10 Things You Didn't Know About Finn Balor

6. Balor's Time In Japan Didn't Start Well

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NJPW

Balor’s New Japan career almost had a disastrous start.

Shortly after his debut, Balor found himself working under a mask with NJPW’s sister promotion, “Wrestle Land”. He was the new “Pegasus Kid”, a gimmick once portrayed by Chris Benoit during the early days of his own 8-year spell in the Land of the Rising Sun.

For better or worse, tribute gimmicks are commonplace in Japanese wrestling, with the most recent example being former WWE man Yoshi Tatsu’s Triple H-aping “Bullet Club Hunter” character.

There was nothing auspicious about Balor’s adoption of the “Pegasus Kid” gimmick until the Benoit family tragedy struck little over a year later, and Balor rightly reverted to wrestling under his old ring-name Prince Devitt.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.