Finn Balor’s Originally Pitched WWE Names Will Surprise You!

Finn Balor has revealed that he could have had a few different names as a WWE superstar.

When Finn Balor arrived in WWE on the NXT brand in 2014, he did so as an established wrestler who had achieved considerable success in New Japan as Prince Devitt of the Bullet Club stable.

In most cases, wrestlers change their names in WWE because the company wants to own the name for trademarking purposes, among other things.

That means wrestlers are often pitched different names, and sometimes they decide on what they like, while other times it is management who decides.

Since WWE has signed hundreds of wrestlers over the years, there are likely many names that were suggested and rejected. That’s why many wrestlers have stories about names that were suggested for them that were rejected.

During his appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Finn Balor shared how he got his ring name.

“The name Finn Balor is based in mythology because Balor is the one-eyed Demon King from Gaelic folklore, and Finn McCool is… kind of like David versus Goliath.”

Balor went on to reveal names he discussed with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who was running NXT in the 2010s. Balor said the name “Liv” was suggested, and it would later be used for Liv Morgan, who became an ally of Balor’s in The Judgment Day.

“I’ve never said this to anyone else. One of those names, and Paul was especially leaning towards this name, was Liv.

Rux was on there. But then Paul said, no, no, no. People think of RuPaul.”

Balor went on to laugh about that because he had no idea who RuPaul was. Balor mentioned McGregor was suggested, and this was before UFC star Conor McGregor became huge.

“And this was before Conor had really blown up. I remember thinking, no, this guy’s going to be a mega star.

When I signed with WWE, everyone said, ah, you’re going to be the Irish leprechaun. You’re going to be Hornswoggle’s tag team partner.”

Things changed for the better for Balor when he spoke directly with Triple H and William Regal, who is also a key figure behind the scenes in NXT.

“We’re talking back and forth… and then Paul just kind of folds his arms, and he says, ‘So tell me about this body paint.’”

That would lead to the “Demon” Balor character, and Balor became one of the biggest stars in NXT history.

Finn Balor Considers His WWE Career A Success

In an interview from earlier in 2026, Finn Balor talked about how he knows that some people criticize his WWE run so far, but he also believes he’s had a lot of success.

“I grew up in a small town in Ireland, in a country with no wrestling schools, no wrestling promotions, barely wrestling on TV. I moved to England to study catch wrestling with the goal of having one match. Sixteen years later, I debut on Raw. I pin Roman on my first night. Three weeks later, I pin Seth at my first pay-per-view. I become champion. That sounds like a success story to me – not a failure.

And I want to address this: people don’t consider winning the United States Championship a success. Being a multiple-time Intercontinental Champion – that’s not a success? Six-time tag team champion – that’s not a success?

Going back to NXT and having one of the best runs of your career – that’s somehow not a success? I’ve realized that no matter what I do, no matter how many great matches I have or how many championships I win, some people will never be satisfied unless I win the world title.”

Clearly, Finn Balor is proud of what he’s accomplished in WWE, and considering how talented he is, there’s a lot more to come in the future.

Also Read: Finn Balor Reveals The True Origins Of The Iconic Bullet Club