10 Things We Learned From WWE's Finn Bálor: For Everyone

5. His First Break

Finn Bálor
WWE

The heartbreaking paradox that came to define Finn Bálor's SummerSlam 2016 is examined in detail here, understandably focusing on the build up, revelation and aftermath of the devastating shoulder injury suffered during his Universal Championship victory over Seth Rollins.

The contrast between his emotions either side of the incident were stark. As he put it: “During the day I felt almost over-prepared. [There were] no nerves, no anxiety, just another day at the office."

It was when he body failed him that his mind dared to blame himself - recalling how the voice in his head sounded whilst lying prone on the Barclays Center floor, he remembered "how typical of you to put a barrier in front of yourself at this moment". Fortunately, his overarching positivity was powerful enough to carry him through the match and onto his recovery. He added that by surviving that difficult situation, he knew he could survive any other challenges that followed.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett