Finn Balor has opened up about the alternate ring name options WWE presented to him when he first arrived in NXT in 2014, including one that was later used by another top star and another that was rejected due to its similarity to a well-known celebrity.
Speaking on What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon, Balor recalled being handed a printed list of potential names during his first meeting at the Performance Center. He ultimately chose Finn Balor, drawing inspiration from Gaelic mythology.
“The name Finn Balor is based in mythology because Balor is the one-eyed Demon King from Gaelic folklore, and Finn McCool is, it’s kind of like, it’s very similar to David versus Goliath, where Finn McCool is the David in this story, and he slays the one-eyed demon. So I put the two together.”
Among the options he turned down was the name Liv, which WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque reportedly favored at the time.
“I’ve never said this to anyone else. One of those names, and Paul was especially leaning towards this name, was Liv.”
That name would later be used by Liv Morgan, who debuted on the WWE main roster in 2017 and has since become a top star.
Another suggested name was Rux, but it was quickly dismissed.
“Rux was on there. But then Paul said, no, no, no. People think of RuPaul. I remember him specifically saying that.”
Balor admitted he was unfamiliar with RuPaul at the time, and the name was ultimately dropped.
A third option was McGregor, which Balor removed from consideration on his own after recognizing the rising trajectory of Conor McGregor.
“And this was before Connor had really blown up. He’d had the fight in Boston, where he won, but he injured his knee. And just after that, I remember thinking, no, this guy’s going to be a mega star, and I don’t want to have the same name as.”
Balor also revealed that early expectations within WWE painted a very different picture for his character, with some believing he would be presented as a comedic Irish figure.
“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. You know, they’re not going to, you’re going to be a cartoon. Like, you can forget about doing all those body paints. You can forget about all that stuff.”
That direction changed after Balor had a direct conversation with Levesque, where the idea of incorporating his signature body paint resurfaced.
“I’m at the Performance Center. There’s no real answers. No one’s really in charge. So everyone’s going to say, maybe this, maybe that. So I’m just doing my training and keeping my head down. And then when I finally meet Paul and have the conversation, we’re talking back and forth, and Mr. Regal, talking about just like wrestling and Japan. And then Paul just kind of folds his arms, and he says, so tell me about this body paint. And I remember just going, ah, okay, maybe we can do it here.”
He also described the uncertainty he felt during his first few weeks at the Performance Center before meeting key decision-makers.
“It had been a couple of weeks being at the Performance Center, like, without yourself and Paul being there, and I was dealing with people that were employees of the Performance Center, and they were giving me their input, and I’m thinking, like, who is this guy? Like, he doesn’t really, I don’t know him, he doesn’t know me. I’ve been doing this 16 years.”
Balor shared a lighter moment as well, recalling how he once received Triple H’s personal phone number.
“He said, oh yeah, just text me anytime. And he gives me his number. So I take out my phone and I put in the number. Then, like, as I walk away, I go back over to Sami, and Sami says, did you just get Triple H’s number? Whoa, bro. I’m so proud. It’s like, you know when you see your friend at the bar getting the number from a really hot girl, I’m like, I was so proud for you, bro.”
Finn Balor Reveals WWE Ring Name Options
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