Professional wrestling is obsessed with singular achievements, especially during WrestleMania season. Superstars chase their “WrestleMania moment” and strive to “finish the story.” Finn Balor doesn’t see it that way. For him, every accomplishment is a thread in a much grander body of work.
This year marks 25 years since Balor’s wrestling debut. He may not look it, but he’s long in the tooth. The milestone hit harder when his longtime friend and colleague AJ Styles retired ahead of his WWE Hall of Fame induction.
“Seeing AJ retire got me thinking about a lot of things,” Balor told CBS Sports before Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber. “I’ve always looked up to AJ. I’ve always chased his coattails, so to speak. He’s always been the benchmark for what we all strive to be. Seeing him retire brought it home to me that my days are numbered. AJ has been an ever-present for me for the last 25 years.”
Balor will challenge world heavyweight champion CM Punk at Elimination Chamber. The title isn’t the only thing at stake. The winner will defend it against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Balor is one pinfall away from righting a wrong and securing what many consider the biggest match of his career.
“I have this massive stain on my career from 10 years ago when I got hurt and had to relinquish the universal championship,” Balor said. “I’ve been asked about that in every interview for 10 years. This whole ‘what if.'”
Balor couldn’t have scripted a better main roster start. In 2016, he defeated Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and two others in the same night to earn a universal championship match. He became the first person to win a WWE world title in his debut pay-per-view match by dethroning Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. He also suffered a torn labrum that night. His first and only WWE world title reign lasted 22 hours.
For 10 years, Balor has revisited that moment in nearly every interview. People remain fixated on what could have been. Since vacating the universal championship, he’s won multiple intercontinental and tag team titles, reclaimed the NXT championship and captured the United States title. None of it has erased the stain of that lone world title run.
“It’s not like I haven’t been trying, but for some reason, people can’t get these ‘what ifs’ out of their heads,” Balor said. “The only way to fix that is by becoming world champion again.”
Balor might not live in the main event, but he’s a constant presence on television. That consistency isn’t complacency. It’s the product of a drive that’s endured for 25 years, regardless of where he’s slotted on the card. Headlining Elimination Chamber, and potentially WrestleMania, matters. It just isn’t new fuel.
“You can’t define your legacy over one match in Belfast, or one moment in Barclays Center, where I got hurt. It’s based on a 25-year career,” Balor explained. “It’s a body of work that I’m trying to present. If you look at my body of work, I think it’s pretty accomplished. Sure, I haven’t won the world title in 10 years. How many people have won the Best of the Super Juniors? How many have dominated in Japan, been successful in Mexico, Europe, and WWE for 10 years?
“I try not to worry too much about feelings in the moment. I try to zoom out and look at the 25 years. Am I happy with the 25 years? Yes. Has being in the main event reignited a spark that may have extinguished? No, because the spark never extinguished. I’ve always had this burning desire to perform. If that’s in the first match or the last match, once I’m performing, that’s what’s important.”
Elimination Chamber isn’t about retribution. It’s another entry into a rich codex.
“Am I happy with my career?” Balor asked. “I would have been happy having one match. My goal when I started training was to have one match. Everything after that was a bonus. Coming to WWE was the most far-fetched idea for a small kid from Ireland. There were no wrestling schools. There was no industry. Nothing.”
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