I have been a fan of the WWEÂ since October of 1990. Before the superhero movie explosion we live in right now, this was the closest thing I had to real-life colorful characters showing up on my TV. Wrestling has evolved over time, from the circus-type atmosphere of the ’80s, through the more adult-oriented programming in the ’90s, to the family-friendly fare that is on TV today. One of the products of this evolution has been the WWE’s developmental program, NXT. NXT is where the WWE trains its younger stars to prepare them for the ultimate prize, a spot on the WWE roster. One of those stars in Finn Balor. Hailing from Ireland and having wrestled all over the world since 2000, Finn joined NXT in 2014, and has quickly become one of its most popular members.
Besides the athletic ability to be able to perform in the wrestling ring night after night, the sign of a true superstar is building a character that can capture people’s attention. Finn has done this successfully by taking his love of comic books and creating amazing cosplay and bodypaint creations when entering the ring. Here are some examples of how Finn (known outside of NXT as Prince Devitt) utilizes cosplay to build his character.
Anti-Venom
Check out the gallery below for some of his other creations. In the mean time, here is my personal favorite, Venom.
Once Finn became an NXT superstar, he created his own “demon” persona; here is how Finn has evolved his character today:
Here’s a cool behind-the-scenes video of the long process Finn goes through to get his body paint perfect.
You can learn more about Finn on his official NXT profile page here.
So what say you? What was your favorite character Finn portrayed? Is there one that you wish he could have done? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.
H/T: Wikipedia, Progress Wrestling, Southside Wrestling, Stephen Harris, Preston City Wrestling
IMAGES: lessthanstarwars, catchauquotidien, imgarcade, breakingbaws, enhuito
