10 Finn Balor Matches You Have To Watch

8. Prince Devitt vs. Kazuchika Okada – Kizuna Road 2013

Prince Devitt had turned heel, creating Bullet Club just two months before this match. Since then he was on a path of destruction. He swept the Best of the Super Juniors tournament and took the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title as a result. However, he wasn’t satisfied. After defeating rival Hiroshi Tanahashi at Dominion, Devitt earned himself a shot at the heavyweight title.

At Kizuna Road, Devitt faced Kazuchika Okada. Devitt was more than content to rely on Bullet Club to do his dirty work. While Devitt was on top of his game in 2013 but his job was not to look cool or impressive in this match. His job was to be a heel and he did a great job with Bullet Club at his side. In a more traditional match, these two would likely have an all-time classic but this was a perfect example of where Devitt was taking his character.

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7. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins – Raw (April 30, 2018)

Seth Rollins and Finn Balor had a pair of great matches on Raw in April 2018. While their match on the WrestleMania 34 go-home show was also good, this one gets the nod. The three contributing factors to this decision were this match was the main event, it was for the Intercontinental Championship, and it didn’t have The Miz being insufferable on commentary.

Balor and Rollins battled for the Intercontinental title and if WWE had matches like this consistently that title would matter a whole lot more. Balor and Rollins have always had great chemistry but this might be their best match together. From frustrations boiling over early to the rapid-fire roll-ups and counters, this is a true Raw classic.

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6. Finn Balor vs. Adrian Neville – NXT Takeover: Rival

Finn Balor had debuted in NXT in the back half of 2014. While he made the most of his debut, he had not been given a chance to have a featured singles match until his match with Adrian Neville. At NXT Takeover: Rival, Balor got his chance to shine.

This is during the time that NXT began to explode in popularity and it was because of matches like this. This match was a wrestling match completely different than what was on the main roster at the time. They grappled, felt each other out, and had a fantastic contest. While a portion of the audience knew how great Balor was from his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling, this match showed it to anyone still unaware.

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5. Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles – TLC 2017

When AJ Styles made the jump to WWE in 2016, many people were excited at the prospect of a match with Finn Balor. The two former Bullet Club leaders departed and entered New Japan on the same day in 2014. They may as well have high fived as they passed each other going through the door. When some of the WWE roster came down with an illness in 2017, AJ Styles became a replacement opponent for Balor.

While this probably didn’t live up to the lofty expectations made by fans, it was still a very good match. Especially considering the circumstances, as Styles had to fly in from South America to do the show. It hasn’t been followed up on since, but people have been excited for a collaboration between the two.

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4. Apollo 55 vs. The Golden Lovers – Destruction 2010

This match came before New Japan Pro Wrestling exploded back into popularity, making it one of the best hidden gems on this list. Prince Devitt’s tag team with Ryusuke Taguchi, entitled Apollo 55, was a staple of the junior tag division for years. As a team, they had their best match against the Golden Lovers at Destruction in 2010.

This is about as dynamic a 15-minute match as you will ever see. Knowing how high each of these men has climbed, it is a delight to see them so early in their careers. The action was fast and exciting, everyone had tremendous chemistry, and the finish sent the crowd into a frenzy. Considering the Golden Lovers were outsiders to New Japan, primarily competing in indie-promotion DDT, it is impressive to see how excited the fans were when they pulled off the victory. All the more credit should be given to this match for that.

• Prince Devitt
• Finn Balor
• NJPW
• wwe

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