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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 23:10:58 GMT -5
Boy, I feel like I'm the minority on this one.
I love the entrance. I love the demon paint. All of that is great. But as for him, him as a talent, the dude just does not engage me at all. Nothing he does looks dangerous. Nothing he does looks like it hurts even a little and the flying double stomp is just such a boring finisher right now. Add to that the fact that the dude isn't a very good promo and I'm just like...eh.
So it's puzzling to me to see many fans talk about how this dude is going to be HUGE. I feel like there's real energy around the guy, some real hope in him as a big star of the future. And that's awesome! I'm always glad when people see a huge star on the horizon for them to get behind. That's great.
So, let's talk about Mr. Balor. If you're a fan...why? What is it that makes him so cool? If you're one of those "he's a future star!" fans, you should tell me why! Why does he excite you so much? Maybe you can get me into him.
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Post by CATCH_US IS the Conversation on Mar 27, 2015 23:15:30 GMT -5
He puts on great matches and has street cred with the marks due to his New Japan background.
Also, he has "The Look". It might sound weird, but Balor/Devitt is basically the embodiment of what Vince and Triple H wished that the FCW Clones would eventually grow into.
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Post by Clawley Race on Mar 27, 2015 23:19:25 GMT -5
I like Balor, probably less than the next guy...because it's only like like instead of love. Everything he does is pretty terrific, but you nailed it on the finish. I hate the double stomp as more than a mid match desperation comeback move. My 4 year old does that off the coach and falls in the same soft looking way.
He has other better moves that he can't do for various reasons. I wouldn't mind seeing his spinning enzugiri end matches right now. I think the combo of the Pele style kick leading to the opponent falling before that ezugiri could be hit (but knowing that move just isnt enough) could be a good storytelling moment in a big time WM match.
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Post by Clawley Race on Mar 27, 2015 23:20:34 GMT -5
He puts on great matches and has street cred with the marks due to his New Japan background. Also, he has "The Look". It might sound weird, but Balor/Devitt is basically the embodiment of what Vince and Triple H wished that the FCW Clones would eventually grow into. Only if they were making Hasbro toys instead of Jakks. |
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Post by Larryhausen on Mar 27, 2015 23:21:38 GMT -5
I never really saw that much of him before NXT, but there are guys that just "get it" to me. It's hard to describe, but some people just understand wrestling in a subconscious level.
One thing that might be turning people off of him, and Itami for that matter, is that these are guys seem to be used to having 45 minutes to tell a story, instead of 7-10. Maybe 20 for a main event.
Closest analogy I can think of is: try to ask Beethoven to write a 4 minute pop song. As pretentious as that may sound, hear me out. The first few attempts might be all over the place, but eventually, with practice, input, and trial and error, you will have a masterpiece.
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Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Mar 27, 2015 23:23:06 GMT -5
I like Finn Balor. I'm not nearly as high on him as others are but he's a guy that could be something special in a couple of years.
Although, I don't get the hate for the Double Foot Stomp as a finisher. f***'s sake, it's a man jumping from a height and having his entire weight crashing down on another man's chest. Perfectly acceptable finisher, especially since I can think of like one other guy in WWE that used it (Kaval).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 23:32:08 GMT -5
I've never seen any of Balor's NJPW stuff, so I wasn't expecting anything in particular from him. But I've been a fan and been on the "he's a future star" bandwagon pretty much ever since he debuted.
Balor's in-ring work is crisp, exciting, and makes sense for his character. He's yet to have a bad match since coming to NXT. His striking and whatnot may not be as rough as, say, Kevin Owens but he still looks like he's hurting you - I distinctly remember him murdering Justin Gabriel with that double stomp to the head. And the Coup de Grace isn't as flashy as something like the Red Arrow but it's definitely believable as something that could get a three-count.
I can't really comment on his mic skills but I think he sounds fine - a bit subdued, maybe, but Balor's character doesn't strike me as the sort that needs loud promos. And beyond that the guy's got a ton of charisma and presence. The entrance and demon paint and all that is cool as hell, but even in normal, non-demon mode, Balor feels like a big deal when he comes out on stage, which isn't the sort of thing you can teach (all Enzo and Cass jokes aside).
Basically, Balor's a total package. The only thing that might hold him back on the main roster is his accent.
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Post by AwamoriRock on Mar 27, 2015 23:43:15 GMT -5
I've liked him since NJPW, but back then he could coast with simple Japanese face promos or angry evil foreigner promos in the Bullet Club. I think he's really good, but he needs time to work on some more assertive character stuff.
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Post by bluemeii on Mar 27, 2015 23:47:57 GMT -5
I'm just going off what I've seen on NXT. Not going to say I'm not a fan, but I'm not overly impressed either.
The whole paint thing w/ the too much caffeine entrance I'll take a pass on. Borderline cringeworthy with a mic that I've heard so far.
Matches are enjoyable enough, to me he'd be a nice mid carder. I'm probably in the minority on that but, oh well. I don't see him as some main event level talent either.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 0:12:36 GMT -5
I like Finn Balor. I'm not nearly as high on him as others are but he's a guy that could be something special in a couple of years. Although, I don't get the hate for the Double Foot Stomp as a finisher. f***'s sake, it's a man jumping from a height and having his entire weight crashing down on another man's chest. Perfectly acceptable finisher, especially since I can think of like one other guy in WWE that used it (Kaval). It's the same issue I have with Big Show's punch. I don't care much what works in the real world. Wrestling works in a fundamentally different way. Flashy = More Dangerous a lot of the time. That and compared to Kaval's his stomp looks lame as hell. It's just a boring move. |
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Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Mar 28, 2015 0:16:03 GMT -5
I like Finn Balor. I'm not nearly as high on him as others are but he's a guy that could be something special in a couple of years. Although, I don't get the hate for the Double Foot Stomp as a finisher. f***'s sake, it's a man jumping from a height and having his entire weight crashing down on another man's chest. Perfectly acceptable finisher, especially since I can think of like one other guy in WWE that used it (Kaval). It's the same issue I have with Big Show's punch. I don't care much what works in the real world. Wrestling works in a fundamentally different way. Flashy = More Dangerous a lot of the time. That and compared to Kaval's his stomp looks lame as hell. It's just a boring move. That's fair. I get what you mean by the flashy = more dangerous thing but to me, the move is flashy and represents a decisive end to a match. Still, I see where you are coming from. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 1:25:16 GMT -5
I like Finn Balor. I'm not nearly as high on him as others are but he's a guy that could be something special in a couple of years. Although, I don't get the hate for the Double Foot Stomp as a finisher. f***'s sake, it's a man jumping from a height and having his entire weight crashing down on another man's chest. Perfectly acceptable finisher, especially since I can think of like one other guy in WWE that used it (Kaval). Yeah seriously, that's a legit finish. Kevin Sullivan used to hop about 8 inches in the air and do that while Tony Schiavone acted like someone need to call the po-lice. |
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Post by bigjohnsons on Mar 28, 2015 2:07:05 GMT -5
My only criticism is the "Finn Balor" name , like really
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Post by Johnny on Mar 28, 2015 6:23:29 GMT -5
The issue I have with the finisher, is that he's obviously "pulling his punches" with it. Its a believable finisher in the sense that if you were to hit it full force, the guy taking it would be dead. And that's the problem. The moment of impact is obviously being worked, and so my suspension of disbelief is broken the moment it hits. I'd much rather he have more traditional finisher, but executed with impact and crispness.
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Post by Abdullah on Mar 28, 2015 6:59:30 GMT -5
Finn Balor is like the wrestler version of the movie "Boyhood" for me: 90% of the praise at this point seems to come to a gimmick or what should be one factor among many. Instead, it morphs into the main talking-point.
"IT WAS FILMED OVER THE COURSE OF 12 YEARS!" Yeah, but what about the story? The fact that it's just a collection of scenes after the first hour? The fact that the lead actor turned out to be quite boring. All anyone seems to talk about is the '12 years' aspect as if that's enough to make a good movie.
"BALOR LOOKS SO GOOD! HIS BODY PAINT IS AWESOME!" And he does. And it is. But that's not enough for me. I am a fan but it's a bit worrying to me that, months after his debut, this is still what most people say about him.
I think he is capable. We just haven't seen it yet.
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Post by Next Level was WRONG on Mar 28, 2015 7:23:45 GMT -5
He's Justin Gabriel with hype.
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Post by Tea & Crumpets on Mar 28, 2015 8:13:37 GMT -5
I'm always a big backer of European wrestlers, because so few have ever made it to the top in WWE (and from memory, none have ever held the WWE Title).
That said I think Balor's a very very good talent, but not the top level. He is, for lack of a better term, a B+ Player. I see him on the level Ziggler is now, on the level Kofi was once- credible upper midcarder, lot of midcard title runs, occasionally fills in the main event, but generally on B-shows or multi-man matches. He might well prove me wrong and I really hope he does but that's my current prediction for him.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 8:25:12 GMT -5
From the snippets of his pre nxt career I've seen it appears he had 100% control of his character with how he changed his look to suit various crowds.
His biggest test will be how he makes the best of it when he ceeds character control to Vince. How well he can compromise and make the best of what he is given.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Mar 28, 2015 9:24:31 GMT -5
I like Finn Balor. I'm not nearly as high on him as others are but he's a guy that could be something special in a couple of years. Although, I don't get the hate for the Double Foot Stomp as a finisher. f***'s sake, it's a man jumping from a height and having his entire weight crashing down on another man's chest. Perfectly acceptable finisher, especially since I can think of like one other guy in WWE that used it (Kaval). From a kayfabe explanation, like the heart punch, sure, it works. But the OP is not alone in thinking that it's boring to watch/looks like shit/is awkward/really doesn't look like it has any impact at all. I'm not big on Balor either, and honestly I don't even really like the paint. I've only been watching NXT a few months but in that time I've never been happier to see Owens beat someone. |
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Post by Mozenrath on Mar 28, 2015 9:28:20 GMT -5
I think he could use a new finisher. Not that I dislike it, I do like the move, but I feel like him and Itami used it as placeholders until they found a better fit. No Bloody Sunday, either, unless he renames it. That's just in poor taste. It's literally like if a guy in the future called a finisher "Ferguson" or something.
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