History of Finn Bálor in Timeline

Finn Bálor, born Fergal Devitt, is an Irish professional wrestler currently signed with WWE, performing on the Raw brand. Bálor is known for his exceptional athleticism, charisma, and captivating in-ring presence. He is known for his signature body paint and 'Demon' alter ego.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1916: 1916 as a finisher name

Finn Bálor uses a lifting single underhook DDT named "1916" in WWE as a finisher.

July 1981: Birth of Fergal Devitt

On July 1981, Fergal Devitt was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, to parents Leonie and Fintan Devitt. He has one older and three younger siblings and attended St. Cronan's School in Bray.

Others born on this day/year

July 1981: Fergal Devitt's Birth

On July 1981, Fergal Devitt, later known as Finn Bálor, was born.

Others born on this day/year

November 2001: Professional Wrestling Debut

On November 2001, Fergal Devitt made his professional wrestling debut after training at NWA UK Hammerlock.

2001: Career Start

In 2001, Fergal Devitt began his professional wrestling career before gaining prominence in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as Prince Devitt.

2002: Opening of NWA Ireland

In mid-2002, Fergal Devitt, along with Paul Tracey, opened NWA Ireland, his own wrestling promotion based in Ireland.

October 2005: Wins Second British Commonwealth Title

On October 2005, at the NWA 57th Anniversary Show in Nashville, Tennessee, Fergal Devitt defeated Dru Onyx for his second British Commonwealth title.

March 2006: Loss of British Commonwealth Championship

In March 2006, Fergal Devitt lost the British Commonwealth Championship to Karl Anderson.

March 2006: Signs with New Japan Pro-Wrestling

In March 2006, the day after losing the British Commonwealth Championship, Devitt signed a contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).

April 2006: NJPW Debut as Prince Devitt

In April 2006, Devitt made his NJPW debut against El Samurai, using the ring name Prince Devitt.

May 2006: Assigned to Wrestle Land Brand

In May 2006, Devitt was assigned to the Wrestle Land brand and debuted under a mask as the second Pegasus Kid.

January 2007: Knee Injury

In January 2007, Fergal Devitt suffered a serious knee injury, sidelining him from in-ring action in New Japan.

June 2007: Participated in NWA Reclaiming the Glory Tournament

In June 2007, Devitt participated in the NWA "Reclaiming the Glory" tournament to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Mikey Nicholls in the first round but losing to Bryan Danielson in the second round.

June 2007: Best of the Super Juniors Tournament

In June 2007, Fergal Devitt participated in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament but scored no points and was eliminated early from the competition.

August 2007: Joins the RISE Stable

Following the folding of CTU in August 2007, Devitt and Minoru joined the new RISE stable, forming a tag team named "Prince Prince".

November 2007: Defeated by TNA Wrestlers

In November 2007, during a TNA tour of Japan, Devitt and Minoru were defeated by TNA wrestlers Senshi and Christopher Daniels.

January 2008: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Win

On 27 January 2008, Devitt and Minoru won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, marking Devitt's first major tag title reign.

July 2009: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Win

On 5 July 2009, Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated The Motor City Machine Guns to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

January 2010: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Defense

On 4 January 2010, Devitt and Taguchi successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Averno and Último Guerrero at Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome.

2010: Wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

In 2010, Prince Devitt won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and subsequently defeated Naomichi Marufuji to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time. He also won the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament with Taguchi and Goto.

2010: Best of the Super Juniors Winner

In 2010, Prince Devitt won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

January 2011: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Defense at Wrestle Kingdom V

On 4 January 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Devitt successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi. On 23 January 2011, Devitt and Taguchi regained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, becoming double IWGP champions for the second time.

2011: Championship Matches and Title Defenses

In 2011, Devitt and his partners experienced both triumphs and setbacks in various championship matches. They secured their second consecutive J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament victory on June 23, but Devitt was unsuccessful in regaining the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on July 24. Apollo 55 successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on August 14. On September 11, they made their seventh successful defense, breaking the record for most defenses during a single reign. Devitt won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time on September 19. On October 10, Devitt and Taguchi lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Devitt successfully defended his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on November 12 and December 4. He concluded the year on December 23 with another successful title defense.

January 2012: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Win and Loss

On January 4, 2012, at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, Devitt and Taguchi defeated Richards and Romero to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. However, on February 12 at The New Beginning, Apollo 55 lost the title back to the No Remorse Corps.

March 2012: CMLL Debut and NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship Win

In March 2012, Devitt embarked on his first tour of Mexico with CMLL. After overcoming a calf injury, Devitt made his CMLL debut on March 23. On March 30, Devitt defeated Volador Jr. to become the new NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion.

November 2012: Wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

The entry mentions November 11, 2012, in the context of events happening in 2010. In November 2012 the title was won by Omega and Kota Ibushi.

2012: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Win and Super Jr. Tag Tournament

In 2012, Devitt challenged for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on October 8. On October 21, Apollo 55 participated in the Super Jr. Tag Tournament. On November 2, Devitt and Taguchi advanced to the finals of the tournament but were defeated. On November 11, Devitt defeated Low Ki to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the third time.

January 2013: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Defense at Wrestle Kingdom 7

On January 4, 2013, at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Devitt successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Low Ki and Kota Ibushi in a three-way match.

2013: Bullet Club Formation and Best of the Super Juniors Win

In 2013, Devitt formed the Bullet Club. On May 24, Devitt participated in the 2013 Best of the Super Juniors. On June 9, Devitt won the Best of the Super Juniors.

2013: IWGP Heavyweight Championship Pursuit and G1 Climax Participation

In 2013, Devitt pursued the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On June 22, Devitt earned his first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On July 5, Devitt defeated Gedo, advancing to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match. On July 20, Okada defeated Devitt. On August 1, Devitt defeated Okada. Devitt participated in the 2013 G1 Climax. On September 29, Tanahashi defeated Devitt in a Lumberjack Deathmatch.

2013: Rivalry with Togi Makabe and World Tag League Participation

In 2013, Devitt started a new rivalry with Togi Makabe. Devitt also found a new challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Kota Ibushi. From November 23 to December 7, Devitt and Fale participated in the 2013 World Tag League.

2013: Second Best of the Super Juniors Win

In 2013, Prince Devitt won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for the second time.

January 2014: Loss of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and NJPW Departure

On January 4, 2014, at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome, Devitt lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Kota Ibushi. On January 5, Devitt was attacked by Ryusuke Taguchi. On April 6 at Invasion Attack 2014, Devitt faced Taguchi. On April 7, New Japan announced Devitt's resignation from the promotion.

May 2014: Signing with WWE

In May 2014, Fergal Devitt signed with WWE and began performing on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor.

July 2016: WWE Draft, Universal Championship Contender

In July 2016, Finn Bálor was drafted to the Raw brand as the fifth overall pick in the 2016 WWE draft. Later in July 2016 he made his first appearance for the brand on 25 July episode of Raw, where he won the right to compete for the newly established WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam.

2016: Inaugural WWE Universal Champion

In 2016, Finn Bálor became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam, winning a world title in his pay-per-view debut and becoming the quickest wrestler to win a world title at 27 days after his main roster debut.

February 2017: Returns to NXT

In February 2017, Finn Bálor returned to NXT to assist Shinsuke Nakamura, who was outnumbered by Andrade "Cien" Almas and Bobby Roode.

January 2018: Reformation of Bálor Club and Royal Rumble Debut

In January 2018, Finn Bálor teamed with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to defeat Elias and The Miztourage in a six–man tag team match. The following week in January 2018, the trio officially reunited and formed "Bálor Club", an homage to their former stable. Also in January 2018 he entered his first Royal Rumble match at number 2, lasting over 57 minutes and eliminating four participants.

January 2019: NXT UK Appearance and Universal Title Shot

In January 2019, Finn Bálor made a surprise appearance at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. On January 14, 2019 episode of Raw, after Braun Strowman was removed from his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar, Bálor was booked in a fatal-four way match to determine who would take Strowman's place, in which Bálor emerged victorious. Then on January 27, 2019 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Bálor was defeated by Lesnar.

August 2019: Marriage to Vero Rodríguez

On 19 August 2019, Devitt married Mexican sports journalist Vero Rodríguez in a private ceremony in Tulum.

2019: Return to NXT and Reduced Use of "The Demon" Character

In 2019, after Devitt returned to NXT, he said he would use the character of The Demon less as its overuse had ruined the element of surprise.

February 2020: Victory at NXT TakeOver: Portland

In February 2020, Gargano challenged Bálor to a match at NXT TakeOver: Portland on February 16, 2020, which Bálor won.

March 2020: End of Longest NXT Championship Reign

In March 2020, Finn Bálor's 292-day reign as NXT Champion, which was the longest in the championship's history, came to an end.

January 2021: NXT Championship Defense at New Year's Evil

In January 2021, Finn Bálor successfully defended the NXT Championship in a rematch against Kyle O'Reilly on January 6, 2021 at NXT: New Year's Evil.

February 2022: Wins WWE United States Championship

On February 28, 2022 episode of Raw, Finn Bálor defeated Damian Priest to win the WWE United States Championship for the first time in his career.

June 2022: Turning face after Judgment Day beatdown

In June 2022, specifically on the 9th of March episode of Raw, Finn Bálor was beaten down by the other members of The Judgment Day (McDonagh, Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez) after arguing with Dominik, resulting in him being kicked out of the group and turning face for the first time since.

January 2023: Royal Rumble Appearance

On January 28, 2023, Finn Bálor entered the Royal Rumble match at number 20 but was eliminated by Edge.

September 2, 2023: Grand Slam Champion

On September 2, 2023, at Payback, Finn Bálor became a Grand Slam Champion, winning the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

January 2025: Loss to Priest in a Street Fight

On 13 January 2025 episode of Raw, Finn Bálor lost to Priest in a Street Fight match despite assistance from Carlito and McDonagh, marking the end of their feud.

January 2026: Challenging CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship

On 12 January 2026 episode of Raw, Finn Bálor confronted CM Punk and challenged him to a match for Punk's World Heavyweight Championship the next week, where he lost.