Finn Balor has opened up about his long-standing creative frustrations regarding the presentation of his “Demon” persona in WWE.
Appearing on Cody Rhodes’ What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, the Judgment Day member explained how the transition from NXT to the main roster altered the core concept of the character, making it feel “muddled” by corporate requirements and predictable storylines.
“So then it became the point where Finn wasn’t good enough,” Balor said. “Only the Demon could win. So then Finn was lesser than The Demon, where they’re supposed to be the same.” In his view, the paint should have simply been a “cool entrance” similar to war paint used in Braveheart, rather than a separate, superior entity.
Furthermore, the Irishman shared his preference for the character to remain an unannounced surprise rather than a heavily advertised marketing tool.
“The other issue I had with it was that it was always advertised, which I liked to be a surprise. Like, ‘Oh, sh*t, The Demon’s here.’ And it just comes out and kicks ass,” he stated.
The character has not been seen on WWE television since a Hell in a Cell loss to Edge at WrestleMania 39, and while Balor admits the persona has a future, he insists he would want more creative input to ensure it is used more effectively than in the past.
