Becoming a wrestler and competing in the wrestling business is an extremely tough and demanding job. Entertainers need to take time off whenever possible to blow off some steam. One of the best entertainers in the WWE is undoubtedly Finn Balor, who can seemingly light up an arena with just a smile, and when playing a babyface, no one seems as pure as The Prince of WWE.
Balor has given fans some memorable moments in WWE over the past few years. Outside the ring, Balor is known to be extremely lovable, and this has helped him further to gain a huge fan following in WWE.
Over the years, he has made some a few good friends in WWE and we’ve seen him team up with them, as well as compete against them.
In this article, we will look at eight former and current WWE Superstars who are friends with Finn Balor in real-life.
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#8 Finn Balor has found a true friend in Riddick Moss in WWE
While Riddick Moss might be a new face for many in the WWE Universe, he has been around in WWE for as long as Finn Balor has. Moss began training at the Performance Center around the same time Balor signed with the company in 2014, and the two men trained and traveled together.
Balor has even credited Moss for helping him get back in shape following his injury at SummerSlam and says he helped train him to recover faster than expected. He expressed his love for his “true friend” perfectly through an Instagram post, which you can view below.
Moss has credited The Prince for helping him learn the intricacies of the business. In 2016, the two competed against each other at a live show in Orlando when Balor was the NXT Champion.
Balor has been both an NXT Champion as well as a Universal Champion in his career, while Moss is still finding his footing on RAW after becoming the 24/7 Champion for some time and then appearing in RAW Underground.
#7 Sami Zayn and Finn Balor have known each other long before their WWE careers
Just like Finn Balor, Sami Zayn has also been a crowd-favorite and a fun-loving character who tries his best to keep the fans entertained both on and off-screen. Many fans will be aware of their antics following NXT shows back in 2016.
Zayn and Balor have not only competed in NXT together, but the two have been tag team partners and rivals on other promotions as well. This has helped the two develop a friendship, and they continue to enjoy a healthy friendship off-screen.
In fact, Zayn’s wife is also half-Irish, and we’ve seen the loudmouth travel to Balor’s home town Bray, Ireland, to meet him while visiting Dublin with his wife in 2019. While speaking to Dublin Live, Zayn talked about his trip and how it was good to see his Irish friend in his hometown.
While Zayn and Balor are on different brands, the two men continue to share a friendship that will likely last even if one of them departs from the company.
#6 Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor
In 2008, a young Finn Balor headed east to sign with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). There, Balor enjoyed a lot of success in a career that lasted almost eight years, and gave fans some great moments to remember.
Balor became the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship thrice, and the tag team champion six times. While competing in NJPW, Balor was introduced to Shinsuke Nakamura.
Balor found a true friend in the Japanese Superstar who later joined WWE. Balor had a few good words to say about the former United States Champion:
“We didn’t clash so much in the ring. But outside of the ring, I can honestly say he was one of my one, true Japanese friends I made in the eight years I was in Japan. I spent a lot of time with him outside of the ring just living life. He’s a very cultured guy, and he thinks outside the box. I think we hit it off with our appreciation for just trying to be different.”
These two international stars in the current WWE roster became friends long before joining the company.
#5 & #4 Former WWE Superstars Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson have a long history with Finn Balor
Finn Balor’s managed to leave a huge mark on the world of wrestling during his time in NJPW, and helped build the Bullet Club faction.
With Karl Anderson by his side, Balor built a faction and was later joined by Luke Gallows, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale.
Talking about the faction, and his friendship with Gallows and Anderson, The Prince told WWE how close they’ve been through their wrestling journey:
“The Bullet Club was essentially in existence long before it was ever onscreen. Myself and Karl Anderson were best friends in and out of the ring. Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale were the other foreign wrestlers in New Japan. Essentially we lived together, traveled together, ate together, drank together and spent four years being in each other’s company.”
While Gallows and Anderson were part of WWE for a while, they never got a run with Balor in WWE. However, the friendship between these three men seems to be lifelong.
#3 Bayley and Finn Balor have been close friends since their stint in NXT
Back when Finn Balor started in WWE NXT, he was seen as a fun-loving character who did all the right things, like a true babyface, to entertain the WWE Universe. Similarly, Bayley was seen as a crowd favorite in NXT while portraying the character of The Hugger.
The two WWE Superstars developed a close friendship during their time on the brand which became evident through their on and off-screen antics together.
Over the years we have seen the two share a great time during backstage interviews, and also have a bit of fun teasing the WWE Universe together on social media.
Their dance in the ring became a hit with the WWE Universe, and Balor even defeated Bayley in a Lego building contest!
While the two WWE Superstars are now of different brands, they still share a few great moments during their time off which can be seen through their social media posts.
Both Superstars have played their heel characters very well, and it seems like they feed off each other’s energy to play their roles extremely well.
#2 Becky Lynch and Finn Balor have known each other long before they joined WWE
Becky Lynch and Finn Balor were born just six years and 200 kilometers apart. The two Irish WWE Superstars have taken the company by storm over the last few years, and both of them have become popular with the WWE Universe.
Balor wrestled all over the world before joining WWE, and even helped Lynch train to become a wrestler.
Speaking with Sam Roberts on his podcast, Balor revealed he isn't exactly shocked at his friend's success.
"Can I believe that this is happening? Yes. I’ve always believed that Becky had that in her, I just don’t know that she believed it. Maybe in the last couple months she’s started to get that self-confidence. I think everybody believed in her except herself. Finally, she got that self-confidence, and she’s been rockin’, man. It’s unbelievable to watch, and I think it’s only going to get bigger."
"She is on fire right now, and she’s been around almost as long as me. She’s been around 15-16 years or something, so she knows exactly what she’s doing in the ring. She’s comfortable, her promos are on fire, and she’s killing. Long may it continue.”
Lynch has always spoken about how The Prince has been a great influence on her career, and he has been someone whose guidance has helped her become who she is today. One thing she really likes about her Irish friend is that he offers her tea unlike any of her American friends:
"I went to Fergal's [Devit; Finn Balor] house, and first thing he did was offer me a cup of tea. Sheamus is the same, but nobody else does!"
#1 Kevin Owens thinks of Finn Balor as his best friend in WWE
Kevin Owens has been known to be very outspoken at times, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Behind the scenes, many in the WWE Universe see KO as one of the nicest guys in sports entertainment and a true family man.
Just like many other WWE Superstars, Owens has picked up a few lifelong friends along his WWE journey. During an interview with CBS, where he was asked who he would love to wrestle at WrestleMania, KO did not hesitate to name his best friend Finn Balor as his dream WrestleMania opponent:
“There’s so many guys I wish I could wrestle, but if it was up to me, whatever I would do would lead to me and Finn Bálor at WrestleMania next year, because he and I came to WWE the exact same time. We didn’t know each other before we got there. We became pretty close pretty quickly when we did get to the NXT Performance Center. He’s been my best friend ever since, so I’d love to share the ring with him on that stage in WrestleMania.”
That’s not the only time The Prizefighter has referred to Balor as his best friend, as he had similar views while speaking to NOLA:
"If you say past, it's Shawn Michaels hands down. If you say present, Sami Zayn and I have had such a rich history, I feel like a one-on-one match at WrestleMania would be so perfect. But there's also Finn Balor. He's my best friend. He's probably the one guy if I could sit across from in the ring at WrestleMania, that would make my career. Finn and I got to WWE at the same time, and we dived into an unknown territory. We gravitated toward each other very quickly. He's like a brother to me now,"
We’ve seen Owens and Balor put on great matches in WWE for the NXT Championship, and it would be a dream to see the two best friends main event WrestleMania for a world championship in the future.