6 Best Matches of “The Demon” Finn Balor

While on the outside, it seems as though the Demon persona just involves Finn Balor putting on a lot of eye-catching body paint, it’s what the persona does to Balor on the inside that makes fans go crazy.

When portraying the Demon, Balor uses a heavier version of his entrance theme and alters the mannerisms of his entrance to transform from the cool, leather jacket-wearing Finn Balor to the intimidating Demon.

Not only that, but there is something about the energy level and the aggression that completely changes in the way Balor fights when he is The Demon. After all, he won the NXT and the Universal Championships under the Demon persona.

Balor, in reality, is the mythical king of a race of demons called the Fomhoraigh, often depicted as a giant with one eye capable of killing anything it looks at.

As Balor prepares to take on Bobby Lashley as The Demon again in his quest to regain the Intercontinental Championship, we look at six of Balor’s best matches under The Demon persona.

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#6 Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin - SummerSlam 2018

Corbin was hit by a tornado

SummerSlam is The Demon’s playground, and that’s where The Demon delivered one of the quickest finishes to a match in WWE history.

SummerSlam 2018 is famous for crowning Roman Reigns as the Universal Champion after he defeated Brock Lesnar, and for Charlotte winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella and Becky Lynch, after which Lynch turned heel.

However, one of the highlights of the night involved the return of The Demon for One Night Only in 2018.

Balor was set to take on Baron Corbin who had been on his case for a few weeks, but Corbin wasn’t ready to take on Balor as The Demon. Corbin was caught by surprise and lost the match in just a little over one and a half minute. This was The Demon’s quickest squash match thus far.

Balor sent Corbin over the top rope with a clothesline, after which he followed up with a Sling Blade and a dropkick to Corbin. He then performed the Coup de Grace to win the match and send Corbin back home.

#5 Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe - NXT Championship: NXT TakeOver: London

Frustrated over not getting a title shot, Samoa Joe went on to attack his friend Finn Balor who was the NXT Champion at the time and managed to get a shot at the title in the process.

At NXT TakeOver: London, the two men gave the best performance of the night in a match that lasted over 18 minutes.

The highlights of the match involved Balor fighting his way out of Joe’s finisher the Muscle Buster and the Coquina Clutch. Both men performed dives out of the ring on their opponent, with Joe using an elbow suicida and Balor a running flip over the top rope.

Balor finished the match off in signature fashion after delivering the Coup de Grace to retain his most prized possession.

If the match didn’t entertain you enough, then Balor’s entrance sure would have done the job as it was one of Balor’s coolest entrances to date. For TakeOver: London, the Demon took on a historical tone as he channelled the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.

#4 AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor - Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2017

The Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event in 2017 was filled with some great matches. One of the top matches involved Kurt Angle replacing Roman Reigns in The Shield to take on The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane and Cesaro and Sheamus in a 3-on-5 handicap match.

The highlight of the event for many wrestling fans was the duel between The Phenomenal AJ Styles and The Demon Finn Balor. Both men, of NJPW fame, were expected to tear the house down, and they did exactly that in a match that lasted over 18 minutes.

The fight was incredible, and even a Phenomenal Forearm by AJ Styles could not keep The Demon down for the count. During the match, Balor performed a 1916 for a near fall, and later a Coup de Grace on Styles for the win.

A sight to behold

The duo ended the epic match by showing mutual respect and gestured the "Too Sweet" hand symbol to each other.

It was a match which must make The Bullet Club proud of its former leaders and their performance in the WWE.

#3 Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens - NXT Championship: The Beast in the East

If you are a fan of championship matches which involve two upcoming greats, then this is the match that you’ll instantly fall in love with.

The event, which was held in Japan, marked Brock Lesnar's first non-PPV match for WWE since 2004. However, he wasn’t the only Beast in the house, and The Demon was not too far away from him.

While most of the matches on the card were short, Balor and Kevin Owens fought for the NXT Championship for almost 20 minutes in a match that brought out the absolute best of both the superstars.

While Owens was focused on mocking John Cena for a good portion of the match, Balor was more focused on the title. Owens surprisingly kicked out of the first Coup de Grâce deliver to him, but Balor pinned Owens after a second Coup de Grâce for the victory to win the title.

This was among Finn Balor's best body-paints

He went on to hold the title for a record 292 days before losing it to Samoa Joe at a house show.

#2 Adrian Neville vs. Finn Bálor – No. 1 Contender’s Finals match: NXT TakeOver: Rival

The match between Neville and Balor was literally a match made in heaven. Both men are arguably NXT’s best high-flying exports ever, and they performed their hearts out when they competed against each other at NXT TakeOver: Rival in 2015 for the No. 1 Contender’s spot for the NXT Championship.

Both men delivered physics-defying moves against each other, given fans nonstop action and their never-say-die attitude kept them going for a long time.

During the match, Bálor performed a running front dropkick on Neville, who was leaning against the guardrail and then later performed a diving double foot stomp to the back of Neville's head for a near fall. Neville executed a Phoenix splash off the middle rope for a near-fall. In the end, Bálor performed a running front dropkick on Neville, knocking him into the turnbuckles, followed by a Coup De Grace for a pinfall.

The match was unforgettable for NXT fans, and the two men appreciated each other’s effort by shaking hands at the end.

#1 Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins - Universal Championship: SummerSlam 2016

SummerSlam 2016 was an iconic event which saw the unveiling of the new WWE Universal Championship belt by Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley.

The night then saw an epic battle between two of WWE’s finest performers Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. Both men had earned their way up to compete for the championship and become the inaugural Universal Champion.

The match was undoubtedly the most entertaining one of the night and lasted for almost 20 minutes. What made Finn Balor’s performance even more spectacular was the fact that he suffered a terrible shoulder injury during the match, but kept on fighting to take the match away from Seth Rollins.

Balor executing the Coup de Grace on Rollins to become the first ever WWE Universal Champion.

Balor had Fomhoraigh's eye painted on his back during the match

Even though Balor was forced to relinquish the title on the very next night due to the injury that he suffered, it remains his biggest victory ever to date.