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- The History Of The Demon Has Continued In 2023
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Finn Balor was one of the first real superstar signings of NXT, and he has gone on to enjoy a long career in the WWE, which has been filled with ups and downs. He has seen highs like being crowned the first ever Universal Champion, as well as lows like having to relinquish the belt the day after due to an injury. Right now, he is a part of the Judgment Day faction along with Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio. While the group has its detractors, they have established themselves as a regular part of Raw. Many see Balor as the weak link of Judgment Day though as his look just does not fit as well as that of Ripley or Priest. There is one aspect of the Finn Balor character though that has never grown stale over his run in the WWE, and that is his dark gimmick known as the 'Demon King' or simply the 'Demon'.
UPDATE: 2023/05/29 07:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY
The History Of The Demon Has Continued In 2023
Just when it looked like Finn Balor’s “Demon” persona had no chance of returning, the saga of the alter ego has seen another new chapter. Although Balor turned heel in 2022 and joined up with the Judgment Day, he needed to go back into the locker and pull out the gimmick that has seen so many ups and downs over the course of his career, in order to try and win one of his biggest WrestleMania matches to date. However, it has created more questions when it comes to the future of the gimmick, and whether it should ever come back again.
The Origins Of Finn Balor's Demon Gimmick
In his 'Demon' gimmick, which has been described as Balor's dark and dangerous alter ego, he dons body paint and sees to have gained some supernatural powers. Balor has an exceptional record whenever he uses it, and as a result, it is often saved for the big shows and important matches. Now, a common misconception is that Balor was using the 'Demon' gimmick during his time in Japan and on the indies as well, but that is not the case. What he had been doing was use body paint to cosplay as some of his favorite comic book characters.
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The slight tweak to turn it into a full on alter ego happened in NXT. In this respect, Balor's name is important as well. In Celtic mythology, Balor was the powerful and tyrant leader of the Formorians - a dark and demonic race. Thus, that is the origin of the 'Demon King' persona and the meaning behind it.
The Demon Has Been Booked Extremely Strong In WWE
There are certainly supernatural elements to the Demon gimmick, and it is rare that WWE gets something like this right. In the case of Balor, they have though. It has been used as an ace up Balor's sleeve that is only brought out on the biggest of occasions and as a result, it has remained special. Also, it has been booked extremely strong by WWE, both during his time in NXT and on the main roster, with him having some memorable matches with the paint.
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While using the 'Demon' alter ego, Balor has only lost twice, once in NXT against Samoa Joe in a steel cage match, and then on the main roster, against Roman Reigns, although he was given an out on that occasion as the ring ropes collapsed when he was about to win the match. So, it is safe to say that the 'Demon' is one of the most protected gimmicks in WWE and the company must be commended for that, although they have not managed to get the most out of Balor as a whole.
Finn Balor Has Beaten The Who's Who In WWE As The Demon
In wrestling, you are only as good as the level of competition that you can beat and as the 'Demon', Balor certainly has an impressive list of wins under his belt. Interestingly, his debut in the gimmick was in a tag team match, when he was paired with Hideo Itami to take on The Ascension back in late 2014. That was not the best way to debut it, as it just did not feel a significant enough match and unsurprisingly, has been forgotten about over time.
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Things would go on to improve over the years though and Balor holds wins over the likes of Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens while under the paint. The only one The Demon has not been able to get the better of is Roman Reigns. WWE has done a wonderful job of falling back on 'The Demon' gimmick only when it is needed and that has kept it special as a result, for almost eight years now. At the same time though, Balor is 41 years of age, and has never reached his potential of becoming a main event star on the main roster. Thus, if he is to have any hope of breaking through the glass ceiling, it might be with his alter ego. Otherwise, as himself, Balor seems stale. Interestingly, the gimmick fits well with the Judgment Day's look and could probably help elevate the group.
Finn Balor Brought The Demon Back In 2023, But It Didn’t Go Well
Finn Balor and Edge had been feuding for the better part of a year, with things finally set to culminate at WrestleMania 39 inside of the Hell in a Cell structure. Despite the “Demon” being exclusively part of Finn Balor’s babyface gimmick in WWE, with it being sidelined upon his heel turn during his second NXT stint and once again in 2022, it made a comeback this year. Due to Edge bringing out a darker side of himself, taking influence from his days in The Brood, he implored Balor to dig into his darker side with The Demon.
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Balor’s alter ego arrived at WrestleMania 39, with it being pretty much the same thing as it was prior to his heel turn, just with more grimacing, some purple paint, and sticking his tongue out. To make it feel even goofier, he and Edge had multicolored weapons in their Cell match to represent their Brood and Judgment Day characters, which took away from the intensity of the bout. Balor, despite being in his Demon attire, would fall to Edge, marking the third loss for this gimmick in WWE and pretty much putting a decisive end to the aura of this persona. At this point, it feels as though the Demon character should be put to bed given how botched it has been on the main roster.
