5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (August 10)

2. Finn Bálor's New Nickname

Tiny Irishman
WWE

Finn Bálor is an excellent pro wrestler, overlooked though he is through rancid booking - fiery, creative, very technically sound, with the ability to pull off the gruesome-looking Coup De Grâs without caving his opponent's chest in - but he doesn't do well in the nickname stakes. 'Real Shooter' is a spot of tautology as unnecessary as his removal from the Brock Lesnar programme at Royal Rumble '18. 'An Extraordinary Man Who Can Do Extraordinary Things' is about as catchy as The Miz is when taking an aerial move.

On Monday's RAW, through the headset of Vince McMahon, Bálor was rechristened through the conduit that is Corey Graves: Bálor is now the "tiny Irishman", for f*ck's sake. Don't bother investing in his upcoming SummerSlam match, not that you were going to anyway - it's his third consecutive bout against Baron Corbin - because it doesn't matter. It won't dictate his career path. Where we see a dynamite wrestler with so much untapped potential and an awesome alter-ego that acts as kayfabe consolation for his slender frame, Vince McMahon sees Hornswoggle. Sadly, it's not difficult to recreate the scene in Gorilla in the mind's eye. Vince, surveying this old toy, settled on being spiteful.

How about a new nickname? How about just 'The Demon'? The guy who...can't...lose?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!