tales, and a god of death, drought and blight. According to reports, Devitt did indeed choose the name himself, so it looks like he's gone the route of pairing the names of opposites: a heroic man of the people and the destructive boogeyman of Celtic myth.

 

[Ser Duncan the Tall]

When he debuted *spoilers* he didn't even have body paint on. He had black trunks. Bland and boring.

Finn Balor? I wish the name was more interesting.

Devgar Frett could be better.

Hi! You must be a first-year Devitt fan. The name is pretty interesting already, much better than Sami Zayn by a long shot. Aaaaand you're just bitching to bitch I just realized.

It's not a bad name at all, it rolls off the tongue nicely. Been a Devitt fan since 2010 and I know he'll make it a household name.

 

[flyinbukta]

I'm sure some people had trouble when Kenta Kobayashi became KENTA as well.

Look, the essentials of having a workable name in the WWE are that it has one dead syllable (like Finn), 2 syllables or 3 syllables. That way, they don't need to create entirely new chants.

On the videos so far from Hideo Itami, you can hear the crowd chanting Hideo, and if the NXT crowd will chant it, it's not that stupid a change.

I don't know much about the man who is to become Finn Balor as a performer, but I can imagine crowds chanting "Finn! Finn! Finn!" or "Ba-lor! Ba-lor!" (Assuming my pronunciation of Balor is right ha).

That's all a name needs, then it's down to the man. I mean, the WWE themselves have Dolph Ziggler as their 4th best wrestler on TV in the Power Rankings this week (Lesnar's No. 1, so Ziggler at 5th is the 4th on TV). And if Dolph Ziggler can get to that point, so can Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, or anyone else!