Finn Balor knows exactly how the modern wrestling game works, but he isn’t interested in turning himself into somebody else just to get more attention. The WWE veteran admitted that stirring the pot, saying controversial things and constantly feeding social media would probably help his career and even improve his position inside the company, but Balor says that simply isn’t the person he wants to be.
Speaking on the Off The Ball podcast alongside Becky Lynch, Balor was asked about the difference between their approaches to wrestling outside the ring. While Lynch has embraced constantly working her character, Balor admitted he has always been much more old-school. He even acknowledged that playing the social-media game harder could benefit him professionally.
“I know, deep down, that if I was willing to give more and say more controversial things, it would be way better for my career and my position in the company.”
That doesn’t mean Balor is about to start firing off insults just to get his name trending. He explained that he struggles with the idea of constantly pretending to be a wrestling character and prefers keeping things closer to his real personality. Balor also made it clear that intentionally taking shots at people simply doesn’t fit him.
“I don’t know if it’s a dignity thing. I don’t know if it’s a shyness thing, but I try and keep it based in reality as much as I can.”
“I’m not the type of person who’s going to say mean things to you. I would rather just use my wrestling as the words, and that’s always kind of the way I’ve been.”
He understands why other wrestlers lean heavily into promos, social media and controversy. Those comments are easy to clip, spread around and turn into conversation, but Balor said he has no interest in manufacturing that version of himself.
“I know that the words are more impactful and they can, you know, clip it and put it out online, but it’s just not who I am. So, I’m not here pretending to be someone else. I know the name’s different, but it’s just me really.”
Balor believes staying genuine may actually be part of why fans have stuck with him for so long. He joked that his reputation as a decent guy might even explain why so many fans have named their children after him.
“Maybe that is also part of my appeal to people. So, I don’t know. Maybe that’s why people say, like, ‘I’m going to name my kid Finn,’ because he seems like a nice guy.”
Balor clearly understands that being louder and more controversial could give him another weapon in WWE, but he isn’t interested in forcing something that doesn’t feel real. After more than a decade with the company, he would rather let what happens between the ropes do most of the talking.
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